AI Set For Major Advancements In Sports Video Games

The video game industry has been using artificial intelligence for many years in such games as racing, strategy, and shooting to give players a more realistic experience competing on any game platform. However, the most recent advancements in AI technology have given developers many more ways to use it in games. As a result, experts have been researching how AI can take sports video gaming to the next level, which will see the industry undergo drastic changes in the next several years. 

AI technology makes up the industry’s natural evolution, with many major developers seeking to be at the top as they specialize in creating games with more advanced and realistic environments. In sports video games, AI aims to make the player feel like they’re being challenged by intelligent opponents that make realistic decisions while not making gameplay seem repetitive. Like when making weekly NFL picks online, a bad experience is hard to overcome, but technical issues can always be fixed. 

Characters Will Be More Lifelike

Even with all the advancements in sports video games, there are still instances during gameplay where a character will do something unexpected without any explanation. EA Sports is one of the companies making advancements in AI to help get rid of those problems and is using new computer programs to help create characters that move more realistically. 

In the past, developers had to tell the game how characters should move in different scenarios. New development techniques can accomplish this, with animators needing to do much less labor.

One of the newest games to depend on AI-driven animation is FIFA 22, which uses a new technology called HyperMotion. It gathered data from two complete teams of players who played matches while wearing motion-capture suits. Once developers put the data into a computer program, more than 4,000 unique new animations were created for use in the game. 

New Generation Of Consoles Set For Major Leap

When a new generation of video game consoles is released, a new legacy is usually left in the industry. Online gaming rose dramatically with the release of seventh-generation consoles such as the PS3 and Xbox 360. 

The next generation, which brought the PS4 and Xbox One, introduced quality graphics that were as close to photorealistic as ever. No one knows what mark the current generation will leave on the video game industry, but advancements in AI are what will probably be remembered in the future. 

The computing power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X is about ten times higher than their forerunners and is begging developers to create more intelligent and lifelike characters. This new power is perfect for developing AI in sports games, where there are up to 22 AI players on the screen simultaneously whose characters are based on real people. This is a big challenge that EA Sports says they’re excited to take on. 

Madden 22 Integrates The Most Data

The way AI training is implemented depends on the sport, with the Madden series using some of the most advanced methods for integrating data. For example, in 2014, the NFL introduced Next Gen Stats. This solution collects data using RFID tags in the uniforms of players and referees and within the first down markers and pylons in the end zones to track every movement on the field for each game. 

As a result, mountains of additional precise data are recorded, including the player’s speed and movement, which Madden has incorporated into the game. 

Other sports games may have adapted how they gather data to make players more realistic, but none has the data available that Madden does. It’s also more important for this title to have a high level of AI, as gamers compete against the computer more than 70% of the time with this title. 

The AI must be smart enough to challenge expert players while being receptive to new players who may want more of an arcade experience.

Victor Booth

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