Machine Learning AI Part 1

03/05/2022

QOL changes: Clicking "Accept" on the cookie consent window now permanently disables the consent window. Previosuly, users were bugged for consent

on a repeat basis.

Menu: The ship selction menu has had graphical improvements & button sizes increased for ease of selection.

A new mode selection menu has been introduced in readiness for the introduction of the race mode.

Design: Race mode is in the works! AI opponents will soon be racing around the canyons, against our brave pilots!

23/05/2022

It has been a VERY busy month here at Spud Cannon HQ! We have been feverishly training our new machine-learning AI to race around the three canyons that are currently available. It has been a long journey of discovery, trying to second-guess a reluctant AI learning algorithm but success has been achieved! The next build will almost certainly include a playable version of "Race Mode"; a mode where the player can race against multiple AI agents, which could eventually be expanded into "Career Mode", though this may be over-scoping somewhat.

Art for the various ships in the game has taken a giant leap sideways, too. Instead of the pixel-art placeholder ships that are in the current build, players will soon recognise their favourite ships have had a makeover that blends the style of the ships with the style of the scenery. Developer art at it's finest...however, I do hope that the new art is a significant upgrade over the art visible in the cover photo for this post. I'll let you be the judges of that!

Next on the list after a basic implementation of "Race Mode" is the ability system, which the player will use through the customisable unlockables system. By achieveing certain milestones, in-game, the player will be presented with randomised unlockable cards that have various items associated with them. Each ship will have a finite number of slots which these unlockable cards can fill and some of these cards will have active abilities, whilst others will be passive. 

I'm planning a part 2 to this brief devlog which goes into far more detail regarding the machine learning aspect of the AI. I'm hoping that this might make a good read for someone out there!