Next-gen games need next-gen AI
Method Director has an interesting blog post up on the role of AI to make game characters' performances more realistic. How many times have you wandered away from a character while they continued talking? Tried to shoot your teammates and not had a hint of reprimand for it? Some games handle this better than others, but generally while the graphics and physics engines of modern (and so-called next-gen) games are spectacular, the AI can be unbelievable and wooden.
The arts of theatre direction and improvisational acting are not black and forbidden subjects--they're taught widely and have well known and recognisable methods. It's about time some game developers started getting a little more creative with the way their NPCs behave. Method Director posts a sample algorithm; simple character motivation and emotional states could go a long way to making characters realistic. While some games do manage realistic and believable AI, it seems that most focus on the "wow" factors before making plot and character realistic--and just like a bad movie, a game with great graphics but no depth can flop.
