About Utility System
In video game AI, a utility system, or utility AI, is a simple but effective way to model behaviors for non-player characters. Using numbers, formulas, and scores to rate the relative benefit of possible actions, one can assign utilities to each action. A behavior can then be selected based on which one scores the highest "utility" or by using those scores to seed the probability distribution for a weighted random selection. The result is that the character is selecting the "best" behavior for the given situation at the moment based on how those behaviors are defined mathematically.
Utility System Concept
| Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Selector | Selects the best Qualifier from the Qualifiers attached to the Selector |
| Qualifier | Calculates a score that represents the utility/usefulness of its associated action. |
| Scorer | A method for calculating scores that can be reused across Qualifiers. |
| Action | The action that the AI executes when a specific Qualifier is selected. |
| Context | The information available to the AI when calculating the scores. |