GRIP's DES is an AI software module for creating and managing large numbers of secondary characters ("extras") in video games. DES enables content creators to rapidly populate interactive worlds and simulate meaningful human interactions requiring tens to hundreds of extras. UE3 developers can now more easily leverage this AI solution to enhance realism in gameplay and cinematic experiences with GRIP-powered intelligent secondary characters.
The DES system primarily operates on one of four gameplay constructs: Living City, Electric Lounge, Baddie Hordes or Civilian Panic. Each setting simulates a specific type of behavior for non-player characters (NPCs) and crowds given implied environmental constraints, making game worlds feel more authentic and alive.
"The streamlined flow of AI assets from GRIP into Unreal Engine 3 helps our licensees more easily populate game worlds with believable human and crowd behavior," said Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps. "Developers aren't the only ones who benefit from great tools. Shortening the time spent honing the execution of AI lets developers spend more time polishing their games to improve the final product."
"We have performed a very deep integration with DES and UE3. Our goal was to make our AI module feel as native as possible," said Dr. Paul A. Kruszewski, president and founder of GRIP. "That is, we wanted the development experience to be so seamless in UE3 that the level designer wasn't even aware that it was a third party software, that it felt like it was built by Epic. For example, the behavior tree brain editor has the same look and feel as the UE3 animation graph, and debugging and performance analysis is all done through UE3 console commands."
