robots or a boy with a rocket-pack will not be anything too exciting to the jaded people
of the future; it is only when the fighting starts that the citizens will realize the danger-
ous situation they are in. The level designers will be able to set up paths for these
citizens to walk along and positions they will try to flee to for safety.
Talking To and Helping Sam
Of course, certain citizens will be willing to talk to Sam, and may share information
about the area Sam is currently navigating. Others may even be willing to give Sam
objects, or to make improvements to Sam’s rocket-pack. Citizens who will be able to
help Sam will have a tendency to wave to Sam as he flies by, differentiating them from
the citizens who are merely there to add color and variety to the game environment.
Friends
One of the most complicated pieces of AI that will be needed forAtomic Samis that
which will control the friends he meets throughout the game. These agents need to be
able to follow along with Sam and provide him with help in key locations without ever
getting lost or stuck. Making a teammate AI that can support the player without seem-
ing stupid or canned will be quite a challenge, but will have a significant payoff in terms
of gameplay.
Invincible
The friends that follow Sam through the levels will not be able to be killed or captured
by the robots and other hostile creatures found in the levels. First, the enemy creatures
will have a tendency to attack Sam instead of the friends, since indeed it is Sam that
they have been sent to subdue. Second, the friend AI agents will be able to defend
against any attack that does happen to come their way. Similarly, if Sam should happen
to throw a projectile at a friend, the friend will easily be able to bat it out of the way, say-
ing something to the effect of “You’ve got to be careful with those things!” The logistics
in terms of the friend AI being defeated and what this does to the gameplay is simply too
complex to deal with. It may be useful, however, for the friends to be temporarily
stunned, only to return to full helpfulness within a few seconds.
Following Sam
The most important task these friend AI agents must be able to perform is to follow the
player around the levels. This means the friends will have to be able to flawlessly follow
the player through the potentially complex 3D environments that make up theAtomic
Samgame-world. If the player ever turns around to find that a friend got stuck a dis-
tance back on some sort of structure, the gaming experience will be ruined.
The NPC will not necessarily be right on top of Sam at all times. Indeed, the flying
friends will be able to fly in and out of frame, giving the player the sense that they are
always nearby without actually being on the screen constantly. Sometimes the friends
will be just in front of Sam, sometimes just behind him, but always close by.
Guarding Sam’s Back
These friends will play a crucial role in the gameplay by pointing out enemies that may
be attacking Sam from a given direction that Sam has not seen: “Watch out, Sam, it’s
560 Appendix A: Sample Design Document:Atomic Sam