Before the release, The Division 2 and its predecessor really ran smoothly, not only people checked, but also artificial game testers. That explains the Youtuber AI and Games together with lead AI programmer Philip Dunstan from developer Massive in the video above.
Why AI is so important to division: Here the secret helpers are introduced in more detail, who make a huge service game including Open World possible in the first place. At The Division 2, the virtual testers are divided into two types that perform different tasks to support human QA testers – server bots and client bots.
What are server bots doing in The Division?
Server bots do not simulate a player and do not interact with the game directly. Above all, they should test whether everything works smoothly on the servers – the name already suggests it. In theory, you could also take real players for a stress test, but according to Dunstan it is not so easy to first get 1,000 players on a server and then let them play at the same time for a while.
Careful, killer robot: Because server bots do not have to behave like players, they were already quite unpleasant in The Division 1 and chatted permanently. In the predecessor, they liked to teleport themselves indiscriminately through the world and kill NPCs without bullets being able to harm them themselves. Of course, players are not victims of the bots.
What are client bots doing in The Division?
Client bots behave as real players as possible and should check whether everything works in the game itself, for example whether missions can be ended at all or serious bugs occur.
The bots deceive the game: It even goes so far that all systems in the game consider the client bots to be real players and treat them that way. The AI colleagues are not allowed to cheat either, but, like us, have to go through everything themselves.
However, you collect statistics along the way that help developers improve the gaming experience. Among other things, the bots test whether the opponent's AI is able to move through the level and can determine whether obstacles are in the way or wanted barricades are not working.
AI and Games
The AI and Games YouTube channel from AI researcher Dr Tommy Thompson deals extensively with AI in various games, how it works and what influence it has on our gaming experience. So have a look if you found the topic at The Division interesting.
Depending on the task, a different AI
While the server bots were essential in the first part, the client bots only became important when the randomly generated underground was added to the New York gaming world via DLCs. To test all possible scenarios, the team needed the help of the AI.
The help of the bots also became decisive in the much more extensive The Division 2. However, they are far from being as intelligent as real players: To prevent them from getting lost, the developers set invisible markers that remain hidden from the player.
Why all this?
Such technologies are becoming increasingly important because game worlds are growing and the scope of content through service games is also increasing. They also receive regular updates that can either bring errors into the game themselves or subsequently damage previously functioning content.
more on the subject
Armistice Despite PvP: Players spontaneously make peace in The Division 2
So the more a game grows, the more likely it is that something will not work properly or generate bugs that developers have to find and fix. With the help of bots, this can be done much faster.
On March 3rd, the Addon Warlords of New York for Division 2 was released, which will take you back to Manhattan. Here you can find out when our test comes.
In another special, we also explain how you can optimally prepare for the expansion, including the story and the new endgame.
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