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Game AI (Behavior Trees)

Create intelligent NPCs. Master Finite State Machines (FSM), Behavior Trees, and Goal-Oriented Action Planning (GOAP) for dynamic game agents.

Game AI isn't ChatGPT; it's about decision making. This course teaches the architectures used for game characters. You will start with Finite State Machines (Patrol -> Chase -> Attack) and advance to hierarchical Behavior Trees for complex logic. Learn to use NavMesh for pathfinding and steering behaviors for organic movement. We also touch on Goal-Oriented Action Planning (GOAP) and Utility systems used in simulation games.

✅ 100% Free & Lifetime Access
⏱️ 5-Minute Lessons (Bite-sized learning)
🚀 21-Lesson Path (Independent modules)
📱 Mobile Friendly (Learn anywhere)
AI Devs
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Complete Course Syllabus

  • 1
    State Machines
    Switching behaviors based on triggers and events.
  • 2
    Sensing
    Simulating vision cones and hearing radii.
  • 3
    Navigation
    Using NavMesh Agents and off-mesh links.
  • 4
    Behavior Trees
    Sequences, Selectors, and Decorator nodes.
  • 5
    Steering Behaviors
    Flocking, separation, and alignment algorithms.

Estimated completion time: 21 lessons • Self-paced learning • Lifetime access

Career Outlook

Estimated Salary
$110k - $150k

Career Paths

AI Programmer $115k-$160k
Gameplay Engineer $100k-$150k
NPC Designer $90k-$130k

What You Will Learn

Implement Finite State Machines for simple enemy logic
Design complex agents using Behavior Trees and Nodes
Integrate NavMesh for pathfinding and obstacle avoidance
Create sensory systems for sight and hearing detection
Balance AI difficulty for fair but challenging gameplay

Skills You Will Gain

Game AI Behavior Trees State Machines Pathfinding C# / C++

Who Is This For

AI Programmers
Gameplay Devs
Designers

Prerequisites

Intermediate Coding
Game Dev

Game AI (Behavior Trees) FAQs

Machine Learning?

No, Game AI is usually deterministic logic.

Hard math?

Vector math is needed for sensing and movement.

Engine?

Concepts apply generally; examples in Unity.

Visual scripting?

Yes, Behavior Trees are often visual graphs.

Need more info?
All Reork courses are 100% free, self-paced, and fully accessible on mobile devices. No prior experience is required. Read our full Platform FAQ.

Tech Stack & Tools

Unity
Unreal Behavior Tree
Visual Studio

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