How-To Smart Object

Interactions in video games continue to increase in complexity and variety for players. Therefore, to make non-playable characters act intelligently, befitting of the games they inhabit, they need to be able to perform with a similar ever-increasing number of interactions. Implementing handling of non-playable character game interactions is often a large and complex problem space. To ensure the scalability of building interactions for non-playable characters, a framework called Smart Objects can mitigate complexity by encapsulating the behaviours used for interactions and extending their reusability, thereby improving scalability. This chapter aims to explain Smart Objects, including how they are constructed and operated. It also strives to show valid use cases and how extended functionality could open up even more complex behaviours. Also included is a framework for the construction, logical flows of Smart Objects, and worked examples of how it can be leveraged by extending its functionality.