Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Hey, Joe! Whaddaya Know?

Joe "Adus" Hegarty writes about his day-to-day life in Funcom offices, as an Artificial Intelligence Designer for Age of Conan. He tells us what his job entails, and gives us an in-depth look into the robust AI system designed for the game.

One of the most interesting things I have personally worked on is the children in Old Tarantia. They run about playing during the day (as children do), but once nightfall is reached, their parents will come out the collect them. The obvious "just 10 more minutes"-type argument ensues before they finally admit defeat and actually go inside. They will then remain inside until the following morning. The system we use for this is based on the actual day/night cycles we have in nearly all areas of the game.

• A Day In The Life: Age of Conan AI Designer