Man Versus Machine - The Amazing AlphaGo Phenomenon

The man versus machine battle in the board games has seen the machine recording some stunning victorious feats in the recent past. This is more so in the game of Go, and the machine’s success in this front has been largely attributed to the Alphago computer program from Google. Alphago was designed by Google DeepMind in the city of London, with the intention of pitting it against human players. The A.I (Artificial Intelligence) has an innovative playing style that enabled it to make history last by being the first machine to defeat a competitively ranked world class Go player.

In March of 2016, this computer program beat Korea’s Lee Sedol, a 9-dan professional without handicaps. In 5-game match, the human Go legend lost 1-4. Although Lee Sedol beat Alphago in the fourth game, he gave up on the fifth, bringing the final score to 4-1 in favour Alphago. The next challenge for this brain-child from Google is to meet Ke Jie, the 19 year old Chinese lad who is now reputed as being the best human player on the planet. Ke Jie has been playing Go since the tender age of ten, and indeed his prowess at the game has seen him floor South Korea’s Lee Sedol a number of times. Ke Jie plays Alphago in the month of May 2017, and Go devotees are expectantly looking forward to this epic battle with bated breath. After its decisive victory over the South Korean, it is widely accepted that Alphago will be the favourite in the 3 game match against Ke.

At the same meet in China, Alphago is scheduled to be played against a team of five top Chinese GO professionals, and thereafter a pro versus pro match, in which each player takes turns with an Alphago teammate. This will be a good forum for a scientific observation on how the computer program reacts under different conditions and situations.

China Go Association and Google have collaborated to organize the much anticipated Future of Go Summit, where the games described above will take place. This is one forum that is expected to delve into the future of artificial intelligence, and in particular to assess the progress of human being’s most advanced A.I competitor: Google’s Alphago.

DeepMind CEO is of the opinion that artificial intelligence has increased the human players' creativity and performance. He contends that by poring over Alphago’s innovative game play, both professional and amateur human players have in the process acquired new tactics, strategies and knowledge of the game.

It is quite evident that a lot will be learnt from the Future of Go Summit that is planned for between 23rd and 27th May 2017, in China.

How to make a 3D computer game

Designing a Computer game

It does not matter whether you are looking for a career in game development industry or just want to get deep to the mind of game developers, it is good to know that the whole process is much complicated than it appears. If you are the type of person who can create great universes from the depths of their enchanted minds, then this is an opportunity for you.

You will have numerous options to work with if you possess some knowledge of programming. These skills and the knowledge will make the entire process of game design approachable since you will be able to use concepts like perfect imbalance, gamification, the uncanny valley, Skinner box and much more.

Using game engines has more benefits than programming the whole game yourself. With game engines, you will have the coding done for you so that you only focus on the layout, level, and content. In more complex games, the engines will ensure that lighting is done for you apart from memory management and asset loading. Game engines are cross-platform, and it will make the work appear so simplified.

Free Game Engines

A number of powerful game engines have been introduced to the public over the past few years. This has inspired the aspiring developers to create the games they have always had in their minds. Some of the most popular game engines are Unity, CRYENGINE  and Unreal Engine 4.

Unity game engine offers a wide array of easy to grasp features and other variety of assets that can be purchased or downloaded. Unity has different licensing packages like Free version and Pro version that goes for $35 or $125 per month.

Unreal Engine 4 just stopped charging $19 per month to being completely Free with zero subscription fees. CRYENGINE  on the hand has a bit different pricing model. You can get CRYENGINE for Free but you will have to pay $50 every month to access CRYENGINE training and other services.

(Note - Above pricing and licencing packages can be changed).

Popular games that have been designed by these popular engines are Far Cry and Crysis 3 by cryENGINE. Unity has created popular ones like Torment: Tides of Numenera, while Unreal Engine 4 brought Gears Of War 4.

Use your own 3d models

On usage, there are 3D modeling software's that can help especially if you choose to craft your 3D models without applying assets that have been already laid down. This software includes Blender(Free), Maya or 3DS Max.

When creating the game, ensure that you select a concept that you want to follow. Make sure you list down all the ideas you have for what your game will appear like.

The general appearance of the game, the core gameplay, and mood of the game should be well put down before you carry on.

If it is your first time to use the game making engines, then make you spend some reasonable period playing around with the tool. This you can only do by playing around with backgrounds, moving characters and objects. The core gameplay should be designed only if there is a need. This is because it can involve the creation of some complex systems especially to those using the tool for the first time.

For your first game, target a few level. You can create three to five short levels with an option of expanding them afterward. For a platformer, faster enemies or moving platforms are essential. A puzzle should use a single type of puzzle for the first time while an action game can introduce enemies or just one strong enemy.

Do not forget to set up the median and long time goals in your game. This may include, jumping or shooting and getting coins or such like advances.

Test carefully all the levels of your game and make sure everything is right. Use OpenGL to help you polish some graphics in your 3D computer game.

As soon as you ensure that all audio and visuals are up to your standards, then you can release your game. And that's how simple making a computer 3D game is. Best of luck as you try it.