According to a recently published patent, Sony is working on develop a software which uses machine learning for new NPC behavior.
New NPC Behavior from Sony
A giant in the technology and entertainment industries, Sony is a Japanese conglomerate with subsidiaries specializing in film, music, gaming, and more. Sony is well known as the parent company of the PlayStation gaming consoles, and patents continue to reveal Sony’s efforts to improve video game functionality.
New published Sony patent is about machine learning, which will adept player inputs and viewpoints to improve the movements of NPC characters. With the new system, NPCs would be controlled using data from both a captured session and from the live playable character.
Rather than tied to developed input data, machine learning system will improve NPC movements from perspective data. Previous Sony patents relying on player input have been published, often with the goal of improving realism in video games. However, companies frequently file patents that never see implementation, so there is no guarantee this system will ever be utilized.
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Patent Details and New NPC Behavior Details from Sony Machine Learning Software
In the some video game parts, game would make you follow a certain NPC. Generally this NPC is controlled by a specific data, no matter what you do or what it encounters, it will always follow the same road. But Machine learning software will receive data from the playable character’s viewpoint, duplicate that information, create a copied display, and use that copy to train the AI that is controlling the NPC.
This would work in tandem with the existing system of using a “training set,” or developer human play session, to feed the machine learning model and AI. While similar implementations already exist, they often rely solely on the playable character’s perspective. Instead, this software would use machine learning to adjust inputs for the NPC perspective, thus improving realism in AI controlled movement.
It’s key to remember that patents, trademarks, and copyright filings are never an absolute guarantee that an idea will be brought to life. We will what Sony will do with this patent and idea.
