Here's a fun game dev challenge: how do you design an AI that takes believable (i.e. sometimes bad) in-game photographs?

Square Enix managed to do just that in its latest Final Fantasy game, which features a companion character that documents the player's journey by snapping photos and selfies and showing them off at the end of each day. 

At GDC 2017, Square Enix designer Prasert Prasertvithyakarn delivered an ebullient presentation about how Final Fantasy XV's AI-driven photo system works, the logic it follows to determine when is the best time to capture a photo, and how it figures out which filters to use.

It was a lighthearted talk about a very tricky topic that's rarely discussed in game design, so if you missed it in person don't miss your chance to watch the entire talk for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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