AI middleware launches Surface Navigation plugin for Unreal Engine, automating agent movement across 3D terrain.
November 20, 2023
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Kythera AI :
Kythera AI, an established developer of AI middleware for computer game development, received an EPIC MegaGrant to develop groundbreaking AI-powered Surface Navigation from EPIC Games in March 2023. They are now excited to announce the launch of the new Kythera AI Surface Navigation plugin for Unreal Engine.
“Building great AI into a game is key to delivering the best gameplay experience” explains Kythera AI Founder and Lead Architect Matthew Jack. “We’re delighted that the team at EPIC Games share our enthusiasm for giving game developers great tools to create Non Playing Characters that are realistic, interesting, effective and sometimes simply plain scary!”
What is Kythera AI Surface Navigation
This unique plugin provides AI-powered navigation across any in-game geometry. Surface Navigation is a groundbreaking AI solution that automates agent navigation across complex, three dimensional surfaces, like walls and ceilings.The feature was developed in response to the to fills a gap in current industry technology , it allows games studios to easily and cost-effectively create agents that move on and around the surfaces of 3D terrain, with any orientation.
With Kythera AI’s Surface Navigation, studios can:
Create unique gameplay experiences
Streamline their development and design
Optimize game performance
Give their designers the tools they need to simulate realistic movement on 3D terrain
See the full features and benefits of Kythera AI Surface Navigation here.
The feature was teased this October with a Halloween and Horror Game theme, including a look at how to make cult-classic status horror games and a horror level gameplay demo . The horror game level demo video has received over 20,000 views on YouTube, showing the strong player engagement made possible by using this feature to develop games. You can see that here.
Lucas Musial, the Level Designer at Kythera AI who built the Horror Game Demo Level said that “designers would spend countless hours carrying out repetitive tasks to "map" waypoints and the desired rotation of the agent. The designer would need to manually place all of these points and animations, setting the desired rotations and transitions to simulate the act of the agent transitioning from surface to surface in a painstaking process. Surface Navigation with Kythera AI handles all of that for you with actual algorithms and smart tech.”
The follow up behind-the scenes content dove into a how-to guide for creating the level, which displayed how simple the feature is to use. You can read the behind-the-scenes article here or view the video here.
About Kythera AI
Kythera AI is a middleware developer specializing in AI for video games based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Going far beyond generative AI, the solution provides AI for intelligent behavior and navigation of NPCs and agents. Founder Matthew Jack has worked over a decade to build a team and a toolset focussed on enabling ambitious studios to create the best possible gameplay experience. A Tech Nation Rising Star (Scotland and UK) in 2022, the company has evolved from a consultancy to a product and services company supplying games studios and simulation providers across the UK, Europe and North America.
Media contact: [email protected]
View the website at https://kythera.ai/
Linkedin: /company/kythera-ai/
Twitter/X: @KytheraAI
Youtube: Kythera AI
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