Dishonored 2

Taking Back What's Ours: The AI of Dishonored 2

The artificial intelligence architecture of Dishonored 2 centers on a data-driven framework designed to facilitate complex, emergent gameplay while maintaining high performance on console hardware.

• Arkane Studios implemented a 'shuffle bag' system for NPC barks to prevent repetitive dialogue, where action lists are shuffled during initialization and again upon completion to ensure variety.
• The AI team utilized a 'Dynamic Space Management' (DSM) system for spatial reasoning, using influence map layers to store and propagate data like danger ratings across a grid to guide NPC movement and search behaviors.
• To coordinate group combat, the team employed a 'crew' system where individual NPCs post requests to join a group based on shared objectives, allowing for emergent behavior while maintaining individual decision-making.