Everyone acts like computers are so smart, but you've made it sound like they're dumb. What gives?
A1:
Computers, in fact, are very "dumb" when it comes to what we humans refer to as thought. However, computers are very "smart" when it comes to mathematical calculations and algorithms. The trick with AI is to model the subtleties of human thought in such a way that the computer can do what it's good at, executing mathematical calculations and algorithms. The point is that thoughts we take for granted are often very difficult for computers simply because human thought takes into account an incredibly large number of subtle variables when arriving at even the simplest decision.
Q2:
If my game is designed to have only human players, do I even need to worry with AI?
A2:
Even though games with all human players might appear to not require any AI at first, it is often useful to control many of the background aspects of the game using simple AI. For example, consider a two player head-to-head space battle game. Even though you might not have any plans for computer ships, consider adding some AI to determine how the environment responds to the players' actions. For example, add a black hole near the more aggressive player from time to time, providing that player with more hassles than the other player. Although the intelligence required of a black hole is pretty weak by most AI standards, it could still use a simple chase algorithm to follow the player around.
