Via: xaitment inc. - xaitment To Launch xaitMap 3.0 at GamesCom 2011
As one of the leading providers of artificial intelligence tools for "Serious Games" developers, xaitment’s brand new version of the xaitMap product offers a more affordable combination of all AI tools.
xaitment will demonstrate xaitMap 3.0 at GamesCom 2011 (Hall 04.1, Stand D030).
Here is the press release:
Core xaitment Product Combines Pathfinding With Movement To Offer Game And Simulation Developers More Power For The Price
San Francisco, CA – Aug 10, 2011 – xaitment, the creators of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) middleware for video games and simulations, today announced that it has combined the previously named xaitMap and xaitMove products to create a single, new product named xaitMap 3.0. The new product, which couples pathfinding and automatic navigation mesh (NavMesh) generation with a flexible movement core, provides game and simulation developers with a more integrated and intuitive approach for creating intelligent entity and crowd movement. xaitment will demonstrate xaitMap 3.0 at GamesCom 2011 (Hall 04.1, Stand D030).
Prior to xaitMap 3.0, xaitment offered pathfinding and movement functionality in two separate modules – xaitMap and xaitMove – to give developers a more affordable choice that didn't lock them into more functionality than they needed. Over time, however, NavMesh generation, pathfinding and movement have become more integrated and more necessary for a wider range of games, which necessitated a melding of the two products into one: xaitMap 3.0.
“NavMesh generation, pathfinding and movement are all critical components to any AI solution,” said Thorsten Maier, CTO of xaitment. “With xaitMap 3.0, we've not only enhanced our pathfinding and NavMesh generation tools, we've now added a highly flexible movement core that allows every studio to modify or add functionality as they see fit.”
In addition to the already rich feature set included in previous versions of xaitMap, xaitMap 3.0 comes with a number of major upgrades, including:
- A new, dynamic blocking path object for simulating doors, destructible objects and the like
- The ability to add custom data to, and handle it in, the NavMesh
- A fully integrated, fully customizable movement core with:
o A well-defined object-oriented interface
o Support for physics engines, such as NVIDIA’s PhysX (a PhysX demo is included)
o A predefined, extensible path follower
o Entity avoidance
o An exchangeable collision interface
o Multiple, simulation worlds
o Detailed code tutorials
“Our goal as an AI middleware provider has always been to provide tools that are powerful, yet simple to use. The modularity of our solutions is a key component of that simplicity. But in the case of xaitMap and xaitMove, the separation no longer made sense,” said Mike Walsh, managing director and CEO of xaitment. “xaitMap 3.0 now makes it easier to access critical AI functionality from one interface without losing the affordability of our modular approach.”
xaitMap 3.0 will be available as of GamesCom 2011 for PC, Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3 and Wii™. xaitment will be demoing xaitMap 3.0 and its other modules at GamesCom 2011 (Hall 04.1, Stand D030).
About Gamescom
GamesCom is a major trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany.
Organized by the Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware (German Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software) the event is as an opportunity for video game developers to demonstrate their upcoming games and game-related hardware.
GamesCom was first held from 19 to 23 August 2009. According to some sources, that year's edition of GamesCom was a complete success, its popularity surpassing E3’s.
According to the official site, GamesCom 2009 received over 245.000 visitors, 4.400 journalists and 505 exhibitors from 33 countries, compared to E3 that had welcome 203.000 visitors earlier the same year.
GamesCom 2011 will be held from 17 to 21 August at the same venue.