Weekly Update - Fell Trees Behavior, Logging Camp, Bamboo Ponds This week I implemented a new AI Behavior for felling trees, improved the area around the logging camp, and added a new "Bamboo Ponds" area nearby.

Hello everyone! This week I continued work on AI Behaviors which has been the focus for the past several weeks now. I have basic behaviors working for simple tasks like harvesting items from plants, taking items from dispensers, and storing items in crates. There is also a variety of "control" behaviors such as following an hourly (bell/chime) schedule and a prioritized list. The AI controlled characters can also catch fish, but I need to improve that behavior with some lessons learned this week.

New Tree Felling AI Behavior

The AI controlled characters can now fell trees. This turned out to be the most sophisticated behavior yet, with a single AI behavior "block" selecting a tree, moving the character to it, equipping an axe, chopping the tree down, and then gathering up all the drops before selecting the next tree. It also provides a few "slots" that can be populated with additional AI behaviors to handle cases like "no axe in inventory", "out of food", and "inventory full".

The way fishing is currently implemented requires a chain of AI behaviors to be set up in just the right way to work, and I really prefer the "all-in-one" approach I took for the tree felling behavior. If AI behaviors are something that I'd like players (or at least server admins) to be able to customize, this is clearly the direction I need to take.

Logging Camp Improvements

The Logging Camp area outside of the Bamboo Gardens village was too sparse to effectively test with, so I reworked the landscaping and added a variety of trees. Jidou also now roam the area and have plants to feed on.

This area is directly south of the Blue Coast where some Seafaring Tasiiama have set camp, and has sparked some thought about the relationship between those Tasiiama and the new inhabitants of the Isle of Kasau. A disagreement about this noisy logging camp being placed in the middle of a pristine hunting ground is brewing in my head, as well as a compromise the two parties have reached.

Bamboo Ponds

Up to this point all the bamboo on Kasau has been located in habituated areas like the Bamboo Gardens, and having AI characters felling the bamboo in-town felt rather disruptive. To remedy that I've added a new area next to the Logging Camp which bridges the gap between it and the lake's (former) island. This solves two problems - for one there is now a source of bamboo right next to the logging camp that makes sense now, and secondly it provides a land path onto the island which contains a book pavilion. Without swimming in-game yet the only way to access that skill card was to walk across the sea floor.

That's it for this week, see you next time!

PS: I am aware that there are numerous issues with the website right now. If these updates become a regular thing I will schedule some time to fix the glaring issues and blank pages.