How Honkai Star Rail Used AI For Game Development

Genshin Impact fans worldwide have been anticipating HoYoverse’s new mobile game, Honkai: Star Rail. Yet, most people don’t know the game’s development involved artificial intelligence. In an interview with IGN, the company revealed it used AI to program character behaviors and facial characteristics.

The Chinese video game company assured players it is not relying on this technology completely. Nowadays, it is not the only game development firm testing AI applications. Soon, artificial intelligence will have a greater influence on future titles. Nowadays, more people play games worldwide, so we should know AI’s impact on this mainstream hobby.

This article will discuss how HoYoverse used artificial intelligence to develop Honkai: Star Rail. Also, I will explain the numerous benefits and drawbacks of using AI for game development. I will also elaborate on how modern games are using this technology nowadays. This blog is a must-read for mobile game fans, Ai enthusiasts, and the tech-curious.

How did Honkai: Star Rail use AI for game development?

Photo Credit: whynowgaming.com

HoYoverse is the creator of the popular mobile role-playing mobile game Genshin Impact. Last week, it followed its success with a similar game called Honkai: Star Rail.

Both games came from a development team of more than 500 people. Despite the number of employees, the group still used artificial intelligence to polish specific design elements.

The dev team told IGN, “Our team is paying much attention to AI, especially its impact on the gaming industry.” Then, it said, “We have already integrated some latest AI technologies into Honkai: Star Rail.”

The developers specified what Honkai AI did. “These techniques have been implemented to improve the facial appearance and behavioral patterns of characters, enhancing the immersive gaming experience with a more natural representation overall.”

Nowadays, gamers are wary about game development studios relying heavily on artificial intelligence to create games. They worry it will take away jobs and create dull experiences since it generates content from past material.

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Fortunately, HoYoverse told the video game news outlet that it has not considered integrating AI into other parts of game development. For example, the company hasn’t tried to use AI-generated narrative content. It also shared the following explanation:

“We also found out that the current application of AI is still restricted. It is more like a ‘cherry on the top’ technique to supplement what we already had instead of fundamentally solving issues from the ground up.”

“We will focus on the [repercussions] and development of AI, figuring out a more robust implementation in the future,” the HoYoverse team added.

IGN asked about the future of its latest game. However, the Chinese game studio did not want to reveal additional details. Still, you may download and play Honkai on PC, Android, and iOS devices.

Other AI game applications

Photo Credit: blog.roblox.com

Honkai AI is not the only example of artificial intelligence in video games. For example, the famous video game development company Ubisoft launched the Ghostwriter AI tool.

Most video games immerse players in detailed, hyperrealistic environments. However, they also have background sounds like people having conversations outdoors.

Game devs call them “barks.” They must write the background characters’ words, but it takes weeks. The Ghostwriter program saves time by generating early drafts, letting dialogue writers revise the AI-generated content instead of writing from scratch.

Project Electric Sheep created a video game using the popular AI text generator ChatGPT. Its namesake game Electric Sheep enables players to live their dreams.

It asks what scenario to simulate, such as a wedding in outer space. Then, the game generates the world based on user inputs. The current version looks janky, but it would likely improve.

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The popular metaverse game Roblox also launched a demonstration video of its upcoming AI tool. Its generative AI “lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine.”

It shows a car changing colors after a user enters the phrase “brushed metal diamond plate pattern.” Also, the person assigned controls by typing, “blink the headlights when the user presses ‘B.’”

Roblox AI significantly simplifies game development so that people with no coding experience can create video games. As a result, more people can start their dreams of making a video game.

Conclusion

The use of artificial intelligence in Honkai: Star Rail and other video games shows a glimpse into the future of game development. HoYoverse demonstrated the technology’s potential using AI for character faces and behaviors.

AI’s impact on video games is still in its infancy. That means we can expect more ways it could improve gaming experiences as more people play.

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