Thats what Microsoft has unveiled a playable Quake II demo powered entirely by artificial intelligence.
Its part of Microsofts newCopilot for Gaming experimentsand is available to try right in your web internet tool.
Youll run around corridors, blast enemies, pick up health packs, and hit switches as usual.
The magic comes from a system called WHaMM, which stands for World and Human Action MaskGIT Model.
Basically, this is the AI brain that learned how Quake IIs world works.
WHaMM is part ofMicrosofts Muse family of AIworld models for video games.
Instead of drawing every pixel one-by-one, the AI quickly sketches the whole scene and then refines the details.
Another important upgrade is how the system was trained.
This shorter, focused training allowed the AI to learn the essentials of Quake IIs mechanics very quickly.
you’re free to play this gamehere.
How Does the AI Generate and Control the Quake Game?
You might wonder how an AI can handle all of Quakes game logic and graphics.
In this demo, none of that original engine is running.
Instead, the AI model itself acts like the game engine.
It does this repeatedly, dozens of times each second.
If you move around a corner, the AI draws the new hallway that should appear.
If you fire the blaster, it generates the flash and shows the enemy reacting.
The impressive part is that the AI learned these rules by example instead of being explicitly coded with them.
The result is an experience that looks like Quake II, even if the underlying process is completely different.
How Is the AI Version of Quake II Different from the Original?
For one, the visuals are noticeably rougher and blurrier than the original game.
The gameplay mechanics are mostly there.
However, the AIs interpretation of the game rules sometimes deviates from the original.
Furthermore, one of the quirks is the AIs short memory.
WHaMM only considers about 0.9 seconds of past gameplay (around 9 frames) when generating the next frame.
So if you look away from an enemy and look back, the enemy might be gone.
But not always in a good way.
Combat is also a bit strange.
Enemies dont always react properly.
You might take damage randomly.
Or not at all.
How This Could Impact Game Development?
Instead of spending years coding every detail, a small team might train an AI on a simple idea.
The AI could then create a playable demo almost instantly.
This could speed up prototyping and lead to innovative game designs.
The idea is not to replace human creativity, but to augment it.
Developers could use AI to brainstorm level designs, enemy behaviors, or even entire game mechanics.
Its a collaborative effort.
The AI gives suggestions, and the developers fine-tune them.
This new approach could lead to a wave of inventive, experimental titles in the future.
Amar is a gaming aficionado and freelance content writer.
As an experienced gaming content writer, he’s always up-to-date with the latest gaming industry trends.
