Poll #16: 9/01/00 - 10/01/00

AI Programmers--Special Skills or Typical Programmers?
Are there any special skills required to make a really good AI programmer?
  
Nope, AI programmers are pretty much like any other--if they're good programmers they'll be good AI programmers too. (14)
10%
  
Maybe--there's some specialized training and knowledge that not everybody can "get", but most they're typical programmer types. (61)
43%
  
Sorta--he or she needs to be a bit smarter than most developers, since it's such a challenging field. (45)
31%
  
Are you kidding?!? The only truly great AI programmers are the pocket-protector, Lexx-watching, assembler code guru types! (16)
11%
  
No way--if anything AI programmer abilities are overrated! (7)
5%

Total Votes: 143
FINAL RESULTS
Steve's Comments: Well, the results were pretty much what I'd expected. Most developers seem to think that AI programmers are pretty much "normal" game programmers (as normal as such a group can be, anyway). Fully 53% feel that they're just regular programmers, perhaps with some specialized training but that's about it. Only 11% felt that game AI programmers were something very unusual--and a full 5% thought the whole thing was pretty much overrated.

An interesting snapshot of how our little group is viewed by our fellow developers. I would guess that you'd find similar results if the poll asked the same question regarding graphics engine guys or producers or whatnot...but that's for another page to find out.