SpirOps today announced the release of two new components for the SpirOps AI: SpirOps Graph Generator and SpirOps Crowd. These two new components enlarge the range of SpirOps AI, allowing it to handle crowds, from a few people to several thousands of them. One of the most notable games to use the SpirOps AI was Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Double Agent.

"Handling massive crowds has become a critical challenge for video game developers," said Axel Buendia, CEO for SpirOps. "The new generation of games features always larger environments that need a dense life activity to immerse the player." Jerome Hoibian, CTO for SpirOps, said that these two new features are the answer.

SpirOps Graph Generator analyzes in a few seconds any 3D environment and places collision information and paths, so that an AI driven character can find his way. The 3D environment can be several kilometers wide, and can have several levels. With SpirOps Graph Generator, each AI driven character knows exactly, from any position, where he can go, and how to go there. Check out the vid below to see the graph generator in action.

More details and videos of the crowd AI in action after the jump!

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door." We're not too sure if he was a Splinter Cell fan, but from the looks of it, he was.

AI developer SpirOps just announced that the enemy AI in Splinter Cell: Double Agent will be running on their latest-generation Artificial Intelligence programming.

The AI will be running on SpirOps' "Drive Oriented" technology, which allows the virtual character they're programmed into to independently learn from their surrounding environment and the player's behaviors to better their own battlefield survivability - much like how a real soldier adapts.

“Bots had to be a realistic alternative to human players. We needed an AI solution that could handle various human behaviors while letting us keep control over the game. SpirOps AI, thanks to its Drive Oriented layer approach, totally fit this need.” said Olivier Saillant, Lead Programmer for Ubisoft’s Annecy Studio.

The AI will be used in the game's multiplayer mode, and will be the first time that bots are to be placed in a Splinter Cell game. Axel Buendia, SpirOps CEO:“Artificial Intelligence is one of the major steps forward in next generation gaming and together, SpirOps AI and Ubisoft are bringing life to games.”

Somewhere out there, Hideo Kojima-san is probably reading this, and googling SpirOps' web site....