Building dynamic game character AI with Lua

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with game character automation in Roblox, and I’ve been really impressed by what it can do — especially when it comes to programming with Lua.

If you’re not familiar, Lua is a lightweight, flexible programming language that’s used all over the place, especially in infrastructure systems. For example, in my engineering work, I’ve seen Lua used with Nginx, a popular web server. Nginx uses Lua to manage dynamic configurations, which makes it super customizable. Lua is also used in PowerDNS to create custom backends and handle DNS query logic. PowerDNS is a DNS server that lets you define how queries are processed, and Lua lets you add custom behavior and tweaks to how it works.

Now, let’s talk Roblox. It’s an online platform where you can not only play games but also create them. Think of it as a giant virtual world full of user-made games — some are simple obstacle courses, while others are complex simulations. You can either play games or build your own using Roblox Studio, which is a super powerful tool for game creation.

To make games on Roblox, you use Lua, and the best part is, it’s an easy language to learn. With Lua, you can create everything from basic game mechanics (like moving characters around) to more advanced features (like custom physics or interactive storylines). Lua lets you control how things behave in your game — for example, how objects move, how characters jump, or how enemies react. So, if you have an idea for a game, Roblox + Lua give you the tools to make it happen.

I’ve been working on a Roblox AI automation program, and it’s been a fun project. The idea behind it is simple: it adds basic AI behavior to an NPC (Non-Player Character) in Roblox. The NPC detects nearby players or other humanoid NPCs, and then it automatically attacks them. The script includes an attack system where the NPC moves toward the closest target, deals damage if it’s in range, and has a cooldown to avoid spamming attacks.

This kind of script is perfect for games where you need NPCs to be more dynamic and interact with players or other NPCs, like in RPGs, action games, or any game that involves combat with enemies. It’s just one example of what you can do with Roblox and Lua, and I’m excited to keep expanding on it.