Division of Informatics
Forrest Hill & 80 South Bridge
MSc Thesis #9761 | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Using Incremental Evolution to Evolve Competent Agents for a 2-D Game Universe |
| Authors: | Stagg,CP |
| Date: | 1997 |
| Presented: | |
| Keywords: | |
| Abstract: | Credit assignment is a major problem in making tractable the learning process in all but the simplest of environments. Even simple arcade-style games have proven to be problematic. This project uses a GP-based incremental evolution in an attempt to evolve a competent game agent for an "Asteroids"-style universe. Problems encountered during the course of the project highlight the difficulties of such a venture even with an incremental approach. Key features of this project include: - The use of incremental evolution to tackle the evolution of the genome in smaller, more tractable chunks, hopefully reducing the credit assignment problem. - The development of an unorthodox, highly structured multi-tree genome architecture for the GP, intended to facilitate better context-preserving crossover. - The development of a domain-specific control architecture, featuring a heterarchical votes and vetoes decision system. - The employment of competitive rather than objective fitness functions to co-evolve behaviours at certain stages of the incremental competence acquisition process. The project had areas of success, but the overall quality of results suggests that a GP approach is only likely to work well in this area with certain suggested improvements. |
| Download: | NO ONLINE COPY |
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