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A composite game of hide and seek

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Abstract

We consider a ‘manhunting’ game in which one player, the Hider, chooses one of several cells to hide and a second player, the Seeker, distributes his resources among the several cells. The cells differ in their characteristics: it may be easier to hide in some cells, or there may be a lower probability of betrayal in others, etc. The Hider’s survival probability depends on the characteristics of the cell chosen, as well as on the amount of resources which the Seeker expends in that cell. The Hider may need to carry out some activity while in his cell. If so, the activity creates a signal which can help the Seeker to locate the Hider. The Seeker must of course try to distinguish between the noise due to the activity and random “white” noise. We obtain a complete analytic solution for the case without signals. Simulation is used to develop good strategies for the case with signals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Defense Analysis Department, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, USA

    Gordon McCormick

  2. Department of Mathematics, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, USA

    Guillermo Owen

Authors
  1. Gordon McCormick
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  2. Guillermo Owen
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Correspondence to Guillermo Owen.

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McCormick, G., Owen, G. A composite game of hide and seek. Cent Eur J Oper Res 27, 1–14 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-017-0516-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10100-017-0516-5

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