Skip to main content

Design and Evaluation of an Extended Learning Classifier-Based StarCraft Micro AI

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 9597))

Abstract

Due to the manifold challenges that arise when developing an artificial intelligence that can compete with human players, the popular realtime-strategy game Starcraft: Broodwar (BW) has received attention from the computational intelligence research community. It is an ideal testbed for methods for self-adaption at runtime designed to work in complex technical systems. In this work, we utilize the broadlys-used Extended Classifier System (XCS) as a basis to develop different models of BW micro AIs: the Defender, the Attacker, the Explorer and the Strategist. We evaluate theses AIs with a focus on their adaptive and co-evolutionary behaviors. To this end, we stage and analyze the outcomes of a tournament among the proposed AIs and we also test them against a non-adaptive player to provide a proper baseline for comparison and learning evolution. Of the proposed AIs, we found the Explorer to be the best performing design, but, also that the Strategist shows an interesting behavioral evolution.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Starcraft and Starcraft: Broodwar are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment.

  2. 2.

    https://github.com/bwapi/bwapi.

  3. 3.

    Starcraft Micro AI Tournament.

References

  1. Müller-Schloer, C., Schmeck, H.: Organic computing - quo vadis? In: Müller-Schloer, C., Schmeck, H., Ungerer, T. (eds.) Organic Computing - A Paradigm Shift for Complex Systems, pp. 615–625. Birkhäuser, Verlag (2011)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  2. Ontañón, S., Synnaeve, G., Uriarte, A., Richoux, F., Churchill, D., Preuss, M.: A survey of real-time strategy game AI research and competition in StarCraft. IEEE Trans. Comput. Intell. AI Games 5(4), 293–311 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Synnaeve, G., Bessière, P.: A Bayesian model for opening prediction in RTS games with application to StarCraft. In: Cho, S.B., Lucas, S.M., Hingston, P. (eds.) CIG, pp. 281–288. IEEE (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Weber, B.G., Mateas, M., Jhala, A.: Applying goal-driven autonomy to StarCraft. In: Youngblood, G.M., Bulitko, V. (eds.) AIIDE. The AAAI Press (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Shoham, Y.: Agent-oriented programming. Artif. Intell. 60(1), 51–92 (1993)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  6. Blackadar, M., Denzinger, J.: Behavior learning-based testing of StarCraft competition entries. In: Bulitko, V., Riedl, M.O. (eds.) AIIDE. The AAAI Press (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Robertson, G., Watson, I.: An improved dataset and extraction process for StarCraft AI. In: The Twenty-Seventh International Flairs Conference (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Weber, B.G., Ontañón, S.: Using automated replay annotation for case-based planning in games. In: ICCBR Workshop on CBR for Computer Games (ICCBR-Games) (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Churchill, D., Buro, M.: Build order optimization in StarCraft. In: Bulitko, V., Riedl, M.O. (eds.) AIIDE. The AAAI Press (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Hagelback, J.: Potential-field based navigation in StarCraft. In: IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG), Sep 2012, pp. 388–393 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Yi, S.: Adaptive strategy decision mechanism for StarCraft AI. In: Han, M.-W., Lee, J. (eds.) EKC 2010. SPPHY, vol. 138, pp. 47–57. Springer, Heidelberg (2011)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  12. Synnaeve, G., Bessière, P.: A Bayesian tactician. In: Proceedings of the Computer Games Workshop at the European Conference of Artificial Intelligence 2012, pp. 114–125 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Garcia-Sanchez, P., Tonda, A., Mora, A., Squillero, G., Merelo, J.: Towards automatic StarCraft strategy generation using genetic programming. In: 2015 IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG), pp. 284–291, August 2015

    Google Scholar 

  14. Parra, R., Garrido, L.: Bayesian networks for micromanagement decision imitation in the RTS game StarCraft. In: Batyrshin, I., Mendoza, M.G. (eds.) MICAI 2012, Part II. LNCS, vol. 7630, pp. 433–443. Springer, Heidelberg (2013)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  15. Wender, S., Watson, I.D.: Applying reinforcement learning to small scale combat in the real-time strategy game StarCraft: Broodwar. In: CIG, pp. 402–408. IEEE (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Holland, J.H.: Adaptation*. In: Rosen, R., Snell, F.M. (eds.) Progress in Theoretical Biology, pp. 263–293. Academic Press, New York (1976)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  17. Holland, J.H., Reitman, J.S.: Cognitive systems based on adaptive algorithms. SIGART Bull. 63, 49–49 (1977)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Wilson, S.W.: Classifier fitness based on accuracy. Evol. Comput. 3(2), 149–175 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Reynolds, C.W.: Flocks, herds, and schools: a distributed behavioral model. Comput. Graph. 21(4), 25–34 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Lin, C.S., Ting, C.K.: Emergent tactical formation using genetic algorithm in real-time strategy games. In: Proceedings of the 2011 International Conference on Technologies and Applications of Artificial Intelligence, TAAI 2011, Computer Society, pp. 325–330. IEEE, Washington (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Rudolph, S., Tomforde, S., Sick, B., Hähner, J.: A mutual influence detection algorithm for systems with local performance measurement. In: Proceedings of the 9th IEEE International Conference on Self-adapting and Self-organising Systems (SASO15), held September 21st to September 25th in Boston, USA, pp. 144–150 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Fisch, D., Jänicke, M., Sick, B., Müller-Schloer, C.: Quantitative emergence - a refined approach based on divergence measures. In: 4th IEEE International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO), Sep 2010, pp. 94–103 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan Rudolph .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Rudolph, S., von Mammen, S., Jungbluth, J., Hähner, J. (2016). Design and Evaluation of an Extended Learning Classifier-Based StarCraft Micro AI. In: Squillero, G., Burelli, P. (eds) Applications of Evolutionary Computation. EvoApplications 2016. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 9597. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31204-0_43

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31204-0_43

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31203-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31204-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics