Newsgroups: comp.ai.games
From: jgustafs@sisna.com (Josh Gustafson)
Subject: Re: Fleet tactics & strategy
Organization: Source Internet Services
References: <314697FC.47E4@dra.hmg.gb> <pNGpEk7.predictor@delphi.com>
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Date: Thu, 14 Mar 96 05:36:28 GMT
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In article <pNGpEk7.predictor@delphi.com>, Will Dwinnell <predictor@delphi.com> wrote:
>Simon A Watts <sawatts@dra.hmg.gb> writes:
> 
>>Any suggestions out there as to an AI system can run a *fleet* 
>>or team of units in a war game (actually, a sci-fi starship 
>>fleet battle)?
> 
>..
>You may be able to accomplish this with no central control by using a
>collection of relatively simple control rules local (at the ship
>level).  The generation of complex behaviors on a higher level by
>many interactions of simpler units at a lower level is known as
>"emergent behavior" and you may be able to utilize this as a control
>strategy.

Hmm...  I see a few problems with this approach...

- Lack of responsiveness.  Human moves fleet to one little area, takes on one 
little section of the computer fleet, destroys it with little/no loss, the 
computer doesn't respond because the units are only concerned with their 
immidiate area of attention

- Lack of coordnation.
        -  A lone ship decides a full attack would be in order and charges 
        ahead (expecting others to follow), gets no backup, and is needlessly 
        destroyed
        - OR, A ship decides that a certain area needs more protection that 
        the area it's currently in.  Every other ship comes to the same 
        conclusion and abandons the area.
        - OR, (I could go on)

- Lack of a goal fulfilment.  With emergent behavior, how are you supposed to 
control the behavior's development so that it accomplishes a given set of 
goals?

I would devise a command heirarchy, with each level of command thinking on a 
different scale.  Hey, it works for REAL armies.


--
Josh Gustafson  (jgustafs@sisna.com)
