Well as the post headline suggests I am now into the final few days of this project but fortunately things are going well and should be finished with plenty of time to spare, well not plenty but enough.
I have pretty much finished my dissertation with just the abstract to do and then touching up a bit. Not sure about my second appendix but may just add it in anyways since as I have discovered the domain knowledge in a learning Algorithm is very important so my rules base may help someone else should they try to do something similar.
Showcase is on Friday 22nd May and anyone that has seen this blog and wants to see the end result should come along and have a look. I have enjoyed the experience of writing it and hope that someone manages to find a use for it some day.
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Monday, 11 May 2009
Home Stretch
Well I was able to get a first draft finished for Friday as I had planned and I was able to get it looked over. Its still a bit short of the word count but with the improvements that I plan on making there should be no problem making the count for my final copy.
With the maths exam on Wednesday I won't be maintain my dissertation until after then. But when I do I should be able to get another draft finished, including references, before the end of the week giving the weekend for it to be checked by Dr Ellison before I have to hand it in for marking.
With the maths exam on Wednesday I won't be maintain my dissertation until after then. But when I do I should be able to get another draft finished, including references, before the end of the week giving the weekend for it to be checked by Dr Ellison before I have to hand it in for marking.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Reporting
Well with the conclusion of testing it is now time to get back to writing up my Dissertation.
So far I have completed a few first drafts of some of the sections which have been read over by my project supervisor, Dr Dave Ellison, and some comments made. I now therefore have to move on to continue writing while preparing for the Project Presentation on Wednesday.
Fortunately the two tie in together so I am planning to work on my testing and results sections of the dissertation so that I will be able to add them into my Presentation. The secondary plan is too make good progress overall and have a first draft of the complete dissertation ready by Friday. This is not an impossible task but needs to be juggled with math revision as well.
So far I have completed a few first drafts of some of the sections which have been read over by my project supervisor, Dr Dave Ellison, and some comments made. I now therefore have to move on to continue writing while preparing for the Project Presentation on Wednesday.
Fortunately the two tie in together so I am planning to work on my testing and results sections of the dissertation so that I will be able to add them into my Presentation. The secondary plan is too make good progress overall and have a first draft of the complete dissertation ready by Friday. This is not an impossible task but needs to be juggled with math revision as well.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Testing Continued
Well fortunately things are back on track after performing some plenipotentiary tests.
After tweaking the maximum reward and penalty and by correctly implementing a weight distribution function, as well as changing the code for the script so that when a build force rule is called its shown immediately in the output and not just after the force has been completed the problem of the states scores getting stuck at the same amount have been removed so after completing the initial tests of 10 runs of DS for each of the 3 different static AI's on the three different maps will be able to produce some final results in the next day or so.
After tweaking the maximum reward and penalty and by correctly implementing a weight distribution function, as well as changing the code for the script so that when a build force rule is called its shown immediately in the output and not just after the force has been completed the problem of the states scores getting stuck at the same amount have been removed so after completing the initial tests of 10 runs of DS for each of the 3 different static AI's on the three different maps will be able to produce some final results in the next day or so.
Monday, 27 April 2009
Testing
Well finnaly time to start running my test, unfortunatly things not going to plan.
It started off well and the Dynamic Script Player only took 3 matches to achive victory over the static player, however the same could not be said when a new static tactic was introduced. Along with that I noticed that the scripts being used were the old versions so I have been forced to restart my testing with the new scripts and updated Dynamic Scripting code, and so far I have not been able to match the initial success I saw with the broken files.
But I supose it is better to fail doing it right than to succeed doing it wrong.
Im going to continue testing and try find a more improved rules base if neccisary as this would be a key factor I think in why its not developing properly.
It started off well and the Dynamic Script Player only took 3 matches to achive victory over the static player, however the same could not be said when a new static tactic was introduced. Along with that I noticed that the scripts being used were the old versions so I have been forced to restart my testing with the new scripts and updated Dynamic Scripting code, and so far I have not been able to match the initial success I saw with the broken files.
But I supose it is better to fail doing it right than to succeed doing it wrong.
Im going to continue testing and try find a more improved rules base if neccisary as this would be a key factor I think in why its not developing properly.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Dissertation Writeup
The past two weeks since the start of the Easter break has allowed me the time to start writing my dissertation properly.
So far I've been able to cover the major sections of my literature review including the introduction to Learning AI and Dynamic Scripting, What makes good learning AI and how I implemented Dynamic Scripting into WARGUS.
So now what I'm going to do is finish my AI coursework due at the beginning of next month and then do my testing of my application which will allow me to complete my main methodology section as well as get started on my Introduction and conclusion.
So far I've been able to cover the major sections of my literature review including the introduction to Learning AI and Dynamic Scripting, What makes good learning AI and how I implemented Dynamic Scripting into WARGUS.
So now what I'm going to do is finish my AI coursework due at the beginning of next month and then do my testing of my application which will allow me to complete my main methodology section as well as get started on my Introduction and conclusion.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
Update
So my application is finally finished, not quite to the most optimal position as the STRATAGUS engine somehow conflicts with normal LUA functions. This problem was solved by writing the Dynamic Scripting algorithm in a C++ program which can be run after a WARGUS match to deliver a updated script.
Therefore I am now quite a bit ahead of my projected progress so the plan is to catch up on the writing over the Easter break and to try have a first draft of my dissertation done as quickly as possible.
Here is an initial proposal for the content of my dissertation:
Contents
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Literature Review
3.1. Current methods of learning Artificial Intelligence
3.2. Problems with current techniques
3.3. What defines good learning Artificial Intelligence?
3.4. Introduction to Dynamic Scripting
3.5. Why Dynamic Scripting is better than current methods?
4. Application
4.1. Explain how Real Time Strategy games work and introduce WARGUS
4.2. Why is WARGUS suitable testing environment?
4.3. How Dynamic Scripting is implemented into WARGUS
5. Testing
5.1. How tests were performed
5.2. What were the results of the tests?
5.3. Conclusion of the results in relation to evolutionary requirements
6. Future Study
7. Conclusions
8. References
9. Bibliography
10. Appendices
Therefore I am now quite a bit ahead of my projected progress so the plan is to catch up on the writing over the Easter break and to try have a first draft of my dissertation done as quickly as possible.
Here is an initial proposal for the content of my dissertation:
Contents
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Literature Review
3.1. Current methods of learning Artificial Intelligence
3.2. Problems with current techniques
3.3. What defines good learning Artificial Intelligence?
3.4. Introduction to Dynamic Scripting
3.5. Why Dynamic Scripting is better than current methods?
4. Application
4.1. Explain how Real Time Strategy games work and introduce WARGUS
4.2. Why is WARGUS suitable testing environment?
4.3. How Dynamic Scripting is implemented into WARGUS
5. Testing
5.1. How tests were performed
5.2. What were the results of the tests?
5.3. Conclusion of the results in relation to evolutionary requirements
6. Future Study
7. Conclusions
8. References
9. Bibliography
10. Appendices
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Application Update
Well been a couple of weeks so here is were I am now:
I have a rough start on my writeup started, I have almost a 1000 words on the "Dynamic Scripting" technique but not too happy with them so I will be re-wording them some time next week.
However the big news is that the application is almost finished now, I haven't been able to implement the actual gathering of rules into the LUA script however I have successful write a collection of 3 C++ programs that:
1. Sort The State Rules Bases into descending order based upon the weights values of the rules in that particular state.
2. A program that then extracts the rules from these State Files and compiles a script for implementation in WARGUS, this file does as it should and moves onto the next state file after a state change rule is called.
and 3. I am halfway through the program that will adjust the weights values of all the rules in the files after a match has been concluded.
This means that hopefully the application will be finished by the beginning of next week and testing will only take a day or so and so I should have a few weeks to complete the writeup stage of the project!
I have a rough start on my writeup started, I have almost a 1000 words on the "Dynamic Scripting" technique but not too happy with them so I will be re-wording them some time next week.
However the big news is that the application is almost finished now, I haven't been able to implement the actual gathering of rules into the LUA script however I have successful write a collection of 3 C++ programs that:
1. Sort The State Rules Bases into descending order based upon the weights values of the rules in that particular state.
2. A program that then extracts the rules from these State Files and compiles a script for implementation in WARGUS, this file does as it should and moves onto the next state file after a state change rule is called.
and 3. I am halfway through the program that will adjust the weights values of all the rules in the files after a match has been concluded.
This means that hopefully the application will be finished by the beginning of next week and testing will only take a day or so and so I should have a few weeks to complete the writeup stage of the project!
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
Progress Reporting
Weekly Progress Report
Stuart Robb’s Honours Project
Week: 25 ( 9/03/09 – 15/03/09 ) Weeks Left: 10
What Was Going To Be Done For This Week:
This is the first progress report and therefore no formal goal as such was set for this week, as the original plan (Gantt Chart) has become obsolete as the project moved into the new year.
What Was Done This Week:
This past week has seen a small road block towards moving the project forwards for two reasons:
The main reason was as a one off class test was to be held this week much time was spent revising for that as the project was at a comfortable stage that light reading would suffice for the week.
The other reason for a lack of progress was my desktop PC broke once and then after being repaired broke again; this lead to a large amount of time being distracted from all forms of work as the problem if not fixed rendered the computer useless.
So what was actually completed this week towards project goals was the technology tree for the application game was calculated, this was necessary before any progress could be made with implementing Dynamic Scripting into the application since the rules base is dependent on the different states in the game which are defined by the technology tree.
Overall Project Progress:
The project is now at a point where the majority of the reading about Dynamic Scripting has been completed and this frees up reading time to be spent on other parts of the literature review such as background into reinforcement learning as well as a paper on how real time strategy games are used as the benchmark for testing high quality AI.
The application for the tests for this project is also quite far along as the installer found on the internet allows for the easy implementation of a custom AI script into the game. With the technology tree completed it is now just a matter of compiling the initial rules base for the AI and then implementing a custom script that can be altered between matches, this is properly going to be the hardest part of the implementation but also the final part.
No attempt at beginning the writing of the dissertation has been started yet although the plan is to start moving forward with the literature review section covering Dynamic Scripting. Also the bibliography is being constantly kept up to date as new articles and books are read.
What Is To Be Done For Next Week:
This week’s objectives are to get at least 1000 words done for the literature review section on Dynamic Scripting, have a draft copy of the initial rules base for the AI which can then be optimised and to keep up reading on reinforcement learning.
Stuart Robb’s Honours Project
Week: 25 ( 9/03/09 – 15/03/09 ) Weeks Left: 10
What Was Going To Be Done For This Week:
This is the first progress report and therefore no formal goal as such was set for this week, as the original plan (Gantt Chart) has become obsolete as the project moved into the new year.
What Was Done This Week:
This past week has seen a small road block towards moving the project forwards for two reasons:
The main reason was as a one off class test was to be held this week much time was spent revising for that as the project was at a comfortable stage that light reading would suffice for the week.
The other reason for a lack of progress was my desktop PC broke once and then after being repaired broke again; this lead to a large amount of time being distracted from all forms of work as the problem if not fixed rendered the computer useless.
So what was actually completed this week towards project goals was the technology tree for the application game was calculated, this was necessary before any progress could be made with implementing Dynamic Scripting into the application since the rules base is dependent on the different states in the game which are defined by the technology tree.
Overall Project Progress:
The project is now at a point where the majority of the reading about Dynamic Scripting has been completed and this frees up reading time to be spent on other parts of the literature review such as background into reinforcement learning as well as a paper on how real time strategy games are used as the benchmark for testing high quality AI.
The application for the tests for this project is also quite far along as the installer found on the internet allows for the easy implementation of a custom AI script into the game. With the technology tree completed it is now just a matter of compiling the initial rules base for the AI and then implementing a custom script that can be altered between matches, this is properly going to be the hardest part of the implementation but also the final part.
No attempt at beginning the writing of the dissertation has been started yet although the plan is to start moving forward with the literature review section covering Dynamic Scripting. Also the bibliography is being constantly kept up to date as new articles and books are read.
What Is To Be Done For Next Week:
This week’s objectives are to get at least 1000 words done for the literature review section on Dynamic Scripting, have a draft copy of the initial rules base for the AI which can then be optimised and to keep up reading on reinforcement learning.
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
New Year New Start
Well as some of you may know I spent the first month and a half of this year ill and in bed and therefore didn't make much of a start on the project until recently.
However in saying that the past couple of days have seen great strides towards getting the project moving forwards as I was able to find that the Lehigh University, has on its staff Dr Héctor Muñoz-Avila who teaches a few courses on AI, and in two of these courses WARGUS is used as an example and requires students to alter the AI for an assignment.
Therefore I have spent the last couple of days reading over the course notes and was able to get a copy of the custom installer they use that's set up for the students to edit the AI and set the game types to Computer vs Computer and allows the player to watch the match.
So what this means is I now have a copy of WARGUS ready to be altered and custom AI added in, this therefore means my next steps are to start reading over Warcraft 2 strategy guides so I can assemble the initial rules base for my custom AI which will them be controlled by the Dynamic Scripting.
However in saying that the past couple of days have seen great strides towards getting the project moving forwards as I was able to find that the Lehigh University, has on its staff Dr Héctor Muñoz-Avila who teaches a few courses on AI, and in two of these courses WARGUS is used as an example and requires students to alter the AI for an assignment.
Therefore I have spent the last couple of days reading over the course notes and was able to get a copy of the custom installer they use that's set up for the students to edit the AI and set the game types to Computer vs Computer and allows the player to watch the match.
So what this means is I now have a copy of WARGUS ready to be altered and custom AI added in, this therefore means my next steps are to start reading over Warcraft 2 strategy guides so I can assemble the initial rules base for my custom AI which will them be controlled by the Dynamic Scripting.
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