Pursuit-evasion using evolutionary algorithms in an immnersive three-dimensional environment

Abstract

In view of the biological prevalence of pursuit-evasion conies6 they provide a useful test-bed for research into novel bio-inspired computing and control systems. In this paper we investigate the evolution of pursuit-evasion strategies in a virtual-reality environment created using the Unreal World Editor. The Unreal World Editor (UnrealED), original& designed for use with thep opular 30 game Unreal, is an easily available editor which can be used for the creation and modification of a wide variety of immersive environments In this paper we model buildings on the University of Limerick campus, and their associated exteriors This paper makes use of an extension tot he original Unreal game engine called a mutator, more specifically the Gamebots mutator designed and released by the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute. This atension allows characters in the game to be controlled via network sockets connected to other programs. The game feeds sensory information to the character over the network connection. Based on this information, the client program can decide what actions the being should take and issues commands back over the network to the game, in order to control the actions of the entie. The client program incorporates a genetic algorithm to control the two individuals involved.