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A Penguin Attack AIJason Buck

CS 470

Project Overview

• Goal– Develop an AI that can play a competent game of

Penguin Attack

• Why– Ensures an opponent is always available

• What is Penguin Attack?– Created by myself and Tom Kircher– Open source implementation of a Nintendo

puzzle game– Designed for network play

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How is Penguin Attack Played?

How is Penguin Attack Played? (continued)

Project Requirements

• Network– AI is a network client

• Sends moves

– Game server sends game state information• Sends game state information• Sends control signals

Project Requirements (continued)

• AI– Search game state for potential combos– Generate move sequence to achieve combos

• Can send a string of sequential characters• Often sends one-character strings

– Must be competent• Typically able to last 3 min against me

System Design

• Written in Java– Not ideal, but “good enough”

• Network component– Largely isolated from AI– Connects to the server– Receive and store messages from the server– Send moves/commands from the AI to the

server

System Design (Continued)

• AI– Parse game state data– Update internal representation

• 2D-array of ADT “PenguinAttackBlock”

– Generate move sequence

Protocol

• Redesigned since proposal• Client requests state information as needed

– Commands are b, c, and t

• Client sends move sequences– Commands are u, d, l, r, s, m

• Client can notify server with quit• All other notifications are server to client

Protocol (Continued)

• Server notifications:– start– pause ... start– win– lose– closing connection

Protocol (Continued)

Board State:

b{ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 0n1.1n1h _ _ _ _ 0n5.1n3h1n4h _ _ 0n1.0n4.2n5h1n2h1n5h0n3.0n4.0n1. _ _ _ 0n2.0n2.0n5. _ _ 0n1.0n3.0n3.0n4.0n5.0n1.0n2.0n4.0n4.0n5.0n4.0n3.0n5.0n1.0n2.0n1.0n1.0n3.0n1.0n4.0n4.0n2.0n1.0n2.0n3.0n3.0n2.0n2.0n5.0n5.0n4.0n4.0n1.0n1.0n3q0n3q0n4q0n4q0n1q0n4q}

Mouse position:

<2 1>

Timing:

[1000 2000]

Algorithms

raiseStackToSafeHeight();

breakGarbage();

raiseStackToSafeHeight();

levelOffStack();

raiseStackToSafeHeight();

breakGarbage();

raiseStackToSafeHeight();

makeCombosAndChains();

• playPenguinAttack() loops through:

Evolutionary Prototyping

• Strategy needed to be refined– Different leveling algorithms– Keep improving the strategy– Much time spent testing

• Prototype was never ‘complete’ to my satisfaction– Never figured out how to make intentional

chains– Didn’t find a way to deal with ‘accidentals’

Schedule

• Didn’t keep detailed records of what happened when

• Worked on it whenever course load allowed• Made majority of progress during spring

break• Spent way more time than budgeted

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What’s next?

• Will continue beyond the semester• Preventing accidentals and intentionally

making chains; AI will be brutal• Analyze the board in different ways while

waiting (Threads)• Improve efficiency (Synchronized clock?

Maintain own board state?)

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Conclusion