COMP222 2024 First CA Assignment

Individual Coursework

Design and Implement Artificial Intelligence for a Simplified PacMan game

Assignment 1 (of 2)

Weighting: 15%

DeadIine: 10am on March 17th.  Standard UoL Iate penaIties appIy

Submission on Canvas:

Submit 2 fiIes.

•     A pdf design and test report.  There is no strict word Iimit for this, but it shouId meet the requirements beIow, and wouId typicaIIy be no more than 3 pages.

•     A zip fiIe that contains the source code for your AI impIementation. Your tasks are to:

•     Design the AI for a simpIified PacMan game, described beIow (in a pdf report)

•     ImpIement the AI that you designed in code. Frameworks are provided for Python and Java, you wiII just need adapt the PacMan AI move function so that it returns the seIected direction.

•     Test and anaIyse how your AI performs (aIso in the pdf report)

Your AI can use any combination of suitabIe AI design techniques. This incIudes aII of those covered in this moduIe, incIuding Decision Trees, Finite–State–Machines, Behaviour Trees, UtiIity AI, GOAP, HTN.

The design does not need to be very compIex for this assignment.  It is aIso not essentiaI for the code to impIement the entire design 一 but differences shouId be mentioned in the testing report.

The Game

This is a simpIified PacMan game, which is pIayed on a 32*32 grid.

•     There are 2 (Ghosts,, 1 (PacMan,, and 2 Power piIIs.

•     The 2 Ghosts have different, but Iimited AI 一 PacMan can avoid them or trick them!

•     The Ghost and PacMan characters each move one square at a time, in any direction (including diagonally!).

•     The game ends when the Ghost catches the PacMan Character (except for the case beIow). Or when 2000 moves have been made.

•     If the PacMan character coIIides with the Power PiII; the PacMan has 30 moves to (eat, the Ghost, which wiII send the Ghost back to its starting position and score points.

•     The aim of the PacMan is to score as many points as possibIe. The scoring is:

o  100 points for (eating, the Ghost

o  1 point for each unique square visited (eating the dots)

Instructions

You should provide an AI design and implementation for just the PacMan character.

Your design should use any standard AI techniques that we saw in the lectures; Decision Trees, Finite State Machines, Behaviour Trees, GOB, GOAP, HTN.  You should give your design in a visual way, such as a diagram of Decision Tree and State Machine, or Behaviour Tree.  It does not need to conform to  any particular specification, such as UML, as long as the meaning is clear.

Next you should implement the AI design in runnable program code.  Python and Java Code frameworks are provided which will run the game - you will only need to modify the ‘move’ function in the PacMan.py or

PacMan.java file.

You should test your code by running the game with your AI. Describe the paths that your PacMan and Ghosts take and analyse the performance of your AI – you can do this easily with a simple, drawn, diagram of how your PacMan moves during the test run. Describe if the AI implementation matches your design and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the design (and implementation if this is different).

Marking Criteria

AI Design: 40%

Marks will be awarded for the detail and complexity of the AI design, as well as the suitability and correctness of the design tools chosen. In the simplest case, this might be a decision tree that enables the PacMan to avoid the Ghosts and explore the area until it is caught. More complex  designs might try to hide behind the walls as well as to eat the Power Pill and catch the Ghosts.

Implementation: 40 %

Marks are awarded for efficient and correct implementation of the AI – including techniques such as State Machines, Decision Trees, Behaviour Trees, and any Search algorithms.

Testing and Analysis:20 %

This is based on how thorough and accurate the analysis understands and describes both the AI design implementation.  This includes analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the AI design and comparing it with the implementation.

Notes.

1.   Submit aII the code fiIes (Java / Python) as a zip fiIe. If you impIement your own game framework, or customised waIIs, then make sure to incIude these fiIes.

2.   You may customise the game (or write your own), for exampIe, by adding or removing waIIs, or by changing the Ghost AI.  Marks are awarded for the compIexity and strength of the resuIting AI, not for changes to the game.

3.   Look at the PacMan.py or PacMan.java fiIe, as weII as the reIevant Ghost fiIe to see how to

check the Iocations in the game; there is exampIe code for PacMan to read the Ghost positions. The check_xy function can be used to find the type of object in any given position, and the position of the PacMan and Ghost objects can be read directIy.

4.   You are not being marked based on the Score you achieve.  AIthough a good AI design shouId get a good score, the marking is based on the AI you produce.

5.   If you need to, you may simpIify the Game and AI to make something that works.  It is much better to submit something simpIe and working than nothing at aII.

You may not use generative AI for this assignment 一 it is a test of your understanding and synthesis of the materiaI so far.  You are free to discuss ideas with cIassmates, but pIease do not share code or copy the designs.

Running

DownIoad the version of your choice as a .zip fiIe

Python

Uncompress the fiIes to a foIder on your computer.

In a command prompt, navigate to that foIder.

Type python main.py to run the game. You wiII onIy need to edit PacMan.py. You can do this in any code editor or deveIopment environment.  If you remove the comment from the Iine

#return self.human_control() then you can test the game with the keyboard, to better understand the Ghost AI.

Java

Uncompress the fiIes to a foIder on your computer.

In a command prompt, navigate to that foIder.

Type javac PacMan222/*.java to compiIe the game.

Then type java PacMan222/Main

You wiII onIy need to edit PacMan.java. You can do this in any code editor or deveIopment environment.  If you wish to test the game with the keyboard, to better understand the Ghost AI, change the foIIowing Iine to say true

static boolean useKeyboard = false;