Continuing work on Tank AI

[Zach]

For those of you who are new to the forums, Tank AI is my one player version of Combat. I started it two years ago as a class project and had made a playable version. It was good enough that Digital Eclipse gave it the honor of including it in the Atari Anthology. Unfortunately the computer was not very competitive against a human being, and I was short on ideas for making it smarter. In January this year, I had rashly pronounced the project over.

 

Since then things have improved. A breakthrough came when I realized that the code that directs the tank could be applied to guided missiles as well. I've put together a demo that shows how deadly guided shots can be.

 

I have ruled out using complex mazes like my old demo, and have decided to use the three original playfields.

 

Thanks to Rob Mitchell for not letting me give up. I gradually work on Tank AI from time to time, even though I prefer to focus on a non-infringing homebrew that can be put on cartridge. My priorities could change if I can work out a deal with Atari Inc. to include it on a future project. (Flashback 3?)

Tank_AI_demo_12Aug05.zip

[atwwong]

Keep it up Zach! I'm glad you starting working on it again. I recently got the Atari 80 Classic Games in One for the PC and was playing around with your Tank AI.

[Rob Mitchell]

Thanks Zach! I look forward to playing this latest version on my Cuttle Cart 2!

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[Jacob Rose]

I have ruled out using complex mazes like my old demo, and have decided to use the three original playfields.

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It's neat to watch the tank navigate the maze...have you released the source? I'm curious if you coded the "best route from here" into the map or if the tank is actually reacting to the playfield.

 

Could the guided missile routine be used to let the tank shoot around corners? That seems to be the weakness in the maze; you can hide behind a wall and wait for the AI tank to approach the same way again and again, and just shoot it at an angle when it comes by. If it used the guided missile there, you couldn't do that.

[Zach]

It's neat to watch the tank navigate the maze...have you released the source? I'm curious if you coded the "best route from here" into the map or if the tank is actually reacting to the playfield.

Thanks. The path information is hard-coded. Any kind of cool maze searching algorithms would be difficult for the Atari to do in real time.

Edited August 16, 2005 by Zach

[cd-w]

Thanks. The path information is hard-coded. Any kind of cool maze searching algorithms in real time would be difficult for the Atari to do in real time.

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This is a very nice demo. If you have the space, you could select randomly from a number of different pre-set paths - this would make the movements less predictable?

 

Chris

[hizzy]

Was Tank AI ever completed? It looks amazing!

Edited January 5, 2019 by hizzy