Slashdot Mirror

They say they coded the original Pacman ghost behavior, but do they support the original bugs as well?

According to the paper, computer remains below human average level for Pacman. Does that means AI failed to reverse engineer Pacman's ghost behavior, including their bugs?

Yup, posted on /. a while back

http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/12/03/2237200/pac-mans-ghost-behavior-algorithms

--->

http://gameinternals.com/post/2072558330/understanding-pac-man-ghost-behavior

--->

http://home.comcast.net/~jpittman2/pacman/pacmandossier.html

I don't know what it is but reading about the internals of how games worked (algorithms, data structures, tricks, etc.) is neat.

Assuming they're pitting their Pac-Man bots against the logic of the original arcade game, there isn't a whole lot of complexity to deal with. All four of the ghosts behave in different, but very predictable fashion. In a nutshell, every ghost chooses its target space on the board differently, but they all close in on their respective target space in exactly the same manner. Knowing how these target spaces are chosen, one could probably write a reasonably effective AI player only needing to "think" a few hundred frames in advance. This is difficult for a human player to do in real time, of course

There are a couple of interesting articles about how the game works. If you've played the game and know how unpredictable the ghosts can seem at times, it's remarkable to find out that the algorithms behind their behavior are so incredibly simple. I used to wonder if the game employed some kind of sophisticated path-finding algorithm like A*, but it's actually nowhere near that level of complexity.

• A brief summary of the ghosts' behavior
• "The Pac-Man Dossier" - a much more in-depth look at many aspects of the game

Anyway, this seems like it would make a cool undergrad project for an AI class.

He also copied the maze (original (scroll down) and copy). It's not an exact pixel-for-pixel copy, but it's pretty darn close.

I'd be willing to bet that the OP's under the misconception that only mechanical copies count as copies.

Yes, it is the same dungeon layout. Even the powerup pills are located in pretty much the same place. Plus the tunnel to move from one side of the screen to the other and the "ghost house" in the center. Seriously, it is just a clone, except for the colour of the walls (brown vs. blue). I do not think there's much to complain here about the DMCA notice.

Nothing personal, but seriously dude your game looks EXACTLY like Pacman. Not a little like, but exactly like.

He also copied the maze (original (scroll down) and copy). It's not an exact pixel-for-pixel copy, but it's pretty darn close.

I'd be willing to bet that the OP's under the misconception that only mechanical copies count as copies.