New AI Challenge Is All About Wanton Destruction

togelius writes "Previous years have seen a number of car racing competitions where neural nets, rule-based systems and other fancy AI techniques have been put to the test by letting them drive on a track and seeing who gets the best lap time. Recognizing that finding the Michael Schumacher of AI is not enough, a team of researchers from University of Wuerzburg now wants to find the Mad Max of AI. Their new competition is called 'Demolition Derby' and the goal is to 'wreck all opponent cars by crashing into them without getting wrecked yourself.' For this, they use the open-source TORCS game and a custom AI interface, allowing all and any AI researchers and enthusiasts (including you!) to submit their best and most aggressive controllers." (There's a competition for conventional racing, too; competitors can enter either or both.)

Comments

Waiting for the DARPA version

[Bearhouse]

With real vehicles!

Rise of the Machine

[conureman]

Gotta develop the appropriate durability if they're gonna be dealing with whatever I.E.D.s that the People of the Resistance will be able to use.

The rules are pure idiocy

[Posting=!Working]

# Cars do not take any damage when colliding with walls.
# Cars do not take any damage in the front when colliding with each other.
# Cars do take the doubled amount of damage in the rear when colliding with each other.

All of these rules are the opposite of how actual demolition derbies work. Smashing a car into the wall causes large amounts of damage. Damage to the front (the radiator, engine etc) is way more effective than damage than the rear. Most cars are driven backwards because the trunk is just a big crumple zone. As long as it doesn't get the wheels or axle, damage in the rear doesn't really matter.

each car's damage is reset to zero every time a competitor gets wrecked.

OK, they need to call it something else now. It's not a demolition derby anymore. There's no floating wrenches that repair all damage in real life either.

Re:The rules are pure idiocy

[Eudial]

Perhaps the goal is not so much about creating an accurate demolition derby simulator, so much as it is about creating a suitable challenge to improve artificial intelligence? ... you know, like how chess is a terribly unrealistic war simulator, while still being useful in training strategical thinking.

Re:The rules are pure idiocy

[Random Destruction]

I agree this is about AI and not derbies, but I don't see how these rule changes make the game a better AI challenge.

The damage resetting rule is the only one I see as obviously beneficial when competing algorithms.

Re:The rules are pure idiocy

[JoeMerchant]

I entered one of the early driver races, seems like about 14 years ago, and got disgusted with the 2nd round of competition when the rules about pitting, collision, etc. started to be the major factor in success instead of improving the (then dismal) simulation realism.

Like all racing, winning is in working the rules, not making the fastest or most effective vehicle - the fastest and the best are quickly barred from competition.

Re:The rules are pure idiocy

[GrumblyStuff]

I think it would be more interesting if they kept it closer to actual demo derbies but maybe they're just taking it one step at a time.

Things like... there's no teams but they can still communicate and decide to take out a competitor who's doing better than them or they trick others into doing the damage by pushing cars in the way instead of trying to smash 'em on their own.

Re:Can't you see?

[WrongSizeGlass]

This is the beginning of the end.

Not from Skynet's point of view. They've just been patiently waiting for some human to be foolish enough to open this door. I think we all know where it goes from here ...

Sam and Max hit the road

[fph il quozientatore]

Sam: Actually, that was the Commissioner with another idiotic and baffling assignment.
Max: Does it involve wanton destruction?
Sam: We can only hope.

Re:Last man standing...

[somersault]

We could just call it the Camper's Dilemma? :P