Suggestion on AI Algorithm in game like Magic The Gathering
Author
I''m currently handling a game project and I''m new and inexperienced.Can anyone has any suggestion on suitable AI algorithm to be used in a game like Magic The Gathering card game?
Well, if you are new and inexperienced, I suggest you read stuff on classic card games first.
The main problem I see for you, is that unlike classical card games where the rules are clearly set and the card limited to a 52 card set, Magic is extendible.
Thank God the rules themselves are clearer now, and the stack system works wonders from a programmer''s point of view.
But you still have the card-rules.
And for this my friend, you gonna need something different.
The way I see it, you need an AI that can understand what the rules mean, and then use that to its advantage. I always forget the buzzword, but you''ll need something better than simple search algorithms...
well, at least that''s my semi informed opinion.
maybe someone else would like to give an opinion, if you don''t know what Magic the Gathering is about, please ask
youpla :-P
The main problem I see for you, is that unlike classical card games where the rules are clearly set and the card limited to a 52 card set, Magic is extendible.
Thank God the rules themselves are clearer now, and the stack system works wonders from a programmer''s point of view.
But you still have the card-rules.
And for this my friend, you gonna need something different.
The way I see it, you need an AI that can understand what the rules mean, and then use that to its advantage. I always forget the buzzword, but you''ll need something better than simple search algorithms...
well, at least that''s my semi informed opinion.
maybe someone else would like to give an opinion, if you don''t know what Magic the Gathering is about, please ask
youpla :-P
Well first of all you need to understand how AI work so I suggest you read about it, well as much as you can. Then I suggest you program samller programs like youpla said you have to start small.
First you could amke a program that handles 3 cards. Siccor bag and stone game sort of. easy to do and easy to get the AI tounderstand what everycard means.
well that is my point of this view!
greetings Illgar
Greetings Illgar
First you could amke a program that handles 3 cards. Siccor bag and stone game sort of. easy to do and easy to get the AI tounderstand what everycard means.
well that is my point of this view!
greetings Illgar
Greetings Illgar
Author
I''ll analyze more and come out an appropriate search algorithm 1st. Think I''ll build my AI on top of certain limitations like limit the type of cards and rules 1st.
Thank you both of you for the invaluable advise =)
BTW, I still welcome any good opinion.
Thank you both of you for the invaluable advise =)
BTW, I still welcome any good opinion.
Well, I dont know how familiar you are with Magic, but there is one suggestion :
Start small
For instance, take the approach they took when they did Portal. Not all the tricks that Magic allows, but the core principles : creatures, lands, spells. A stack system that works, and a limited set of cards that try to minimize the head wrecking situations.
Maybe this would actually be doable.
My remark was mainly directed at the fact that Magic is by nature extendible, which means you have to have some way of allowing that. And much more importantly, your AI has to have a way to accomodate this.
Even with a limited set of cards, you still have the problems of the AI being able to *understand* the rules of each card...
In chess, the computer doesnt have to understand as much so the task is "simpler", but with Magic and the hundreds of cards available .... I think you get the idea.
Please don''t take this as a "give up, you never gonna make it" post. Quite the opposite, really, as my Masters is partly about this kind of stuff
But if you want to do Magic, I strongly suggest you read a manual on AI so that you get a good grasp of the different fields and techniques. The point not being to understand them, but rather to allow you to get a better idea of the different options you can choose from to tackle the problem.
Good luck anyway
youpla :-P
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"-Where did you get that guy ?!
-He is French !" - Godzilla
Start small
For instance, take the approach they took when they did Portal. Not all the tricks that Magic allows, but the core principles : creatures, lands, spells. A stack system that works, and a limited set of cards that try to minimize the head wrecking situations.
Maybe this would actually be doable.
My remark was mainly directed at the fact that Magic is by nature extendible, which means you have to have some way of allowing that. And much more importantly, your AI has to have a way to accomodate this.
Even with a limited set of cards, you still have the problems of the AI being able to *understand* the rules of each card...
In chess, the computer doesnt have to understand as much so the task is "simpler", but with Magic and the hundreds of cards available .... I think you get the idea.
Please don''t take this as a "give up, you never gonna make it" post. Quite the opposite, really, as my Masters is partly about this kind of stuff
But if you want to do Magic, I strongly suggest you read a manual on AI so that you get a good grasp of the different fields and techniques. The point not being to understand them, but rather to allow you to get a better idea of the different options you can choose from to tackle the problem.
Good luck anyway
youpla :-P
---------------------------------------
"-Where did you get that guy ?!
-He is French !" - Godzilla
Well, I think it is important to know your own rules before you can program the AI
I am a dedicated Magic player... Once you have played the game enough times, you can often see a patern in the way players play it.
Basicly, a Magic player does the following in a turn: try to lay down a land, then observe his/her cards. Observe the creatures the enemy has, and your own. Check whom has more lives. Then make a choice:
When the enemy has a lot more creatures, it is useless for you to lay down one at your side, unless it is really strong. When you are equal in creatures, you can get an advantage by summoning one.
When you are ahead, you may want to increase your number, or save your mana for other things.
Etc, etc :p
Now, before you do anything, you take a look at your spells. Do you have any good combinations? Do you have a card/cards that can kill the enemy instantly? Or can you kill a few creatures? Again, check the advantage you are creating. When it is big, do it. When it is insignificant, well, dont
After checking all of this, make a move... And hope your enemy does not kill you...
I am a dedicated Magic player... Once you have played the game enough times, you can often see a patern in the way players play it.
Basicly, a Magic player does the following in a turn: try to lay down a land, then observe his/her cards. Observe the creatures the enemy has, and your own. Check whom has more lives. Then make a choice:
When the enemy has a lot more creatures, it is useless for you to lay down one at your side, unless it is really strong. When you are equal in creatures, you can get an advantage by summoning one.
When you are ahead, you may want to increase your number, or save your mana for other things.
Etc, etc :p
Now, before you do anything, you take a look at your spells. Do you have any good combinations? Do you have a card/cards that can kill the enemy instantly? Or can you kill a few creatures? Again, check the advantage you are creating. When it is big, do it. When it is insignificant, well, dont
After checking all of this, make a move... And hope your enemy does not kill you...
Mmmmmh :/
I dont want to sound snappy, but I think this is a bit simplistic (although it might be exactly what cklim needs )
For instance, in my 5 colors "domain" deck, my goal is to get five different lands out as fast as possible. But the catch is that my deck has a LOT of spells whose effectiveness is tremendously increased by the number of *basic land types* in play. And since they are really cheap, most of the time I don''t need a lot of lands in play. Furthermore, the fact that I play 5 colors means that I have only a few lands of each, which means if I get my three blue lands out, and they get destroyed, I am in big trouble...
Also you must not forget that the creatures are not there just to attack. Most of the time you want the creatures that will fit your style of play.
My friend who plays white has tons of "dont tap to attack" creatures, so that he can also defend. VERY annoying, and it also means that he doesnt need as many creatures.
One thing I learnt in my years of play (and it works for a lot of other games), is that you have to stick to your plans.
If you don''t, you are reacting, which means the opponent is having an advantage.
For instance, another of my friends has a Red/Black deck. Direct damage, annoying creatures. But he plays often against the White deck guy. What happens is that rather than making his Red/Black deck faster so that he can take out the other guy before he is settled, he tried to modify his deck to make it Anti-White, making it slower, hence less effective.
Ah ... time to go. I will try to post a bit more about this later.
youpla :-P
Sancte Isidore ora pro nobis !
I dont want to sound snappy, but I think this is a bit simplistic (although it might be exactly what cklim needs
)For instance, in my 5 colors "domain" deck, my goal is to get five different lands out as fast as possible. But the catch is that my deck has a LOT of spells whose effectiveness is tremendously increased by the number of *basic land types* in play. And since they are really cheap, most of the time I don''t need a lot of lands in play. Furthermore, the fact that I play 5 colors means that I have only a few lands of each, which means if I get my three blue lands out, and they get destroyed, I am in big trouble...
Also you must not forget that the creatures are not there just to attack. Most of the time you want the creatures that will fit your style of play.
My friend who plays white has tons of "dont tap to attack" creatures, so that he can also defend. VERY annoying, and it also means that he doesnt need as many creatures.
One thing I learnt in my years of play (and it works for a lot of other games), is that you have to stick to your plans.
If you don''t, you are reacting, which means the opponent is having an advantage.
For instance, another of my friends has a Red/Black deck. Direct damage, annoying creatures. But he plays often against the White deck guy. What happens is that rather than making his Red/Black deck faster so that he can take out the other guy before he is settled, he tried to modify his deck to make it Anti-White, making it slower, hence less effective.
Ah ... time to go. I will try to post a bit more about this later.
youpla :-P
Sancte Isidore ora pro nobis !
Author
OK, I''m kinda stuck right now and looking for some suggestions 
My questions are :
1 ) In game like Magic, should the AI be well informed on what''s the player''s cards on hand and the incoming card in future?
2 ) Do a rule-based + learning algorithm seems to be a good solution in game like Magic?
My questions are :
1 ) In game like Magic, should the AI be well informed on what''s the player''s cards on hand and the incoming card in future?
2 ) Do a rule-based + learning algorithm seems to be a good solution in game like Magic?
I would not try a learning algorithm for *playing* Magic. Simply because it would take very long for it to learn the game... It would be easier to catch the rules in your program...
However, as ahw said, the way someone plays depends on his deck. Perhaps it is possible to create an AI that can analize it''s own deck, and decide on a playing strategy? It might take some time for it to understand it''s deck, but you could save the data.
In the game itself, once it has a strategy, you can play by simple rules whom are modified by the information it has about it''s deck...
Does this make sense?
However, as ahw said, the way someone plays depends on his deck. Perhaps it is possible to create an AI that can analize it''s own deck, and decide on a playing strategy? It might take some time for it to understand it''s deck, but you could save the data.
In the game itself, once it has a strategy, you can play by simple rules whom are modified by the information it has about it''s deck...
Does this make sense?
make a different AI for every deck the computer will use. Then maybe use fuzzy logic to let it evaluate the game state and generate a random response. If it wins the game have it strengthen the chance of it doing what it did before when under similar states.
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