Vidya: A God Game Based on Intelligent Agents Whose Actions are Devised Through Evolutionary Computation

Abstract

Vidya is a strategy computer game, god-style that can be seen as a rich environment where virtual beings compete among themselves for natural resources and strive within the artificial ecosystem. Although in this game the player cannot directly control the intelligent agents, he can give some intuitions to them. Together with these intuitions the agents, called Jivas $the most developed species of the ecosystem, devise actions through evolutionary computation. The game allows also the observation of all interactions among the various beings inhabiting Vidya. Interactions happen in a quasi-autonomous manner which grants the game with an interesting dynamics. The evolved Jiva's intelligence, which build-up during the game, can be reused in other game scenarios. This work might help on further understanding of some emergent autonomous behaviors and parameterization of intelligent agents that live in closely coupled ecosystems.