Decision making in Endless Space 2 Background Our Studio 40 20 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Adrien Allard Florian Brulhart Sebastien Broussaud

Decision making in Endless Space 2

Background

Our Studio

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

12 Dev 20 Dev 30 Dev 40 60 Dev

Our 4X

Explore

Search points of interest Discover the world Gather Intel

Expand

Increase territory Expand to new places

Exploit

Build / research Gather resources Optimize economy Fight in battles Unit management War management

Exterminate

Asymmetric factions Quests

Amplitude touch

Relation with players Evaluate deals

Diplomacy

Post-mortem: Endless Legend

• Decisions are difficult to control
• AI doesn’t have global strategy
• Diplomatic relations can seem

irrational

Control

• Heuristic results are just numbers
• No access to intermediate

reasons

• Decision process is opaque

Understand Technical

• Code is spread and duplicated
• Code base is not incremental

friendly

• Tools are too complex

Objectives

• High level control
• Low level control
• Handle each resource

differently

For design

• Understand each decision
• Understand resource

allocation

• User friendly

For debugging For programming

• Incremental
• Allow different AI techniques
• Isolate data refining from

decision

Meet E.N.F.E.R.

Process Overview

Game Sync Data Analysis Tasks generation Tasks allocation Execution

Process Overview

Game Tasks generation Tasks allocation

Tasks generation

Situation

Designer needs

Aaah, the Cravers are invading! The AI should definitely defend its system here!

Goal

Defend system against enemies Defend System

Designer needs

Hum ok … but how do you defend the system?

Designer needs

Details, schmetails… erm... well… you know… it could build defenses or create ships.

Tasks

Defend system against enemies Defend System Create ships Build defense

Designer needs

Hum ok … but how does the AI decide which action to take?

Designer needs

Well, we're talking about Cravers. Insectoid, psycho, warmachines. We need the best defense against them.

Scoring

Defend system against enemies Defend System Create ships 0.4 Build defense 0.8

Designer needs

Oh, but I forgot, it's that crappy system we stole from the Lumeris

• earlier. The AI shouldn't prioritise it.

Scoring

Defend system against enemies Defend System Create ships 0.4 Build defense 0.8

Scoring

Defend system against enemies Defend System 0.5 Create ships 0.4 Build defense 0.8

Scoring

Defend system against enemies Defend System 0.5 Create ships Build defense 0.2 0.4

Designer needs

And one more thing! If the AI's planning a war against the Cravers in any case, ships should be preferred.

Multiple reasons

Defend system against enemies Defend System 0.5 Create ships 0.2 Build defense 0.4

Multiple reasons

Defend system against enemies Defend System 0.5 Create ships 0.2 Build defense 0.4 Attack Cravers 0.7 Improve military power to attack

Multiple reasons

Defend system against enemies Defend System 0.5 Create ships Build defense 0.4 Attack Cravers 0.7 Improve military power to attack 0.5

Multiple reasons

Defend system against enemies Defend System 0.5 Create ships Build defense 0.4 Attack Cravers 0.7 Improve military power to attack Reduce upkeep 0.9 0.5

Multiple reasons

Defend system against enemies Defend System 0.5 Create ships Build defense 0.4 Attack Cravers 0.7 Improve military power to attack Reduce upkeep 0.9 0.3

Associated tool

Post-mortem

• Ability to iterate before implementation
• Force separation between each decision step
• Improve decision debugging
• Feedback decision chains
• Understand decision at different granularity

Tasks allocation

Tasks allocation

• Tasks in the game have costs
• Can I afford this task?
• Concurrence between tasks are due to shared resources

Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6

Context

80

Tasks allocation

• Tasks in the game have costs
• Can I afford this task?
• Concurrence between tasks are due to shared resources

100 Build defense 0.3 10 Create ships 0.6

Context

Tasks allocation

• Use motivation to split resources
• Task motivation must be independent from the cost
• Each resource has its own way of being split
• Handle tasks with multiple resources

Objectives

80 100 Build defense 0.3 10 Create ships 0.6

0/10

Tasks allocation

0/80 0/100 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6

0/10

Tasks allocation

0/80 0/100 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6 100 allocator Stock:

0/10 100/100

Tasks allocation

0/80 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6 allocator Stock:

0/10 100/100

Tasks allocation

0/80 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6 allocator Stock:

0/10 100/100

Tasks allocation

0/80 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6 allocator Stock:

0/10 100/100

Multiple resources

0/80 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6

0/10 100/100

Multiple resources

0/80 Build defense 0.3 allocator Stock: Create ships 0.6

0/10 100/100

Multiple resources

0/80 Build defense 0.3 allocator Stock: Create ships 0.6

0/10 100/100

Resource reallocation

0/80 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6

0/10 100/100

Resource reallocation

0/80 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6 allocator Stock:

0/10

Resource reallocation

0/80 0/100 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6 allocator Stock: 100

0/10

Resource reallocation

0/80 0/100 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6 allocator Stock: 100

80/80 0/10

Resource reallocation

0/100 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6 allocator Stock: 20

80/80 0/10

Validate tasks for execution

0/100 Build defense 0.3 Create ships 0.6

Associated tool

Post-mortem

• Simplify the task generation by removing cost handling
• Handle concurrence between tasks
• Centralize allocation algorithms
• Each resource behaves differently so we can allocate them differently

Uses and improvements

Where to integrate features

Decision graph

Economy Diplomatic contracts Fleet management Fleet production

Where to integrate features

Diplomacy relations

Analysis Decision graph

Ship/Fleet Design War topology Economy Diplomatic contracts Fleet management Fleet production

Where to integrate features

Diplomacy relations

Analysis Decision graph

Ship/Fleet Design War topology Economy Diplomatic contracts Fleet management Fleet production

Execution

Fleet behavior Battle behavior

Diplomatic relation behavior

mpire destroyed our explorer AND e are a military faction Prepare war In alliance Ask for Alliance

Analysis Decision graph

Increase ship number

Diplomatic relation behavior

mpire destroyed our explorer AND e are a military faction Prepare war In alliance Ask for Alliance

Analysis Decision graph

Build alliance contract

Diplomatic relation behavior

mpire destroyed our explorer AND e are a military faction Prepare war In alliance Ask for Alliance

Analysis Decision graph

Fleet Management

Defend empire

Defend empire

0.9

Defend system Pegasus

0.6

Defend attacked system

A fleet is a resource for military decisions

Taskforce

Fleet Management

Defend empire

Defend empire

0.9

Defend system Pegasus

0.6

Defend attacked system

A fleet is a resource for military decisions

Advance tasks generation

Goals can generate goals

Defend empire

Defend empire

0.9

Defend system Pegasus

0.3

Defend attacked system

Advance tasks generation

Goals can generate goals

Defend attacked system Defend constellation

Defend constellation

0.5

Defend empire

Defend empire

0.9

Defend system Pegasus

0.3

Advance tasks generation

Tasks can generate tasks

Taskforce

Defend system Pegasus

0.3

Defend attacked system Defend empire

Defend empire

0.9

Advance tasks generation

Tasks can generate tasks

Assist

Escort defense fleet

0.2

Taskforce Taskforce

Defend system Pegasus

0.3

Defend attacked system pire

Defend empire

0.9

1000 1000

Advance tasks generation

Link tasks with an allocation rule

Build unique wonder

• n Pegasus

0.3

Build wonder

Build unique wonder

• n Andromeda

0.6

Build wonder

1000 1000

Advance tasks generation

Link tasks with an allocation rule

Build unique wonder

• n Pegasus

0.3

Build wonder

Build unique wonder

• n Andromeda

0.6

Build wonder

Only one in empire

1000 1000

Advance tasks generation

Link tasks with an allocation rule

Build unique wonder

• n Pegasus

0.3

Build wonder

Build unique wonder

• n Andromeda

0.6

Build wonder

Only one in empire

1000 1000

Advance tasks generation

Link tasks with an allocation rule

Build unique wonder

• n Pegasus

0.3

Build wonder

Build unique wonder

• n Andromeda

0.6

Build wonder

Only one in empire

Multiple Personalities

We have 8 different factions.

Multiple Personalities

And we want to add some flashy, new, exotic gameplay!

Multiple Personalities

• Sheesh. Alright, we've got this. We

can add a specific decision branch.

Multiple Personalities

And we want some gameplay restrictions!

Multiple Personalities

Well then we can cut a specific decision branch.

Multiple Personalities

And the personality of the new AI faction must match the lore!

Multiple Personalities

In that case we can modify a specific decision branch.

Some numbers

• 90 analysis computations
• 45 types of goal
• 90 types of task
• 300 generators
• 50 types of game action handled
• 70 diplomatic states
• 3 programmers and 2 designers

Summing-Up

• Create a language to talk about AI decision
• Keep it simple
• Ensure modular approach so new content

doesn't break decision system

• Understanding the AI is mandatory
• Emergent behavior must be controlled
• Tools must display a system the way you design it

Thank you