Skilled Experience Catalogue: A Skill-Balancing Mechanism for Non-Player Characters using Reinforcement Learning

In this paper, we introduce a skill-balancing mechanism for adversarial non-player characters (NPCs), called Skilled Experience Catalogue (SEC). The objective of this mechanism is to approximately match the skill level of an NPC to an opponent in real-time. We test the technique in the context of a First-Person Shooter (FPS) game. Specifically, the technique adjusts a reinforcement learning NPC's proficiency with a weapon based on its current performance against an opponent. Firstly, a catalogue of experience, in the form of stored learning policies, is built up by playing a series of training games. Once the NPC has been sufficiently trained, the catalogue acts as a timeline of experience with incremental knowledge milestones in the form of stored learning policies. If the NPC is performing poorly, it can jump to a later stage in the learning timeline to be equipped with more informed decision-making. Likewise, if it is performing significantly better than the opponent, it will jump to an earlier stage. The NPC continues to learn in real-time using reinforcement learning but its policy is adjusted, as required, by loading the most suitable milestones for the current circumstances.Comment: IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence and Games (CIG). August 201

Overview of the Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) New Frontiers Mission

The Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) mission was selected by the NASA New Frontiers Program for Phase A study in December 2017. CAESAR will acquire and return to Earth for laboratory analysis a minimum of 80 grams of surface material from the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). CAESAR will characterize the surface region sampled, preserve the collected sample in a pristine state, and return evolved volatiles by capturing them in a separate gas reservoir. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center provides project management, systems engineering, safety and mission assurance, contamination control, mission operations, and many other important functions. Northrop Grumman Information Systems (formerly Orbital ATK) will build the spacecraft, based on Dawn mission heritage, which like CAESAR, uses solar electric propulsion