Pablo Armando Rodríguez Codes

AI programmer

LearningMobs Mod

This is a mod for the game Minecraft that showcases an implementation of a reinforcement learning algorithm for the combat AI of NPCs (Non-Player Characters).

It was developed as a personal project during my BSc in Computer Science (at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) in order to develop something that was specific to video games, in contrast with the generalistic nature of the work being done during said degree. In fact, a key goal was to create something that was closely related to the field of AI in video games, being this the first project I ever developed on that area. Finally, Minecraft was the chosen platform as it enabled quick development and had great available sources of documentation.

The project is an implementation of the SARSA q-learning algorithm, which is based on the idea that agents have a list of tasks they can perform, and will learn from experience which task is optimal for a given state of the fight.

Despite the limitations of the algorithm for its use in video games (elevated learning times, low scalability and complexity of determining the variables that take factor in the state of an in-game fight), the project served as an initial contact point with serious videogame development and the application of AI techniques to it.