Targeting - Revision history

MultiplyByZer0: Simplification

2017-08-27T23:16:53Z

Simplification

Xor: /* FAQ */ improved accuracy

2017-08-20T05:57:34Z

FAQ: improved accuracy

Xor: improve Head-On-Targeting section based on HeadOnTargeting page on wiki.

2017-08-20T05:54:24Z

improve Head-On-Targeting section based on HeadOnTargeting page on wiki.

MultiplyByZer0: Small improvements

2017-08-20T05:12:47Z

Small improvements

RaelZero: Added Targeting Navbox

2013-03-28T12:38:07Z

Added Targeting Navbox

Abignold at 04:47, 15 October 2012

2012-10-15T04:47:52Z

Voidious: clean this up a bit

2011-09-10T17:33:54Z

clean this up a bit

Voidious at 20:28, 8 September 2011

2011-09-08T20:28:08Z

Voidious: moved from :Category:Targeting, could use a lot of work

2011-09-08T20:26:36Z

moved from Category:Targeting, could use a lot of work

Voidious: redirect to category

2007-11-11T21:42:55Z

redirect to category

New page

#REDIRECT [[:Category:Targeting]]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 == FAQ ==
 ; What's the difference between [[GuessFactors]] and [[Play It Forward]]?
-: GF targeting means choosing an angle (which is normalized most of the time), and shooting at it. PIF targeting means picking a point, and shooting at it.
+: GF targeting means choosing a (normalized) angle, and shooting at it. PIF targeting means picking a point, and shooting at it.
 {{Targeting Navbox}}
 [[Category:Targeting]]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 == FAQ ==
 ; What's the difference between [[GuessFactors]] and [[Play It Forward]]?
-: GF targeting means choosing an angle, and shooting at it. PIF targeting means picking a point, and shooting at it.
+: GF targeting means choosing an angle (which is normalized most of the time), and shooting at it. PIF targeting means picking a point, and shooting at it.
 {{Targeting Navbox}}
 [[Category:Targeting]]

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 == Common gun configurations ==
 Some of the most common learning gun configurations are (in order of effectiveness and complexity):
-* '''[[Head-On Targeting]]''' ‒ Shoot at where the enemy robot is now. Not very effective, because robots can move.
+* '''[[Head-On Targeting]]''' ‒ Shoot at where you last saw your enemy. Useless against anything that moves in a single direction most of the time. It, however, works surprisingly well against Oscillator Movement and sometimes random movement.
 * '''[[Circular Targeting]]''' ‒ Assume the enemy will continue moving and turning with the same velocity/turnrate that he is right now, and shoot there.
 * '''[[Pattern Matching]] with [[Play It Forward]]''' ‒ Use the enemy's recent movements as the input, find a time in the past when his relative movements were similar, and guess that he will continue in the same fashion as he did in the most similar previous situation.
 * '''[[GuessFactor Targeting (traditional)|Traditional GuessFactor Targeting]] ([[Segmentation|Segmentated]] [[Visit Count Stats]] with [[GuessFactors]])''' ‒ Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, segment them into a multi-dimensional array that covers all possible situation, and tally the hitting GuessFactor in each situation encountered (like a multivariate [[wikipedia:Histogram|histogram]]). At fire time, fire at the most often visited GuessFactor for the segment describing the current situation.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Youtube|sWFMhIiMyh8}}
-In Robocode, you deplete your opponent's energy, increase your own energy, and collect points by hitting other bots with bullets. For info about bullet damage and scoring, see [[Robocode/Game Physics]] and [[Robocode/Scoring]]. For info about different targeting techniques, see [[:Category:Targeting]].
+In Robocode, your goal is to deplete your opponent's energy, increase your own energy, and collect points by hitting other bots with bullets. For info about bullet damage and scoring, see [[Robocode/Game Physics]] and [[Robocode/Scoring]].
 The main components of a targeting system are:
-* '''Choosing a target''' ([[Melee]] only) - Find the right balance of conserving energy, collecting bullet damage points, picking off easy targets, and killing bots that are dangerous to you.
+* '''Choosing a target''' ([[Melee]] only) ‒ Find the right balance of conserving energy, collecting bullet damage points, picking off easy targets, and killing bots that are dangerous to you.
-* '''[[Energy Management]]''' - Choosing the right bullet power, or whether to fire or conserve your energy.
+* '''[[Energy Management]]''' ‒ Choosing the right bullet power, or whether to fire or conserve your energy.
-* '''Choosing a firing angle'''
+* '''Choosing a firing angle''' ‒ The crux of Robocode targeting.
 == Targeting as a classification problem ==
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 * You have a very small amount of time per tick to make a decision. Dropping in the most sophisticated classification algorithm you can find in a textbook won't work. The time you have needs to be split between collecting data and generating firing angles.
 * You have to continually make decisions with a changing data set. When you have no data, when you have 50 ticks, 500 ticks, or 20,000 ticks of data, your algorithm has to perform well and remain fast.
-* Improving a classification algorithm is hard. Some of the biggest advancements come from insights into collecting data accurately and how inputs and outputs are represented, like [[GuessFactor]]s, innovative [[wall distance]] measurements, [[Maximum Escape Angle/Precise|precise max escape angles]], [[Waves/Precise Intersection|precise wave intersection]], and [[Virtual Guns|choosing the right gun]].
+* Improving a classification algorithm is hard. Some of the biggest advancements come from insights into collecting data accurately and how inputs and outputs are represented, like [[GuessFactor]]s, innovative wall distance measurements, [[Maximum Escape Angle/Precise|precise max escape angles]], [[Waves/Precise Intersection|precise wave intersection]], and [[Virtual Guns|choosing the right gun]].
 == Common gun configurations ==
-Some of the most common learning gun configurations are:
+Some of the most common learning gun configurations are (in order of effectiveness and complexity):
-* '''[[Pattern Matching]] / [[Play It Forward]]''' - Use the enemy's recent movements as the input, find a time in the past when his relative movements were similar, and guess that he will continue in the same fashion as he did in the most similar previous situation.
+* '''[[Head-On Targeting]]''' ‒ Shoot at where the enemy robot is now. Not very effective, because robots can move.
-* '''[[Visit Count Stats]] / [[Segmentation]] / [[GuessFactors]]''' (aka [[GuessFactor Targeting (traditional)]]) - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, segment them into a multi-dimensional array that covers all possible situation, and tally the hitting GuessFactor in each situation encountered (like a multi-variate [[wikipedia:Histogram|histogram]]). At fire time, fire at the most often visited GuessFactor for the segment describing the current situation.
+* '''[[Circular Targeting]]''' ‒ Assume the enemy will continue moving and turning with the same velocity/turnrate that he is right now, and shoot there.
-* '''[[Dynamic Clustering]] / [[GuessFactors]]''' - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, log the attributes and hitting GuessFactor for every situation encountered. At fire time, choose some number of similar situations from your log, and find the densest area of the graph of the corresponding GuessFactors.
+* '''[[Pattern Matching]] with [[Play It Forward]]''' ‒ Use the enemy's recent movements as the input, find a time in the past when his relative movements were similar, and guess that he will continue in the same fashion as he did in the most similar previous situation.
 {{Targeting Navbox}}
 [[Category:Targeting]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:38, 28 March 2013
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	* '''[[Dynamic Clustering]] / [[GuessFactors]]''' - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, log the attributes and hitting GuessFactor for every situation encountered. At fire time, choose some number of similar situations from your log, and find the densest area of the graph of the corresponding GuessFactors.		* '''[[Dynamic Clustering]] / [[GuessFactors]]''' - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, log the attributes and hitting GuessFactor for every situation encountered. At fire time, choose some number of similar situations from your log, and find the densest area of the graph of the corresponding GuessFactors.

		+	{{Targeting Navbox}}
	[[Category:Targeting]]		[[Category:Targeting]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:47, 15 October 2012
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	{{Youtube\|sWFMhIiMyh8}}
		+
	In Robocode, you deplete your opponent's energy, increase your own energy, and collect points by hitting other bots with bullets. For info about bullet damage and scoring, see [[Robocode/Game Physics]] and [[Robocode/Scoring]]. For info about different targeting techniques, see [[:Category:Targeting]].		In Robocode, you deplete your opponent's energy, increase your own energy, and collect points by hitting other bots with bullets. For info about bullet damage and scoring, see [[Robocode/Game Physics]] and [[Robocode/Scoring]]. For info about different targeting techniques, see [[:Category:Targeting]].

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:28, 8 September 2011
Line 16:		Line 16:
	* [[Visit Count Stats]] / [[Segmentation]] / [[GuessFactors]] (aka [[GuessFactor Targeting (traditional)]]) - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, segment them into a multi-dimensional array that covers all possible situation, and tally the hitting GuessFactor in each situation encountered (like a multi-variate [[wikipedia:Histogram\|histogram]]). At fire time, fire at the most often visited GuessFactor for the segment describing the current situation.		* [[Visit Count Stats]] / [[Segmentation]] / [[GuessFactors]] (aka [[GuessFactor Targeting (traditional)]]) - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, segment them into a multi-dimensional array that covers all possible situation, and tally the hitting GuessFactor in each situation encountered (like a multi-variate [[wikipedia:Histogram\|histogram]]). At fire time, fire at the most often visited GuessFactor for the segment describing the current situation.
	* [[Dynamic Clustering]] / [[GuessFactors]] - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, log the attributes and hitting GuessFactor for every situation encountered. At fire time, choose some number of similar situations from your log, and find the densest area of the graph of the corresponding GuessFactors.		* [[Dynamic Clustering]] / [[GuessFactors]] - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, log the attributes and hitting GuessFactor for every situation encountered. At fire time, choose some number of similar situations from your log, and find the densest area of the graph of the corresponding GuessFactors.
		+
		+	[[Category:Targeting]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:26, 8 September 2011
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	~~#REDIRECT~~ [[:~~Category~~:Targeting]]	+	In Robocode, you deplete your opponent's energy and increase your own energy by hitting other bots with bullets. Thus, coming up with targeting algorithms to hit your opponents accurately is a cornerstone of a successful Robocode bot. Different algorithms are more appropriate for different [[Code Size]] divisions and styles of play.
		+
		+	The main components of a targeting system are:
		+	* Choosing a target ([[Melee]] only)
		+	* [[Energy Management]] - Whether or not to fire, what bullet power to use
		+	* Choosing a firing angle
		+
		+	Most descriptions of Robocode targeting systems focus on choosing a firing angle. For a learning gun, this is essentially a [[wikipedia:Statistical classification\|classification problem]]. The enemy robot can't react to where you fired your bullets because he can't see your gun or your bullets (until they hit). He can, however, see when you fire by monitoring your energy.
		+
		+	Some aspects that make Robocode targeting an interesting classification problem are:
		+	* You have a very small amount of time per tick to make a decision. Dropping in the most sophisticated classification algorithm you can find in a textbook won't work. This time needs to be split between inputting data and generating output values.
		+	* You have to continually make decisions - when you have no data, when you have 50 ticks, 500 ticks, or 20,000 ticks of data. Your algorithm has to perform well and remain fast enough throughout the entire battle.
		+
		+	Some of the most common learning gun configurations are:
		+	* [[Pattern Matching]] / [[Play It Forward]] - Use the enemy's recent movements as the input, find a time in the past when his relative movements were similar, and guess that he will continue in the same fashion as he did in the most similar previous situation.
		+	* [[Visit Count Stats]] / [[Segmentation]] / [[GuessFactors]] (aka [[GuessFactor Targeting (traditional)]]) - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, segment them into a multi-dimensional array that covers all possible situation, and tally the hitting GuessFactor in each situation encountered (like a multi-variate [[wikipedia:Histogram\|histogram]]). At fire time, fire at the most often visited GuessFactor for the segment describing the current situation.
		+	* [[Dynamic Clustering]] / [[GuessFactors]] - Choose a few attributes to describe firing situations, log the attributes and hitting GuessFactor for every situation encountered. At fire time, choose some number of similar situations from your log, and find the densest area of the graph of the corresponding GuessFactors.