1. CSE 476/876 Optional Course Project
02/27/12
Pac-Man®
Shant K. Karakashian
CSE 476/876 Optional Course Project 1 1

2. Introduction Pac-Man is a classic video game
02/27/12
Introduction
Pac-Man is a classic video game
Icon of the 1980s popular culture
Environment is a maze with dots & fruits
Pac-Man is an agent that eats the dots & fruits
Ghosts are agents that attack the Pac-Man 2

3. Project Overview Design & implement algorithms to Algorithm Objectives
02/27/12
Project Overview
Design & implement algorithms to
control the Pac-Man &
control the Ghosts
Algorithm
Input
the maze, location of dots & fruits
location of the agents (Pac-Man & Ghosts)
Output
Next move of the agents (left, right, up or down)
Objectives
PacMan: avoid the ghosts & eat the dots + fruits
Ghosts: attack the PacMan 3

4. Algorithms & Heuristics
02/27/12
Algorithms & Heuristics
Implementing a rational agent requires
An algorithm to enumerate future states
Heuristics to evaluate future states
To prune the search space
To choose among alternatives 4

5. 02/27/12
Resources
Programming environment provided by Derrick Stolee. It includes Java classes for the GUI and the basic classes for the agents
Animated front-end simulating the original game-display provided by Derrick Stolee and the animation enhanced by Shant Karakashian
Algorithms for the Pac-Man and the Ghosts from previous competition
Discuss with Shant
Resources available from:  5

6. Why do the Project Get a better understanding of AI
02/27/12
Why do the Project
Get a better understanding of AI
Grasp the effectiveness of the search algorithms and the different heuristics
Have a notion of the complexity that arises even from simple problems
Compete against your colleagues through your intelligent agents in a public event
Check the photo’s of PacMan party 6