Heuristic Evaluation Functions for General Game Playing

Abstract

This dissertation explores the problem of constructing an effective general game-playing program, with an emphasis on techniques for automatically constructing effective heuristic evaluation functions from game descriptions. A technique based on abstract models of games is presented. The abstract model treats mobility, payoff and termination as the most salient elements of a game. Each of these aspects are quantified in terms of stable features. Evidence is presented that the technique produces heuristic evaluation functions that are both comprehensible and effective. Empirical work includes a series of general game-playing programs that placed first or second for the three consecutive years of the AAAI General Game-Playing Competition. The full dissertation can be downloaded at https://sites.google.com/site/jimcluneresearch/.