| Abstract: |
This paper describes a framework for formalising tactical
reasoning in dynamic multi-agent systems, populated by synthetic (software)
agents. The proposed framework is based on a hierarchy of synthetic agent
architectures and is expressive enough to capture a subset of desirable
properties from both the situated automata and subsumption-style architectures,
while retaining the rigour and clarity of logic-based possible worlds semantics.
This framework is successfully realised in the RoboCup Simulation League
domain, resulting in an implementation of a heterogeneous soccer team of
autonomous software agents. Not only did it provide a solid design approach
to object-orientation, but it also enabled incremental implementation and
testing of software agents and their modules. In particular, the framework
allowed us to correlate enhancements in the agent architecture with tangible
improvements in team performance. The Cyberoos98 played 7 official Simulation
League games in 1998, winning 4 of them (3rd place winner of
the Pacific Rim series at PRICAI-98). |