Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Out in an open area between us and our enemy are two rocket launchers. If ei-
ther player gets a rocket launcher, he will be able to fire it at the hiding place of the
other player—killing him. Because the small arms fire is not accurate when firing
at people on the move, running to retrieve a rocket launcher will not bring about
any damage. However, if
both
players run to acquire rocket launchers, they will
then be able to shoot rockets at each other as they run around. If this happens, it is
assured that both of them will take heavy damage, although not as bad as what
would have happened if they had simply stayed hidden as a vulnerable, unmoving
target for the enemy's rocket launcher.
Both teams are waiting for reinforcements that will arrive soon and simultane-
ously. If we are heavily damaged when the others arrive, we could possibly die
(50%). This chance of death is not as certain, however, as if an enemy's rocket were
to strike us while we are hidden (100%). If we are only lightly damaged by the small
arms fire we took while hidden, we will have only a 5% chance of dying when both
sides' reinforcements show up. (In all cases, these risks are mirrored by our enemy,
that is, he's facing the same possibilities for the same choices.)
Making the Choice
The choice before our agent is this: Do we chose to stay in hiding, perhaps taking
occasional pot shots at our hidden enemy, and wait for the reinforcements to show
up, or do we rush out to grab one of the two rocket launchers and either kill the enemy
where he is hiding or run around trying to kill him while he does the same to us? It
is a little easier to visualize the decisions and results by placing them in a grid just
like the one we used for Matching Pennies and Prisoner's Dilemma (Figure 5.4).
2 decision matrix for the rocket launcher
example is surprisingly similar to that of the Prisoner's Dilemma.
FIGURE 5.4
The 2
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