Genetic algorithms and the art of Zen

In this paper we present a novel genetic algorithm (GA) solution to a simple yet challenging commercial puzzle game known as Zen Puzzle Garden (ZPG). We describe the game in detail, before presenting a suitable encoding scheme and fitness function for candidate solutions. We then compare the perform...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in2010 IEEE Fifth International Conference on Bio-Inspired Computing: Theories and Applications pp. 1417 - 1423
Main Authors Coldridge, Jack, Amos, Martyn
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published IEEE 01.09.2010
Subjects
Costs
Engines
Games
Genetic algorithms
Heuristic algorithms
Rocks
Search problems
Source coding
System recovery
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ISBN9781424464371
1424464374
DOI10.1109/BICTA.2010.5645284

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Summary:In this paper we present a novel genetic algorithm (GA) solution to a simple yet challenging commercial puzzle game known as Zen Puzzle Garden (ZPG). We describe the game in detail, before presenting a suitable encoding scheme and fitness function for candidate solutions. We then compare the performance of the genetic algorithm with that of the A* algorithm. Our results show that the GA is competitive with informed search in terms of solution quality, and significantly out-performs it in terms of computational resource requirements. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of our findings for game solving and other "real world" problems.
ISBN:9781424464371
1424464374
DOI:10.1109/BICTA.2010.5645284