MM-NEAT
Released 2014
Download at GitHub

Modular Multiobjective NEAT is a software framework in Java that builds on the basic principles of Neuro-Evolution of Augmenting Topologies. MM-NEAT uses Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II to carry out multiobjective evolution, and supports networks with multiple output modules. Evolved agents can use different modules for different behaviors: Human-specified task divisions can be defined using the Multitask Learning approach, or the task division can be learned using preference neurons. Evolution can also learn how many modules to use with various forms of Module Mutation. Finally, multiobjective evolution can be improved using Targeting Unachieved Goals (TUG), a fitness-based shaping technique that turns objectives off when they are not needed. For more information on these techniques, see the associated publications.

The primary domain in which these methods were evaluated is Ms. Pac-Man. Batch files are included to recreate all experiments from Jacob Schrum's 2014 dissertation. Some RL-Glue domains are also included, as well as a simplified version of BREVE Monsters, which is a precursor to MM-NEAT.

Version history:
Version 3.0+: September 2017
Project moves to GitHub at this address. Project is still active and ongoing, but has been overhauled to use Maven for dependency management. Major developments in this version include: Version 2.0: June 2016
On GitHub at this address. The version at this site will no longer be supported, but work continues on version 3.0+ mentioned above. However, some additions in version 2.0 included:
  • Added support for HyperNEAT
  • Evolution in Tetris via RL-Glue
  • Many developments in a toroidal predator/prey grid-world
  • Re-implementation of the Picbreeder system
  • Beginnings of rudimentary support for VizDoom (work ongoing)
Version 1.1: October 2015
Code for a new version of Ms. Pac-Man featuring isolated tasks is added, as well as batch files that launch experiments in this domain.
Version 1.0: May 2014
Initial release containing code from Jacob Schrum's 2014 dissertation.
People
Jacob Schrum Ph.D. Alumni schrum2 [at] southwestern edu
Publications
Discovering Multimodal Behavior in Ms. Pac-Man through Evolution of Modular Neural Networks 2016
Jacob Schrum and Risto Miikkulainen, IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games, Vol. 8, 1 (2016), pp. 67--81.
Solving Multiple Isolated, Interleaved, and Blended Tasks through Modular Neuroevolution 2016
Jacob Schrum and Risto Miikkulainen, Evolutionary Computation, Vol. 24, 3 (2016), pp. 459--490. MIT Press.
Neuroevolution 2015
Risto Miikkulainen, In Encyclopedia of Machine Learning, 2nd Edition, Sammut, C. and Webb, G. I. (Eds.), Berlin, 2015. Springer.
Solving Interleaved and Blended Sequential Decision-Making Problems through Modular Neuroevolution 2015
Jacob Schrum and Risto Miikkulainen, In Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO 2015), pp. 345--352, Madrid, Spain, July 2015. Best Paper: Digital Entertainment and Arts.
Evolving Multimodal Behavior Through Modular Multiobjective Neuroevolution 2014
Jacob Schrum, PhD Thesis, The University of Texas at Austin. Tech Report TR-14-07.
Evolving Multimodal Behavior With Modular Neural Networks in Ms. Pac-Man 2014
Jacob Schrum and Risto Miikkulainen, In Proceedings of the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO 2014), pp. 325--332, Vancouver, BC, Canada, July 2014. Best Paper: Digital Entertainment and Arts.
Projects
The Role of Emotion and Communication in Cooperative Behavior 2013 - 2016
Areas of Interest
Evolutionary Computation Game Playing Multiobjective Optimization Neuroevolution Reinforcement Learning
Demos
Multimodal Behavior in Imprison Ms. Pac-ManJacob Schrum2014
Multimodal Behavior in Multiple Lives Ms. Pac-ManJacob Schrum2014
Multimodal Behavior in One Life Ms. Pac-ManJacob Schrum2014
Multimodal Behavior in Isolated Ms. Pac-ManJacob Schrum2015
Labs
Neural Networks