Aquarium: A Comprehensive Framework for Exploring Predator-Prey Dynamics Through Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Algorithms
Michael Kölle, Yannick Erpelding, Fabian Ritz, Thomy Phan, Steffen Illium and Claudia Linnhoff-Popien
Abstract: Recent advances in Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning have prompted the modeling of intricate interactions between agents in simulated environments. In particular, the predator-prey dynamics have captured substantial interest and various simulations been tailored to unique requirements. To prevent further time-intensive developments, we introduce Aquarium, a comprehensive Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning environment for predator-prey interaction, enabling the study of emergent behavior. Aquarium is open source and offers a seamless integration of the PettingZoo framework, allowing a quick start with proven algorithm implementations. It features physics-based agent movement on a two-dimensional, edge-wrapping plane. The agent-environment interaction (observations, actions, rewards) and the environment settings (agent speed, prey reproduction, predator starvation, and others) are fully customizable. Besides a resource-efficient visualization, Aquarium supports to record video files, providing a visual comprehension of agent behavior. To demonstrate the environment’s capabilities, we conduct preliminary studies which use PPO to train multiple prey agents to evade a predator. In accordance to the literature, we find Individual Learning to result in worse performance than Parameter Sharing, which significantly improves coordination and sample-efficiency.
Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: ICAART, pp. 59-70 (2024)
Citation:
Michael Kölle, Yannick Erpelding, Fabian Ritz, Thomy Phan, Steffen Illium, Claudia Linnhoff-Popien. “Aquarium: A Comprehensive Framework for Exploring Predator-Prey Dynamics Through Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Algorithms”. Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence - Volume 1: ICAART, pp. 59-70, 2024. DOI: 10.5220/0012382300003636 [PDF] [Code]
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