With “Neural MMO,” bots can now play an MMO without human players. This is a test for artificial intelligences and how they react in a dynamic game world.
What is Neural MMO? Essentially, Neural MMO is an experiment. How does an AI react in an open, dynamic world? The game mechanics are reminiscent of an MMO:
- Bots, powered by the AI OpenAI, must fight for resources in an open game world.
- They use ranged attacks, melee combat, and spells.
This is how the AI learns: The individual bots essentially watch each other and learn from one another. Moreover, they become more effective with practice. The game also receives regular updates with new challenges that the AI must master to improve.
MMOs as a Test Scenario for Artificial Intelligences
Why is this tested in an MMO? The developers behind OpenAI explain that an MMO is an ideal test environment because it is a persistent world and thousands of characters can operate there. This essentially simulates the real world. It is about competing for the limited available resources in a large ecosystem and trying to be as effective as possible.
What are the findings so far? The AI reacts similarly to animals in the wild. It tries to avoid conflicts and spread out as much as possible, hoping that each bot has enough “living space” and thus resources available. Only when it is unavoidable does combat occur.
This leads to bots exploring the world depending on the size of the population in search of new areas.
What is the purpose of the experiment? Neural MMO is not intended to create a new AI for games. Rather, the developers aim to create models to see how humans might react in certain situations, such as during pandemics.
