This is a game experiment that was created in order to analyze how well agents are able to converge towards an optimal solution to meet a need. This is a game containing a bunch of subjects, and a bunch of decisions to be made on an individual basis. The goal of any one subject is to, by the end of the game, possess a favorable amount of capital.
Introduction
What motivates human behavior? Maslow's hierarchy of needs is one of the best-known theories of motivation. According to humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow, our actions are motivated in order to achieve certain needs. This is an endeavor to analyze human behavior and simulate decision making.
This is a game experiment created in order to analyze how well agents are able to converge towards an optimal solution to a problem. This is a game containing a bunch of subjects, and a bunch of decisions to be made on an individual basis. The goal of any one subject is to, by the end of the game, possess a favorable (or at least positive) amount of capital.
Overview
This article presents a multiple criteria decision making analysis that contributes to the selection of the most convenient supplier (i.e., Nightclub, Saloon, Bank, Bedroom, Bathroom, etc.) to meet certain needs. The ability of these potential suppliers to meet an Agent need is evaluated based upon the supplier's individual feature sets.
Rather than only taking into account the cost factor in typical games, here we have appropriately determined our needs and weighted those needs to come up with criteria that aids in the supplier selection process. Suppliers are identified, the considered weights are assessed, along with the decision maker’s preferences and existing constraints.
The variants are ranked in terms of their suitability using a DecisionMatrix. The results obtained from this simulation experiment suggest that this methodology is a feasible Non-Playable Character(NPC) decision support model.
Simulation
In this game, there are two groups: the Alive group and Dead group. The Alive group will always receive a constant amount of capital in each round, whereas the Dead group will lose any amount they may have gained (i.e., Loot). A game has an indefinite number of rounds, or until all the agents are dead.
At each turn, Agents must consume some kind of Food (Bread counts) and some kind of Water (Liquor counts) to survive. Agents move around the Map. Agents Trade with each-other, and Loot other dead Agents. When only one Agent is left surviving, they are marked as the winner.
Dead Agents are shown as a '-', where as Alive agents are shown as '+'. Other entities (i.e., suppliers) are denoted by capitalized letters ((B)ank, (S)chool, (X)Home, etc.) .
Agent Needs
Needs are categorized according to Maslow's Need Chart. In this example, we are classifying 5 basic needs as Physical, Esteem, Safety, Growth, and Social. Although there could be more, each need consists of only two factors.
#Region "Physical"
Public Property Food() As Integer
Public Property Water() As Integer
#End Region
#Region "Esteem"
Public Property Achievements() As Integer
Public Property Wealth() As Integer
#End Region
#Region "Safety"
Public Property Generations() As Integer
Public Property Health() As Integer
#End Region
#Region "Growth"
Public Property Skills() As Integer
Public Property Education() As Integer
#End Region
#Region "Social"
Public Property Perceptions() As Integer
Public Property Relationships() As Integer
#End Region
Evaluate
For each Update, an Agent will Evaluate and assign weights based on its current status. This allows the agent to define its decision matrix. The decision matrix is a classification algorithm. This helps the agent to figure out which supplier to choose. The agent must evaluate and calculate its needs and preference. Preference allows us to randomize Agent outcomes to an even greater degree.
Public Overridable Sub Evaluate()
EvaluatePhysical()
EvaluateEsteem()
EvaluateSafety()
EvaluateGrowth()
EvaluateSocial()
Dim TotalValues As Double = _Physical.Value + _Esteem.Value + ...
_Physical.Weight = _Physical.Value / TotalValues
_Esteem.Weight = _Esteem.Value / TotalValues
_Safety.Weight = _Safety.Value / TotalValues
_Growth.Weight = _Growth.Value / TotalValues
_Social.Weight = _Social.Value / TotalValues
Select Case Preference
Case FeatureTypes.Break, FeatureTypes.Home, FeatureTypes.Cook, ...
_Physical.Weight += 3
Case FeatureTypes.Dance, FeatureTypes.Drink, FeatureTypes.Eat, ...
_Social.Weight += 3
Case FeatureTypes.Deposit, FeatureTypes.Shop
_Esteem.Weight += 3
Case FeatureTypes.Learn
_Growth.Weight += 3
Case FeatureTypes.Work
_Safety.Weight += 3
End Select
End Sub
Decision
Once the Agent has Evaluated its needs, it must then make a decision. The decision process starts with a specified set of alternatives assessed on pseudo-criteria and aggregates the preferential data into a fuzzy
outranking relation.
Once started, a distinct number of suppliers are created. The supplier selection criteria and alternatives are predefined. For every criterion, the direction of preference has to be specified. The value of the preference should be set in descending. For example, if an agent's hunger increases, then the preference to satisfy that need should increase and its preference to fall in comparison.
For Each item In lst ...
Dim Name As String = item.Name
Dim PhysicalValue As Double = item.Features.Physical
Dim EsteemValue As Double = item.Features.Esteem
Dim SafetyValue As Double = item.Features.Safety
Dim GrowthValue As Double = item.Features.Growth
Dim SocialValue As Double = item.Features.Social
item.Features.Value = (PhysicalValue * Physical.Weight) +
(EsteemValue * Esteem.Weight) +
(SafetyValue * Safety.Weight) +
(GrowthValue * Growth.Weight) +
(SocialValue * Social.Weight)
Next item
Manager.Instance.Logger.Debug($"=========[{Name}]===========")
Dim DecisionList As IOrderedEnumerable(Of Entity) = From p In lst
Order By p.Features.Value Descending
Summary
Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. This experiment has attempted to encapsulate the basic principles of Maslow's theory into a game whereby NPC models can Evaluate and determine how best to meet their own unique needs.
History
- 20th February, 2020: Initial version
References
