The Rise of Potential Fields in Real Time Strategy Bots

Abstract

Bots for Real Time Strategy (RTS) games are challenging to implement. A bot controls a number of units that may have to navigate in a partially unknown environment, while at the same time search for enemies and coordinate attacks to fight them down. Potential fields is a technique originating from the area of robotics where it is used in controlling the navigation of robots in dynamic environments. We show that the use of potential fields for implementing a bot for a real time strategy game gives us a very competitive, configurable, and non-conventional solution.