Abstract

| Testing is an obligatory step in developing multi-agent systems. For testing multi-agent systems in virtual, dynamic environments, simulation systems are required that support a modular, declarative construction of experimental frames, that facilitate the embeddence of a variety of agent architectures, and that allow an ecient parallel, distributed execution. We introduce the system James (A Java-Based Agent Modeling Environment for Simulation) . In James agents and their dynamic environment are modeled as reective, time triggered state automata. Its possibilities to compose experimental frames based on prede ned components, to express temporal interdependencies, to capture the phenomenon of pro-activeness and reectivity of agents are illuminated by experiments with planning agents. The underlying planning system is a general purpose system, about which no empirical results exist besides traditional static benchmark tests. We analyze the interplay between heuristics for selecting goals, viewing range, commitment strategies, explorativeness, and trust in the persistence of the world and uncover properties of the agent, the planning engine and the chosen test scenario: Tileworld. I.

Citations