SCOUT: A Case-Based Reasoning Agent for Playing Race for the Galaxy

Game AI is a well-established area of research. Classic strategy board games such as Chess and Go have been the subject of AI research for several decades, and more recently modern computer games have come to be seen as a valuable testbed for AI methods and technologies. Modern board games, in particular those known as German-Style Board Games or Eurogames, are an interesting mid-point between these fields in terms of domain complexity, but AI research in this area is more sparse. This dissertation discusses the design, development and performance of a game-playing agent which uses the Case-Based Reasoning methodology as a means to reason and make decisions about game states in the Eurogame Race For The Galaxy. We have named this system SCOUT. The purpose of this research is to explore the possibilities and limitations of Case-Based Reasoning within the domain of Race For The Galaxy and Eurogames in general.