A Decision-Making and Actions Framework for Ball Carriers in American Football

Instructing intelligent agents in team-based, multi-agent environments to respond to dynamic events is a lengthy and expensive undertaking. In this paper, we present a framework for modeling the decisions and behaviors of ball carriers in American Football using the Axis Football Simulator. While offensive strategies in football employ the use of prescribed plays with specific spatio-temporal goals, players must also be able to intelligently respond to the conditions created by their opponent. We utilize a two-part substate framework for ball carriers to advance downfield while avoiding defenders. Unlike existing football simulations that employ variations on professional football rules and regulations, our method is demonstrated in a realistic football simulation and produces results that are consistent with actual competitions.