[robocup-msrs] Answers to questions

[George Chrysanthakopoulos]

Hi Nikos our engine is built in a way that pretty much *everything* is accessible through code, local or remote. Kyle and I will send instructions on a few ways you can interact with the simulation engine, to programmatically reposition *any* entity, in real time. This is all doable.

Thanx
g

From: robocup-msrs-bounces at cc.gatech.edu [mailto:robocup-msrs-bounces at cc.gatech.edu] On Behalf Of Nikos Vlassis
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2007 9:37 AM
To: Kyle Johns
Cc: robocup-msrs at cc.gatech.edu
Subject: Re: [robocup-msrs] Answers to questions

Hi Kyle,

thanks for your answers.

8) How can we reset robots/ball to specific positions during development?
Moving the ball to a specific position is easy, moving the robots is more difficult.  To move the ball position, put the simulator into edit mode by pressing F5.  This pauses the physics engine so your soccer players and the ball will stop moving.  Find the Soccer Ball entity in the upper-left-hand pane and select it.  In the lower-left-hand pane, select the position propery.  Either type in new position numbers or press the control key and drag the ball around the field with the left mouse button to move it.  When you have it positioned properly, press F5 again to return to simulation mode.
I'm still working on an easy way to move the Robudogs around and I'll let you know as soon as I have it.


This is fine, but we need a way to do the above with C# code, otherwise it's not very useful. Clearly one of the main advantages of the simulation as opposed to the real system, is that collecting training data is cheap, and based on these data one can use various learning techniques for adapting whatever algorithms one is developing. Unless there is an automatic/programmable way to set the objects in the desired positions, there is no hope that one can use such techniques for learning how to play soccer. I believe it would be really a pity if we are not given this possibility --- in fact we assumed that this would be the case when we registered for this event, and it would be very disappointing if it turns out that this option is disabled. Whatever techniques one uses for algorithm design, I believe that there should be a programmable way to test the developed algorithms without interacting manually with the simulator graphics.

thanks,
Nikos


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