software that learns how to play NES games and plays them automatically

[Darren Dirt]

yup.

Mario https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A97HL3_fxyo

Galaga https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtarckZgXEY (frightening how fast it picked it up after a minute or two)

And this is REAL, kids. He's an AI-focused CompSci PhD*
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom7/mario/



*so, naturally, his personal webpage is ATROCIOUS. Even by my own standards.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom7/

[Darren Dirt]

Geez he even offers the sourcecode... COOL!

https://sourceforge.net/p/tom7misc/svn/HEAD/tree/trunk/tasbot/


...and a PDF of his PhD "paper" whatever its proper technical name is called:

Spoiler

"In this paper I showed how lexicographic orderings and time travel can be used to automate classic video games."
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom7/mario/mario.pdf

[close]

This guy is a genius.

Spoiler

A comic genius.

[close]

I guess he built this to enter some kind of programming/problemsolving contest -- other entries that year are here: http://sigbovik.org/2013/proceedings.pdf


He entered again in 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDxjbXAqTPg "Automatic 3Dification of Nintendo games: The glEnd() of Zelda"
(and maybe other years, idk, I'm honestly too scared to look any deeper into this guy's creations, wow!)

[Mr. Analog]

This thing versus TASbot for next GDQ!

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!