Challenges in Modelling and Solving Plotting with PDDL

TL;DR

This paper explores the complexities of modeling and solving the tile-matching puzzle game Plotting using PDDL, highlighting the challenges faced by current planning tools due to the game's intricate state transitions.

Contribution

It identifies specific modeling challenges of Plotting in PDDL and evaluates the limitations of existing grounding-based planners in solving such complex puzzles.

Findings

Modeling Plotting in PDDL is highly complex due to its dynamic state transitions.

Grounding-based planners struggle with the size and complexity of Plotting's state space.

The study underscores the need for advanced planning techniques for complex puzzle games.

Abstract

We study a planning problem based on Plotting, a tile-matching puzzle video game published by Taito in 1989. The objective of this game is to remove a target number of coloured blocks from a grid by sequentially shooting blocks into the grid. Plotting features complex transitions after every shot: various blocks are affected directly, while others can be indirectly affected by gravity. We highlight the challenges of modelling Plotting with PDDL and of solving it with a grounding-based state-of-the-art planner.