Nash strongQstrong-Learning for General-Sum Stochastic Games.pdf

Journal of Machine Learning Research 4 (2003) 1039-1069 Submitted 11/01; Revised 10/02; Published 11/03 Nash Q-Learning for General-Sum Stochastic Games Junling Hu JUNLING @TALKAI .COM Talkai Research 843 Roble Ave., 2 Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA Michael P. Wellman WELLMAN @UMICH .EDU Artificial Intelligence Laboratory University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2110, USA Editor: Craig Boutilier Abstract We extend Q-learning to a noncooperative multiagent context, using the framework of general- sum stochastic games. A learning agent maintains Q-functions over joint actions, and performs updates based on assuming Nash equilibrium behavior over the current Q-values. This learning protocol provably converges given certain restrictions on the stage games (defined by Q-values) that arise during learning. Experiments with a pair of two-player grid games suggest that such restric- tions on the game structure are not necessarily required. Stage games encountered during learning in both grid environments violate the conditions. However, learning consistently converges in the first grid game, which has a unique equilibrium Q-function, but sometimes fails to converge in the second, which has three different equilibrium Q-functions. In a comparison of offline learn- ing performance in both games, we find agents are more likely to reach a joint optimal path with Nash Q-learning than with a single-agent Q-learning method. When at least one agent adopts Nash Q-learning, the performance of both agents is better than using single-agent Q-learning. We have also implemented an online version of Nash Q-learning th