AI soccer: covering an opponent not in possession of the ball

Abstract

Virtual robot soccer competitions have been rising in popularity in recent years, due to their easier accessibility than physical robot soccer. This is also the reason these virtual competitions were created. The goal is to compete in the AI world cup, one of the virtual soccer competitions. A coach-based framework has already been built, and the aim is to create strong defensive capabilities for the robot team. This paper in particular focuses on covering opponents without the ball. The marking strategy and specific opponent covering that have been devised for this are explained. Both are completely rule-based, and opponent covering has been thoroughly tested with an in-house developed batch-runner. In short, opponent covering consists of standing at the optimal position between the passer and receiver, and when the ball is passed going to the closest intercept point. This optimal position is learned with the batch-runner. Opponent covering performs well in the generated test cases. Some specific algorithms counter attacking strategies which have not been implemented yet, therefore it was not possible to evaluate those algorithms. They are theoretically optimal however.