UNPACED AND PACED SIMULATION FOR TESTING AGENTS

摘要

Agents are autonomous software aimed at working in dynamic environments and thus form a specific type of embedded software systems. To test this type of software simulation systems can be successfully employed. Agents might be modeled, be partly embedded in, or coupled to the virtual environment they are tested in. Depending on the degree of being embedded in the virtual environment, the type of execution that supports an efficient and effective simulation varies. In JAMES (A Java-Based Agent Modeling Environment for Simulation) different simulators have been implemented. Unpaced and paced simulators support interaction in simulation- and real-time differently. Moving from unpaced to paced execution, the simulator exercises less control over the experiment and the coupling between simulation and agents to be tested is loosened.