Title: Evaluating and Modelling Hanabi-Playing Agents,
Abstract: Agent modelling involves considering how other agents will behave, in order
to influence your own actions. In this paper, we explore the use of agent
modelling in the hidden-information, collaborative card game Hanabi. We
implement a number of rule-based agents, both from the literature and of our
own devising, in addition to an Information Set Monte Carlo Tree Search
(IS-MCTS) agent. We observe poor results from IS-MCTS, so construct a new,
predictor version that uses a model of the agents with which it is paired. We
observe a significant improvement in game-playing strength from this agent in
comparison to IS-MCTS, resulting from its consideration of what the other
agents in a game would do. In addition, we create a flawed rule-based agent to
highlight the predictor's capabilities with such an agent.