Abstract:Reinforcement learning from pixels is often bottlenecked by the performance and complexity of 3D rendered environments. Researchers face a trade-off between high-speed, low-level engines and slower, more accessible Python frameworks. To address this, we introduce PyBatchRender, a Python library for high-throughput, batched 3D rendering that achieves over 1 million FPS on simple scenes. Built on the Panda3D game engine, it utilizes its mature ecosystem while enhancing performance through optimized batched rendering for up to 1000X speedups. Designed as a physics-agnostic renderer for reinforcement learning from pixels, PyBatchRender offers greater flexibility than dedicated libraries, simpler setup than typical game-engine wrappers, and speeds rivaling state-of-the-art C++ engines like Madrona. Users can create custom scenes entirely in Python with tens of lines of code, enabling rapid prototyping for scalable AI training. Open-source and easy to integrate, it serves to democratize high-performance 3D simulation for researchers and developers. The library is available at https://github.com/dolphin-in-a-coma/PyBatchRender.
Abstract:We present a training-free graph-based approach for solving interactive reasoning tasks in the ARC-AGI-3 benchmark. ARC-AGI-3 comprises game-like tasks where agents must infer task mechanics through limited interactions, and adapt to increasing complexity as levels progress. Success requires forming hypotheses, testing them, and tracking discovered mechanics. The benchmark has revealed that state-of-the-art LLMs are currently incapable of reliably solving these tasks. Our method combines vision-based frame processing with systematic state-space exploration using graph-structured representations. It segments visual frames into meaningful components, prioritizes actions based on visual salience, and maintains a directed graph of explored states and transitions. By tracking visited states and tested actions, the agent prioritizes actions that provide the shortest path to untested state-action pairs. On the ARC-AGI-3 Preview Challenge, this structured exploration strategy solves a median of 30 out of 52 levels across six games and ranks 3rd on the private leaderboard, substantially outperforming frontier LLM-based agents. These results demonstrate that explicit graph-structured exploration, even without learning, can serve as a strong baseline for interactive reasoning and underscore the importance of systematic state tracking and action prioritization in sparse-feedback environments where current LLMs fail to capture task dynamics. The code is open source and available at https://github.com/dolphin-in-a-coma/arc-agi-3-just-explore.
Abstract:General game playing artificial intelligence has recently seen important advances due to the various techniques known as 'deep learning'. However the advances conceal equally important limitations in their reliance on: massive data sets; fortuitously constructed problems; and absence of any human-level complexity, including other human opponents. On the other hand, deep learning systems which do beat human champions, such as in Go, do not generalise well. The power of deep learning simultaneously exposes its weakness. Given that deep learning is mostly clever reconfigurations of well-established methods, moving beyond the state of art calls for forward-thinking visionary solutions, not just more of the same. I present the argument that general game playing artificial intelligence will require a generalised player model. This is because games are inherently human artefacts which therefore, as a class of problems, contain cases which require a human-style problem solving approach. I relate this argument to the performance of state of art general game playing agents. I then describe a concept for a formal category theoretic basis to a generalised player model. This formal model approach integrates my existing 'Behavlets' method for psychologically-derived player modelling: Cowley, B., Charles, D. (2016). Behavlets: a Method for Practical Player Modelling using Psychology-Based Player Traits and Domain Specific Features. User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction, 26(2), 257-306.