A Coordination Optimization Framework for Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Based on Reward Redistribution and Experience Reutilization

Cooperative multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) has emerged as a powerful paradigm for addressing complex real-world challenges, including autonomous robot control, strategic decision-making, and decentralized coordination in unmanned swarm systems. However, it still faces challenges in learning proper coordination among multiple agents. The lack of effective knowledge sharing and experience interaction mechanisms among agents has led to substantial performance decline, especially in terms of low sampling efficiency and slow convergence rates, ultimately constraining the practical applicability of MARL. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a novel framework termed Reward redistribution and Experience reutilization based Coordination Optimization (RECO). This innovative approach employs a hierarchical experience pool mechanism that enhances exploration through strategic reward redistribution and experience reutilization. The RECO framework incorporates a sophisticated evaluation mechanism that assesses the quality of historical sampling data from individual agents and optimizes reward distribution by maximizing mutual information across hierarchical experience trajectories. Extensive comparative analyses of computational efficiency and performance metrics across diverse environments reveal that the proposed method not only enhances training efficiency in multi-agent gaming scenarios but also significantly strengthens algorithmic robustness and stability in dynamic environments.

Duke Scholars

Author Feng Tian DKU Faculty