Developer's open-source agent plays a glitchy platformer and tests whether it can find hidden secrets

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A developer built Flash, an open-source agent that can play simple games by writing per-frame reflex code that reads pixels and presses keys. To test it, they created a platformer, Flash Dash, which the agent beat in 21.11 seconds without difficulty. They then made a modified version with six hidden glitches that make the level easier when discovered, flagged only by a secret counter and a hint on screen. The reference reflex beat the glitched level in the same time but found zero secrets, because it only ever performed safe moves. The developer's aim is to see whether an agent can be driven by curiosity to deliberately try unusual actions and uncover the hidden mechanics.

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