Multi-State TD Target for Model-Free Reinforcement Learning

Abstract: Temporal difference (TD) learning is a fundamental technique in reinforcement learning that updates value estimates for states or state-action pairs using a TD target. This target represents an improved estimate of the true value by incorporating both immediate rewards and the estimated value of subsequent states. Traditionally, TD learning relies on the value of a single subsequent state. We propose an enhanced multi-state TD (MSTD) target that utilizes the estimated values of multiple subsequent states. Building on this new MSTD concept, we develop complete actor-critic algorithms that include management of replay buffers in two modes, and integrate with deep deterministic policy optimization (DDPG) and soft actor-critic (SAC). Experimental results demonstrate that algorithms employing the MSTD target significantly improve learning performance compared to traditional methods.The code is provided on GitHub.