Robocode

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Recently been playing Robocode and having lots of fun...basicly you program a little robot/tank to fight against other robots

And it's free



http://robocode.alphaworks.ibm.com/home/home.html



http://robocode.net/


Robocode Is The Number One Download On IBM alphaWorks
Battling Robots Java Learning Game License Now Available For Academic Institutions
CUPERTINO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 11/28/2001 -- IBM alphaWorks*, offering developers direct access to IBM emerging technology, today announced that a battling Java robots game has just become its most popular download ever, with 80,000 downloads since August, and is now offering free licenses to academic institutions. Robocode is a programming game that teaches emerging Java developers by helping them create Java 'bots' -- real Java objects that battle onscreen.

[nightcrawlerblue]

I've seen it before but I only just downloaded it. I can't even get my robot to fire...

EDIT: now I've gotten it to move in a couple weird patterns and fire. I'm trying to find a way to make it aim for another bot though (without turning the turret 360 degrees).

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Look at the code for the sample robots they give you, there is some good stuff in there.

[Kaatar]

So you can't actually control the robot? My guy just moves forward, back and does a 360 with his turret. Do I just program him?

[Kraellin]

been a while since i've seen this. this is actually a java re-make of another game. except for a few graphic improvements to the 'tanks', this is exactly the same thing. it might even just be a later version.

there was another game like this, only a bit more sophisticated. you had 'parts' you added to the tanks and then programmed. it was more graphical and set in a 3d room with some obstacles. sorta fun for a while, but you really need an online place to pit your prototypes against others to make it work well as a game.

the core of all this goes back to a programmer's game called 'core wars'. programmers would compete against each other by writing programs that essentially acted as objects. these 'objects' or 'bots' could be fed into a piece of ram together, 1 versus 1. the object was to destroy, dominate, control, or otherwise render your opponent's bot worthless. it was played for years on mainframes by clever programmers and i believe it even got to be a sort of national event, with some limited prizes, or at least a bit of notoriety. i believe there was also a limit on the size of your code. therefore, it had to be some pretty clever code.

i recall hearing about one such event. contestants made things that would 'eat' another person's bot, assimilate it, wipe it, destroy it, render it inactive and so on. truly a geek war if ever one was invented :) therefore, i was a bit of a fan :)

K.