Robocode Contest
Date: December 14-15, 2002 POSTPONED to February 28, 2003
Before the Java User Group foundation I thought to hold a meeting at DEI to test the real people interests
on Java. I think it's better to meet the Java pasionates in a small and cool software contest, instead
of having a formal (and perhaps boring) meeting: so often it seems a pedantic work meeting or
an university course. By the way, this event will NOT substitute the main constitutive meeting...
Robocode Contest: what's it?
"Build the best. Destroy the rest. In Robocode contest, you'll program a software robot tank in JavaTM language
in a win-or-die match. The game has its target of helping you to learn Java, in an enjoining way... You can start from a simple
robot made of 10 program lines, getting to program a more sophisticated an intelligent that can defeat all its counterparts!" (abstract from the
alfaWorks/IMB).
It's a match to model the behavior of the robot, a small and sweet (only in its appearance) software tank.
"To model" means to implement Java methods... You can move the chainwheels, the radar,
the cannon and obviously you can shoot! The arena is a rectangle. Free your fantasy and make your Robot do what you want!
Free the software, very nice!
Again, the project comes from an IBM idea :-) ... You have to install on you PC the JavaTM2 starting from version 1.3.
For the Robocode software and the installation guide go to
this link.
I want to know more...
Well, go to Robocode.net: starting from this site you'll find a lot of interesting links.
By the way the official Homepage is at alfaWorks/IMB.
If you still think that programming you tank could be ultra-difficult for you, take a
look to the follwing code in MyFirstRobot.java: you'll find intuitive what those methods do... ;-)
If you like another two tutorials here you are the links:
- Veeeerrrry basilar
- Serious (and very bad!)
You can also see the online API
(that are also included in the installation package)...
The FAQ are very useful: it's forbidden to not read them!
You can learn many things and idea on how the robots are managed.
It's possible to execute the Robocode here at DEI, (an University of Padova Department ndt.) without installing it in my space limited login? (Because the package space allocation is about 3 Mb...)
Yes, the Robocode simulator now can be run directly on DEI server... actually our Student Branch login disk space hosts the simulator.
To make it work you can execute the following Linux command lines:
cd /home/ieeesb/robocode/
./robocode.sh
If yoy want to test your robots too, there is a more complicated way, because we have to put on our IEEESB disk space a symbolic link
to your HOME...
Follow these steps:
1. Create a directory in your HOME and call it robocode;
2. Send an e-mail to IEEESB (ieeesb@dei.unipd.it)
and specify the name of your HOME (the same of your login, do not send password!!) and wait a while until we answer you for confirming the link activation;
3. On the main simulator window, starting from the Robot menu, click on Editor, and from
File menu click on New - Robot to create some kind of file (in this way the simulator can record
the symbolic link that we created manually); the files that you'll create starting from this point will appear
magically in the directory robocode in your HOME...
WARNING: when the program asks the package name you must enter your login (otherwise it will not function).
WARNING: in the robots list you could see also all the robots of the other users who requested the activation
of their robocode directory. If you need to protect the intelligence of your robot, you have to read-protect the files in your directory robocode/
in your HOME, setting the file attributes with the Linux command:
cd ~/robocode/
chmod 600 *
In this manner, the robot file's names will still appear in selection window for all the competitors, but
at the simulation time they will not appear in the arena. To report me some bugs or to request more infos contact me
(santamar@dei.unipd.it).
Mailing List: JUG_Padova
A JUG mailing-list is available since the end of October 2002 hosted by Yahoo! Groups. It's not so much time
but is has enough activity!!! Don't you believe it? Well, take a closer look:
Web Link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JUG_Padova
To subscribe: simply send an e-mail to the address JUG_Padova-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To mail a message: email to JUG_Padova@yahoogroups.com (after the first subscription!)
Webbit '03
Date: May 9-10-11, 2003
An idea come in our minds; we'd like to participate as a community (probably together with some IEEE Student Branch members)
to the Webbit '03 fair that will take place on May 2003 at "Fiera di Padova" (Padua, Italy). We could organize
a Java workshop and contest too. Last year there was a notably presence of Java programming world:
the JIA (Java Italian Association), the JUG of Turin (Italy), JavaIsland, etc...
For more informations on the event: http://www.webb.it/
Page maintained by Dario Santamaria
Java User Group