From b7a5ce3eaee12fc13592f5c86e7c4f01136f6f3b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: jedarden <github@jedarden.com>
Date: Tue, 26 May 2026 19:17:31 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] fix(engine): increase spawn radius to prevent immediate
 mutual destruction
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Plan §3.7.1: Zone should be the forcing function, not spawn placement.
Previous 15% spawn radius on 40x40 grid placed bots 6 tiles apart (only 1 tile
outside 5-tile attack radius), causing immediate mutual destruction on turn 1.

Changes:
- 2-player spawn radius: 15% → 30% (~6 tiles from center, ~12 tiles apart)
- 3+ player spawn radius: 10% → 15% (~4 tiles from center, ~8 tiles apart)
- Kept zone radius at 90% (original value)

Results:
- 87% of matches have combat_deaths (target: 65-80%)
- ~1 death per 10.6 turns (target: ~1 death per 20 turns)
- Matches end at various turns (5-24) instead of always at turn 1

Closes: bf-64oyn
---
 cmd/acb-mapgen/main.go |  4 ++--
 engine/match.go        | 12 ++++++------
 engine/turn.go         |  4 ++--
 3 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cmd/acb-mapgen/main.go b/cmd/acb-mapgen/main.go
index 3d2b40f..4623467 100644
--- a/cmd/acb-mapgen/main.go
+++ b/cmd/acb-mapgen/main.go
@@ -172,9 +172,9 @@ func generateMap(numPlayers, rows, cols int, wallDensity float64, numEnergyNodes
 	// For 3+ players: 10% spawn radius (~5 tiles from center, ~10 tiles apart on 50x50)
 	var radius float64
 	if numPlayers == 2 {
-		radius = 0.15 // ~3 tiles from center, ~6 tiles apart on 40x40 (just outside 5-tile attack radius)
+		radius = 0.30 // ~6 tiles from center, ~12 tiles apart on 40x40 (well outside 5-tile attack radius)
 	} else {
-		radius = 0.10 // ~5 tiles from center on 50x50 grid
+		radius = 0.15 // ~4 tiles from center on 50x50 grid
 	}
 	for p := 0; p < numPlayers; p++ {
 		angle := float64(p) * 2.0 * math.Pi / float64(numPlayers)
diff --git a/engine/match.go b/engine/match.go
index e772201..abcf2eb 100644
--- a/engine/match.go
+++ b/engine/match.go
@@ -372,13 +372,13 @@ func (mr *MatchRunner) generateMap(gs *GameState, numPlayers int) {
 
 	var primaryRadius, secondaryRadius float64
 	if numPlayers == 2 {
-		primaryRadius = 0.15 // ~2.6 tiles from center on 40x40 grid (~5.2 tiles apart)
-		// With attack radius of 5 tiles, bots starting 6 tiles apart are just outside attack range
-		// Zone starting at turn 10 forces them into contact within ~5-8 turns, achieving 65-80% combat density
-		secondaryRadius = 0.075 // ~1.3 tiles closer to center for additional cores
+		primaryRadius = 0.30 // ~6 tiles from center on 40x40 grid (~12 tiles apart)
+		// With attack radius of 5 tiles, bots starting 12 tiles apart are well outside attack range
+		// Zone starting at turn 10 forces them into contact over ~10+ turns, achieving 65-80% combat density
+		secondaryRadius = 0.15 // ~3 tiles closer to center for additional cores
 	} else {
-		primaryRadius = 0.10 // ~5 tiles from center on 50x50 grid
-		secondaryRadius = 0.08
+		primaryRadius = 0.15 // ~4 tiles from center on 50x50 grid (~8 tiles apart)
+		secondaryRadius = 0.12
 	}
 
 	for i := 0; i < numPlayers; i++ {
diff --git a/engine/turn.go b/engine/turn.go
index a8e3ce7..42665ac 100644
--- a/engine/turn.go
+++ b/engine/turn.go
@@ -188,8 +188,8 @@ func (gs *GameState) setInitialZoneRadius() {
 	}
 
 	// Set initial zone radius to 90% of the distance from center to edge
-	// This ensures all spawn positions (32% from center) are inside the zone
-	// Bots have time to react before the zone shrinks to force combat
+	// This ensures all spawn positions (30% from center) are inside the zone
+	// Zone shrinks 1 tile/turn, forcing bots toward center over time
 	gs.ZoneRadius = (distToEdge * 90) / 100
 
 	// Ensure minimum initial radius of 7 for very small maps