Strategy bots: one per language with starter kits
Each of the six built-in strategy bots is now implemented in a different language (Python, Go, Rust, PHP, TypeScript, Java) to demonstrate that the HTTP protocol is truly language-agnostic. Added per-language container templates, resource specs, and forkable starter kit repos for participants. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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@ -439,10 +439,26 @@ they are destroyed or the match ends.
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## 5. Strategy Bots
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Six built-in strategy bots serve as reference implementations and permanent
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ladder opponents. Each is deployed as its own container running a lightweight
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HTTP server.
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ladder opponents. Each is implemented in a **different programming language**
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to demonstrate that the HTTP protocol is truly language-agnostic and to
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provide starter code for participants across the most popular ecosystems.
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### 5.1 RandomBot
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Each bot is deployed as its own container running a lightweight HTTP server.
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| Bot | Language | Complexity | Expected Rank |
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|-----|----------|------------|---------------|
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| RandomBot | Python | Trivial | 6th (floor) |
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| GathererBot | Go | Low | 4th–5th |
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| RusherBot | Rust | Low | 4th–5th |
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| GuardianBot | PHP | Medium | 3rd–4th |
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| SwarmBot | TypeScript | Medium | 1st–2nd |
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| HunterBot | Java | High | 1st–2nd |
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### 5.1 RandomBot — Python
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**Language rationale:** Python is the most accessible language for newcomers.
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The random bot doubles as the simplest possible starter template — a
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participant can fork it and have a working bot in minutes.
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**Strategy:** Makes uniformly random valid moves each turn.
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@ -454,7 +470,14 @@ HTTP server.
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**Value:** Ensures new participants have an easy opponent to test against.
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Rating floor anchor.
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### 5.2 GathererBot
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**Implementation:** Flask or bare `http.server`. ~50 lines of strategy code.
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HMAC verification via `hmac` stdlib module.
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### 5.2 GathererBot — Go
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**Language rationale:** Go is the same language as the game engine and
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platform services, making this the canonical "how to build a bot" reference.
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Demonstrates idiomatic Go HTTP server patterns.
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**Strategy:** Maximize energy collection, avoid combat entirely.
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@ -468,7 +491,14 @@ Rating floor anchor.
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**Value:** Tests whether aggressive bots can actually close games or whether
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passive resource hoarding is dominant (it shouldn't be).
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### 5.3 RusherBot
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**Implementation:** `net/http` stdlib server. Shared `game/` package with
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grid utilities, BFS, and distance calculations that participants can reuse.
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### 5.3 RusherBot — Rust
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**Language rationale:** Rust participants get maximum compute within the
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3-second timeout. This bot demonstrates that Rust's performance advantage
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matters less than strategy — a dumb fast bot still loses to a smart slow one.
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**Strategy:** Identify and rush the nearest enemy core as fast as possible.
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@ -484,7 +514,16 @@ passive resource hoarding is dominant (it shouldn't be).
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system allows pure aggression to dominate (it shouldn't — rusher bots will
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walk into defensive formations and die).
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### 5.4 GuardianBot
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**Implementation:** `axum` or `actix-web`. Serde for JSON. HMAC via `hmac`
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and `sha2` crates. Demonstrates Rust's zero-copy deserialization.
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### 5.4 GuardianBot — PHP
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**Language rationale:** PHP is often overlooked in competitive programming
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but is widely known and trivially deployable. This demonstrates that even
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PHP — without async, without frameworks — can compete on equal footing
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when the interface is HTTP. Lowers the barrier for the large PHP developer
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community.
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**Strategy:** Defend own core, gather nearby energy, cautious expansion.
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@ -500,7 +539,16 @@ walk into defensive formations and die).
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**Value:** Tests whether turtling is viable. Should beat rushers but lose to
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gatherers/swarms in the long game (inferior economy due to limited territory).
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### 5.5 SwarmBot
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**Implementation:** PHP built-in server (`php -S`) with a single router
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script. `hash_hmac()` for HMAC. JSON via `json_decode`/`json_encode`.
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BFS implemented with `SplQueue`.
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### 5.5 SwarmBot — TypeScript
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**Language rationale:** TypeScript (Node.js) is the most popular language
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for web developers entering the platform. This bot demonstrates maintaining
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complex state across turns — the swarm's formation tracking, rally points,
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and center-of-mass calculation benefit from TypeScript's type system.
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**Strategy:** Keep units in tight formations, advance as a group toward enemies.
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@ -517,7 +565,16 @@ gatherers/swarms in the long game (inferior economy due to limited territory).
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enemies. But slow expansion means inferior economy. Should dominate combat
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but can be outscored by gatherers on large maps.
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### 5.6 HunterBot
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**Implementation:** Express.js or Fastify. State persisted in-process across
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turns (the HTTP server stays alive between requests). HMAC via Node.js
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`crypto` module. Typed interfaces for game state and moves.
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### 5.6 HunterBot — Java
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**Language rationale:** Java is dominant in competitive programming (Battlecode
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is Java-only). This is the most sophisticated strategy bot, demonstrating
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that Java's verbosity is offset by mature data structures (`PriorityQueue`,
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`HashMap`) and predictable GC behavior within the timeout window.
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**Strategy:** Target isolated enemy bots for efficient kills.
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@ -526,42 +583,140 @@ but can be outscored by gatherers on large maps.
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(isolated targets)
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- Send pairs of bots to intercept isolated enemies (2v1 wins cleanly)
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- If no isolated targets, default to gatherer behavior
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- Maintain a map of known enemy positions, predict movement
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- Maintain a map of known enemy positions across turns, predict movement
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based on last-seen direction and speed
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- Avoid engaging formations of 3+ enemy bots
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- Opportunistic energy collection when not actively hunting
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**Value:** Sophisticated target selection and prediction. Represents an
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intermediate-skill bot. Should beat random/gatherer/rusher but struggle
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against swarm formations.
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intermediate-to-advanced-skill bot. Should beat random/gatherer/rusher but
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struggle against swarm formations.
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### 5.7 Container Template
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**Implementation:** Javalin or `com.sun.net.httpserver`. `javax.crypto.Mac`
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for HMAC. Maintains a `HashMap<Position, EnemyTracker>` across turns for
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movement prediction. Hungarian algorithm for optimal bot-to-target assignment.
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All strategy bots share a common container structure:
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### 5.7 Container Templates
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Each language has its own container structure. All share the same contract:
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listen on port 8080, serve `POST /turn` and `GET /health`.
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**Go (GathererBot):**
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```
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strategy-{name}/
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strategy-gatherer/
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├── Dockerfile
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├── main.go # HTTP server, HMAC verification, JSON parsing
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├── strategy.go # Strategy-specific logic
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├── main.go # HTTP server, HMAC verification
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├── strategy.go # Gatherer-specific logic
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├── game/
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│ ├── state.go # Game state types (deserialized from engine JSON)
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│ ├── state.go # Game state types
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│ ├── grid.go # Grid utilities (BFS, distance, wrapping)
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│ └── moves.go # Move types (serialized to engine JSON)
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│ └── moves.go # Move response types
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└── go.mod
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```
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**Base HTTP server (shared across all bots):**
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- Listens on port 8080
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**Python (RandomBot):**
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```
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strategy-random/
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├── Dockerfile
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├── main.py # HTTP server, HMAC verification, strategy
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├── game.py # Game state types and grid utilities
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└── requirements.txt # (minimal — stdlib only for random bot)
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```
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**Rust (RusherBot):**
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```
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strategy-rusher/
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├── Dockerfile
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├── Cargo.toml
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└── src/
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├── main.rs # HTTP server, HMAC verification
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├── strategy.rs # Rusher-specific logic
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└── game.rs # Game state types, grid utilities
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```
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**PHP (GuardianBot):**
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```
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strategy-guardian/
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├── Dockerfile
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├── index.php # Router + HMAC verification
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├── strategy.php # Guardian-specific logic
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├── game.php # Game state types, BFS, grid utilities
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└── composer.json # (optional — no external deps needed)
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```
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**TypeScript (SwarmBot):**
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```
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strategy-swarm/
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├── Dockerfile
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├── package.json
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├── tsconfig.json
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└── src/
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├── index.ts # HTTP server, HMAC verification
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├── strategy.ts # Swarm-specific logic
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└── game.ts # Game state types, grid utilities
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```
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**Java (HunterBot):**
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```
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strategy-hunter/
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├── Dockerfile
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├── pom.xml
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└── src/main/java/com/acb/hunter/
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├── App.java # HTTP server, HMAC verification
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├── Strategy.java # Hunter-specific logic
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├── GameState.java # Game state deserialization
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└── Grid.java # Grid utilities, BFS, distance
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```
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**Shared contract (all languages):**
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- Listen on port 8080
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- `POST /turn` — receives game state, runs strategy, returns moves
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- `GET /health` — returns 200 (used for registration health check)
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- HMAC signature verification on incoming requests
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- HMAC signature on outgoing responses
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- Request logging (turn number, compute time, move count)
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**Container spec:**
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- Base image: `golang:1.24-alpine` (build) → `alpine:3.21` (runtime)
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- Memory limit: 128MB
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- CPU limit: 0.25 cores
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- These are intentionally constrained — strategy bots should be lightweight
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**Container specs:**
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| Bot | Build Image | Runtime Image | Memory Limit | CPU Limit |
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|-----|-------------|---------------|-------------|-----------|
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| RandomBot | `python:3.13-slim` | `python:3.13-slim` | 64MB | 0.1 cores |
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| GathererBot | `golang:1.24-alpine` | `alpine:3.21` | 128MB | 0.25 cores |
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| RusherBot | `rust:1.85-alpine` | `alpine:3.21` | 128MB | 0.25 cores |
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| GuardianBot | `php:8.4-cli-alpine` | `php:8.4-cli-alpine` | 128MB | 0.25 cores |
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| SwarmBot | `node:22-alpine` | `node:22-alpine` | 128MB | 0.25 cores |
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| HunterBot | `eclipse-temurin:21-alpine` | `eclipse-temurin:21-jre-alpine` | 256MB | 0.5 cores |
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Java gets a higher resource allocation due to JVM overhead. All others are
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intentionally constrained — strategy bots should be lightweight.
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### 5.8 Starter Kit & SDK Libraries
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To lower the barrier for participants writing their own bots, the platform
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provides **starter kits** for each supported language. Each starter kit is a
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minimal, forkable repository containing:
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- A working HTTP server with HMAC verification already implemented
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- Type definitions for the game state and move schemas
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- Grid utility functions (toroidal distance, BFS, neighbor enumeration)
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- A stub strategy function that holds all bots in place (participant fills in)
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- A Dockerfile that builds and runs the bot
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- A README with quickstart instructions
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**Starter kit languages (matching strategy bots):**
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| Kit | Repository | Notes |
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|-----|-----------|-------|
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| `acb-starter-python` | Template repo | Flask-based, ~100 lines total |
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| `acb-starter-go` | Template repo | Shares `game/` package with GathererBot |
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| `acb-starter-rust` | Template repo | `axum` + `serde`, strongly typed |
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| `acb-starter-php` | Template repo | Zero dependencies, built-in server |
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| `acb-starter-typescript` | Template repo | Fastify, full type definitions |
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| `acb-starter-java` | Template repo | Javalin, Maven-based |
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Participants are not limited to these languages. Any language that can serve
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HTTP and compute HMAC-SHA256 can compete. The starter kits simply eliminate
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boilerplate for the most common choices.
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---
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| `acb-worker` | Go binary on Alpine | Match execution worker | 3–10 (spot) |
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| `acb-scheduler` | Go binary on Alpine | Tournament matchmaking | 1 (always-on) |
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| `acb-web` | Nginx + static files | Frontend SPA | 1 (or CDN) |
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| `acb-strategy-random` | Go on Alpine | RandomBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-random` | Python 3.13 slim | RandomBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-gatherer` | Go on Alpine | GathererBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-rusher` | Go on Alpine | RusherBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-guardian` | Go on Alpine | GuardianBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-swarm` | Go on Alpine | SwarmBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-hunter` | Go on Alpine | HunterBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-rusher` | Rust on Alpine | RusherBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-guardian` | PHP 8.4 CLI Alpine | GuardianBot | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-swarm` | Node 22 Alpine | SwarmBot (TypeScript) | 1 |
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| `acb-strategy-hunter` | Temurin 21 JRE Alpine | HunterBot (Java) | 1 |
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### 9.2 Rackspace Spot Deployment
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@ -849,7 +1004,8 @@ for spot instances**:
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**Instance sizing:**
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- Match workers: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM per instance (each runs one match at a time)
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- Strategy bots: can share a single small instance (all 6 use <256MB total)
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- Strategy bots: can share a single small instance (all 6 use <1GB total;
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Java's JVM is the biggest consumer at ~256MB)
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- API server + scheduler: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, always-on (not spot)
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**Deployment layout:**
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**Deliverables:**
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- HTTP bot interface in the engine (replaces stdin/stdout for production)
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- HMAC signing and verification library
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- Strategy bot container template (shared HTTP server + game state types)
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- All 6 strategy bots implemented and containerized
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- Integration test: engine runs a full match between two containerized bots
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- HMAC signing and verification library (Go, reusable by GathererBot)
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- GathererBot (Go) and RandomBot (Python) — validate the protocol works
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across languages before building the remaining four
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- RusherBot (Rust), GuardianBot (PHP), SwarmBot (TypeScript), HunterBot (Java)
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- All 6 bots containerized with language-appropriate Dockerfiles
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- Starter kit template repos for each language (fork-ready)
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- Integration test: engine runs a full match between bots in different
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languages over HTTP
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**Exit criteria:** can run a complete match between any two strategy bot
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containers over HTTP, with HMAC authentication, producing a valid replay.
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containers (in different languages) over HTTP, with HMAC authentication,
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producing a valid replay.
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### Phase 3: Replay Viewer
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