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added 159 characters in body

edited Aug 3, 2014 at 17:45

Save the last bullet for yourself

The contest is now over. Coward is the winner. You can watch the last match here.

Suddenly zombies appear! OH NOES!

In this king-of-the-hill challenge, you must create a bot to survive the zombie apocalypse. Or at least, hold out for as long as possible.

At the start of the game, 50 instances of each entry will be placed randomly in a large toroidal play area - that is, it appears to be square, but wraps around. The size of the play area will vary depending on the number of entries, but initially 6% of squares will be occupied. Each competitor starts with 3 bullets.

At the beginning of each turn, a zombie will rise from the ground at a random location, destroying whatever was above it. Any player who is next to a zombie at the start of their turn will become a zombie.

For each living player, their code will then be called. It will receive a PlayerContext object, containing information on their current status, and their surroundings. Each player can see for 8 squares in any direction.

The player must choose to either move (staying still is a valid movement), by returning a Move, or shoot a nearby person or zombie, by returning a Shoot. Your gun has a maximum range of 5 squares. Since you are within your gun's range you can shoot yourself, provided you have bullets left. If two players shoot each other, they both die.

If two players attempt to move onto the same square, they will fail, and will both return to the square they started from. If there are still conflicts, this will be repeated until there are no conflicts, which may mean everyone is back where they started.

If a player dies from a gunshot, their dead body will remain, and forms a permanent barrier. Any bullets they were carrying remain on their person, and can be scavenged by players in adjacent squares. If there are multiple players occupying the squares adjacent to a dead body, then the bullets will be shared between them, but any remainder will be lost.

If a player becomes a zombie, then their bullets are lost. Zombies will mindlessly walk towards the nearest living player.

Entries are scored on how long their longest-surviving player survives.

##Entries##

A control program is available at https://github.com/jamespic/zombies. Simply clone it, and run mvn compile exec:java.

To be eligible, entries must be written in a JVM language, must be portable, and must be possible to build from Maven with no special set-up. This is to ensure that competitors do not need to install multiple run-time environments to test their bots against competitors.

Sample entries are currently available in the following languages:

Java 7 - see also a more complex example, and the code for zombies
Scala 2.11.1
Javascript (via Rhino)
Python (via Jython 2.7 beta 2)
Ruby (via JRuby 1.7.13)
Clojure 1.5.1
Frege (a bit like Haskell - here's another example)

If you would like to compete in a language that is not listed, you can post a comment requesting it, and I will investigate the possibility of integrating your chosen language into the control program. Or, if you are impatient, you can submit a pull request to the control program.

Only one instance (in the Java sense of the word) will be created for each entry. This Java instance will be called multiple times per turn - once for each surviving player.

##API##

package zombie

// You implement this. Your entry should be in package `player`
interface Player {
    Action doTurn(PlayerContext context)
}

// These already exist
class PlayerContext {
    // A square array, showing the area around you, with you at the centre
    // playFields is indexed by x from West to East, then y from North to South
    PlayerId[][] getPlayField()
    int getBullets() // Current bullets available
    int getGameClock() // Current turn number
    PlayerId getId() // Id of the current player instance
    int getX() // Your current x co-ordinate
    int getY() // Your current y co-ordinate
    int getBoardSize() // The size of the current playing field
    Set<PlayerId> shootablePlayers() // A helper function that identifies players in range.
}

class PlayerId {
    String getName() // The name of the entrant that owns this player
    int getNumber() // A unique number, assigned to this player
}

// Don't implement this. Use either `Move` or `Shoot`
interface Action {}

enum Move implements Action {
    NORTHWEST, NORTH, NORTHEAST,
    EAST, STAY, WEST,
    SOUTHEAST, SOUTH, SOUTHWEST;
    static move randomMove();
}

class Shoot implements Action {
    Shoot(PlayerId target);
}

##Additional Rules##

Each entry must have a unique name, in order to work correctly with the control program.

Entries should not attempt to tamper with other entrants, or with the control program, or otherwise take advantage of the run-time environment to "break the fourth wall", and gain an advantage that would not be available in a "real" zombie apocalypse.

Communication between players is allowed.

The winner is the entrant whose bot has the highest score in a test I will run on the 3rd of August 2014.

##Final Results##

The final results are in! Coward is the winner!

On 2nd August, I ran 19 rounds of the control program, and ranked each player according to their median score. The results were as follows:

Coward: 4298
Fox: 3214
Shotguneer: 2471
Cocoon: 1834
JohnNash: 1240
HuddleWolf: 1112
Sokie: 1090
SOS: 859
GordonFreeman: 657
Jack: 657
Waller: 366
SuperCoward: 269
MoveRandomly: 259
StandStill: 230
Vortigaunt: 226
ThePriest: 223
Bee: 61
HideyTwitchy: 52
ZombieHater: 31
Gunner: 20
ZombieRightsActivist: 16
SunTzu: 11
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0

The last round is available to watch here.

##Run-by-run results##

The individual results of each of the 19 runs were:

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 14:45:35#
Bee: 21
Cocoon: 899
Coward: 4608
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 3993
GordonFreeman: 582
Gunner: 18
HideyTwitchy: 37
HuddleWolf: 2836
Jack: 839
JohnNash: 956
MoveRandomly: 310
SOS: 842
Shotguneer: 2943
Sokie: 937
StandStill: 250
SunTzu: 3
SuperCoward: 318
ThePriest: 224
Vortigaunt: 226
Waller: 258
ZombieHater: 41
ZombieRightsActivist: 10

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 14:56:48#
Bee: 97
Cocoon: 3073
Coward: 5699
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 4305
GordonFreeman: 1252
Gunner: 24
HideyTwitchy: 25
HuddleWolf: 3192
Jack: 83
JohnNash: 1195
MoveRandomly: 219
SOS: 884
Shotguneer: 3751
Sokie: 1234
StandStill: 194
SunTzu: 69
SuperCoward: 277
ThePriest: 884
Vortigaunt: 564
Waller: 1281
ZombieHater: 10
ZombieRightsActivist: 2

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:01:37#
Bee: 39
Cocoon: 2512
Coward: 2526
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 2687
GordonFreeman: 852
Gunner: 21
HideyTwitchy: 91
HuddleWolf: 1112
Jack: 1657
JohnNash: 944
MoveRandomly: 312
SOS: 660
Shotguneer: 1067
Sokie: 1356
StandStill: 169
SunTzu: 8
SuperCoward: 351
ThePriest: 223
Vortigaunt: 341
Waller: 166
ZombieHater: 25
ZombieRightsActivist: 47

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:08:27#
Bee: 27
Cocoon: 2026
Coward: 3278
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 2677
GordonFreeman: 611
Gunner: 16
HideyTwitchy: 11
HuddleWolf: 1694
Jack: 600
JohnNash: 1194
MoveRandomly: 48
SOS: 751
Shotguneer: 5907
Sokie: 1233
StandStill: 62
SunTzu: 9
SuperCoward: 252
ThePriest: 173
Vortigaunt: 107
Waller: 276
ZombieHater: 53
ZombieRightsActivist: 38

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:14:01#
Bee: 26
Cocoon: 1371
Coward: 5121
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 3878
GordonFreeman: 464
Gunner: 29
HideyTwitchy: 130
HuddleWolf: 955
Jack: 101
JohnNash: 698
MoveRandomly: 269
SOS: 1314
Shotguneer: 2444
Sokie: 3217
StandStill: 233
SunTzu: 10
SuperCoward: 269
ThePriest: 318
Vortigaunt: 266
Waller: 494
ZombieHater: 49
ZombieRightsActivist: 9

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:19:43#
Bee: 25
Cocoon: 2098
Coward: 4855
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 4081
GordonFreeman: 227
Gunner: 43
HideyTwitchy: 28
HuddleWolf: 2149
Jack: 1887
JohnNash: 1457
MoveRandomly: 117
SOS: 1068
Shotguneer: 4272
Sokie: 636
StandStill: 53
SunTzu: 9
SuperCoward: 209
ThePriest: 220
Vortigaunt: 227
Waller: 366
ZombieHater: 19
ZombieRightsActivist: 49

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:24:03#
Bee: 46
Cocoon: 682
Coward: 3588
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 4169
GordonFreeman: 764
Gunner: 13
HideyTwitchy: 21
HuddleWolf: 842
Jack: 1720
JohnNash: 1260
MoveRandomly: 259
SOS: 636
Shotguneer: 777
Sokie: 586
StandStill: 75
SunTzu: 6
SuperCoward: 390
ThePriest: 189
Vortigaunt: 208
Waller: 334
ZombieHater: 61
ZombieRightsActivist: 20

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:29:49#
Bee: 90
Cocoon: 516
Coward: 4298
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 1076
GordonFreeman: 581
Gunner: 8
HideyTwitchy: 87
HuddleWolf: 4298
Jack: 4715
JohnNash: 727
MoveRandomly: 102
SOS: 859
Shotguneer: 2471
Sokie: 2471
StandStill: 427
SunTzu: 24
SuperCoward: 159
ThePriest: 359
Vortigaunt: 94
Waller: 398
ZombieHater: 54
ZombieRightsActivist: 21

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:36:50#
Bee: 18
Cocoon: 3127
Coward: 3124
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 5094
GordonFreeman: 255
Gunner: 43
HideyTwitchy: 17
HuddleWolf: 1078
Jack: 272
JohnNash: 1270
MoveRandomly: 55
SOS: 723
Shotguneer: 3126
Sokie: 1388
StandStill: 179
SunTzu: 7
SuperCoward: 45
ThePriest: 519
Vortigaunt: 172
Waller: 200
ZombieHater: 45
ZombieRightsActivist: 8

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:40:59#
Bee: 78
Cocoon: 1834
Coward: 4521
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 1852
GordonFreeman: 657
Gunner: 7
HideyTwitchy: 2
HuddleWolf: 969
Jack: 895
JohnNash: 1596
MoveRandomly: 277
SOS: 694
Shotguneer: 1397
Sokie: 844
StandStill: 325
SunTzu: 7
SuperCoward: 192
ThePriest: 148
Vortigaunt: 369
Waller: 232
ZombieHater: 16
ZombieRightsActivist: 17

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:44:22#
Bee: 23
Cocoon: 2638
Coward: 2269
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 2067
GordonFreeman: 730
Gunner: 21
HideyTwitchy: 60
HuddleWolf: 763
Jack: 1469
JohnNash: 1494
MoveRandomly: 273
SOS: 3181
Shotguneer: 3181
Sokie: 653
StandStill: 450
SunTzu: 19
SuperCoward: 272
ThePriest: 215
Vortigaunt: 299
Waller: 510
ZombieHater: 62
ZombieRightsActivist: 16

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 15:48:03#
Bee: 97
Cocoon: 2009
Coward: 2798
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 1907
GordonFreeman: 958
Gunner: 22
HideyTwitchy: 93
HuddleWolf: 925
Jack: 288
JohnNash: 476
MoveRandomly: 422
SOS: 3723
Shotguneer: 2076
Sokie: 1090
StandStill: 134
SunTzu: 92
SuperCoward: 141
ThePriest: 470
Vortigaunt: 216
Waller: 340
ZombieHater: 32
ZombieRightsActivist: 20

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 16:03:38#
Bee: 121
Cocoon: 501
Coward: 9704
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 3592
GordonFreeman: 588
Gunner: 20
HideyTwitchy: 54
HuddleWolf: 749
Jack: 1245
JohnNash: 1345
MoveRandomly: 451
SOS: 835
Shotguneer: 1548
Sokie: 589
StandStill: 166
SunTzu: 11
SuperCoward: 158
ThePriest: 93
Vortigaunt: 246
Waller: 1350
ZombieHater: 18
ZombieRightsActivist: 11

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 16:10:24#
Bee: 66
Cocoon: 1809
Coward: 3295
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 3214
GordonFreeman: 1182
Gunner: 15
HideyTwitchy: 52
HuddleWolf: 1514
Jack: 101
JohnNash: 745
MoveRandomly: 211
SOS: 862
Shotguneer: 6335
Sokie: 1504
StandStill: 384
SunTzu: 14
SuperCoward: 259
ThePriest: 244
Vortigaunt: 262
Waller: 1356
ZombieHater: 24
ZombieRightsActivist: 20

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 16:28:05#
Bee: 61
Cocoon: 692
Coward: 11141
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 1955
GordonFreeman: 1234
Gunner: 42
HideyTwitchy: 24
HuddleWolf: 1862
Jack: 609
JohnNash: 1579
MoveRandomly: 167
SOS: 958
Shotguneer: 11141
Sokie: 284
StandStill: 422
SunTzu: 66
SuperCoward: 121
ThePriest: 207
Vortigaunt: 128
Waller: 259
ZombieHater: 22
ZombieRightsActivist: 7

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 16:32:10#
Bee: 207
Cocoon: 4414
Coward: 2670
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 978
GordonFreeman: 620
Gunner: 19
HideyTwitchy: 135
HuddleWolf: 962
Jack: 657
JohnNash: 1200
MoveRandomly: 147
SOS: 687
Shotguneer: 2258
Sokie: 2433
StandStill: 249
SunTzu: 49
SuperCoward: 1056
ThePriest: 602
Vortigaunt: 326
Waller: 593
ZombieHater: 31
ZombieRightsActivist: 10

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 16:38:56#
Bee: 265
Cocoon: 2231
Coward: 4228
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 4737
GordonFreeman: 532
Gunner: 9
HideyTwitchy: 75
HuddleWolf: 2375
Jack: 1237
JohnNash: 1249
MoveRandomly: 109
SOS: 860
Shotguneer: 6470
Sokie: 1096
StandStill: 126
SunTzu: 15
SuperCoward: 393
ThePriest: 133
Vortigaunt: 184
Waller: 257
ZombieHater: 32
ZombieRightsActivist: 12

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 16:52:16#
Bee: 67
Cocoon: 1534
Coward: 9324
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 2458
GordonFreeman: 1019
Gunner: 24
HideyTwitchy: 72
HuddleWolf: 601
Jack: 399
JohnNash: 1366
MoveRandomly: 275
SOS: 506
Shotguneer: 1007
Sokie: 475
StandStill: 230
SunTzu: 135
SuperCoward: 361
ThePriest: 61
Vortigaunt: 112
Waller: 4106
ZombieHater: 12
ZombieRightsActivist: 22

#Run at 03-Aug-2014 17:03:04#
Bee: 26
Cocoon: 1159
Coward: 7796
EmoWolfWithAGun: 0
Fox: 3948
GordonFreeman: 878
Gunner: 3
HideyTwitchy: 17
HuddleWolf: 1490
Jack: 513
JohnNash: 1240
MoveRandomly: 487
SOS: 1460
Shotguneer: 1481
Sokie: 832
StandStill: 457
SunTzu: 8
SuperCoward: 480
ThePriest: 527
Vortigaunt: 171
Waller: 3729
ZombieHater: 30
ZombieRightsActivist: 10

king-of-the-hill

asked Jul 20, 2014 at 19:48

James_pic