Framework resides in the AntNetwork folder.
Server application (with visualizer) can be invoked with AntServer.py
Several sample clients are included (files with SampleBotXX).
Install: pip install -r requirements.txt
Start server: python AntServer.py
Start visualizer: python AntVis.py
Start sample client: python SampleBotXX.py
The playfield is pre-defined: 1000x1000 fields. The playfield contains 16 homebases:
--------------------------
| |
| X X X X X |
| |
| X X |
| |
| X X |
| |
| X X |
| |
| X X X X X |
| |
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Each homebase is 20x20 fields in size. The distance between two neighbouring homebases is 180 fields, each homebase is 90 fields away from the border. Upper left corner is (0,0). Homebases are numbered clockwise, upper left is 0.
The world map is never transferred, it is considered known. The server opens a TCP/IP server (port: 5000), to which the clients (1 per team) connect. Clients can be players (teams) or watchers.
In every 'turn', each ant can move one field in each direction in one step. Two ants that are in different teams automatically fight if they are on adjacent fields. Each round is timed by the server, only the first message per client is used in every round. Each round is terminated by the 'turn' message (see below).
Clients send messages to the server to act via the TCP/IP link. The objects (inhabitants and sugar and toxin) are sent with every turn to the clients.
The map spawns with both sugar and toxin in the middle.
Ants automatically pick up sugar/toxin when walking on it, can not drop it on their own, and automatically deliver it when reaching any base.
Sugar grants points to the base where it is delived and toxin does the opposite.
Visualizer:
- Homebases = grey
- Sugar = white
- Toxin = green
- Ants = red
- Ants carrying sugar = magenta
- Ants carrying toxin = cyan
A client connection works as follows:
Client | Server
|
opens connection |
| accept connection
send 'hello' packet |
| answer with 'turn' packet or close connection
loop:
send 'action' packets |
| send 'turn' message as end indicator for each step
end loop
Clients which do not answer within a certain period get thrown out.
Format of the 'hello' packet:
Offset Type Description
0 u16 client type (0=non-team, 1=team)
2 16 chars team name (if team client, else ignored)
Format of the 'turn' packet:
Offset Type Description
0 i16 Team ID of client
2 Team Team info for team 1 (ID:0)
.
.
.
15*20+2 Team Team info for team 16 (ID:15)
322 u16 nr. of Objects
324 Object Object 1
.
.
.
324+(n-1)*6 Object Object n
Each Team is coded as follows:
Offset Type Description
0 s16 # points for this team/base
2 u16 # remaining ants
4 16 chars team name
Each Object is coded as follows:
Offset Type Description
0 u8 upper nibble: object type (0=empty, 1=ant, 2=sugar, 4=toxin, 8=homebase, or bit combinations thereof), lower nibble: team ID
1 u8 upper nibble: ant ID, lower nibble: ant health (1-10)
2 u16 horizontal (X) coordinate
4 u16 vertical (Y) coordinate
The 'action' message:
Offset Type Description
0 u8 action for ant 0: id of field to move to: 123
456
. 789
.
.
15 u8 action for ant 15
In this scheme, any action for ants not alive anymore are ignored. If an ant should not move, send a 5 for this ant. The 0 is the command for dropping what the ant carries.