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Back to GameDev: Arena

We have some options - what do you want to do?

Kevin Hawkins · 2003-07-23T14:59:10

After thinking about this contest and all the feedback that I have received, I have determined that we, collectively as a group here, have a few options. Option 1: We start the contest with the arena executable (almost) as-is with a few defect fixes. Advantages: The contest starts within the next 2 weeks. The core of the arena works well. It's just the presentation that needs work. Disadvantages: The arena executable may not work properly for everyone. The defects everyone has been seeing with the download, for the most part, will remain until a later date. Everyone accepts the interface as-is. Option 2: I rewrite parts of the arena executable to allow for some of these other features that have been mentioned. Advantages: The arena executable will (hopefully) work well on everyone's machine. All defects have been fixed due to a redesign. Some of the features that have been requested are implemented, or at the minimum, easily added due to the redesign. Disadvantages: The contest will not start anytime soon. It could be another 2 months or more (keep in mind I only worked on this for about 3-5 hours per week for 2 months.. that trend would have to continue). Potential for new defects due to redesign. Option 3: We start a contest without prizes (for fun) using the current arena executable - a sort of trial run. During the lifetime of this contest, the arena executable and the interface is redesigned and reimplemented to fix defects and include improvements/features based on feedback. Advantages: We have a contest. We get immediate feedback on: the arena executable, the arena interface, and the contest format. Everyone gets a chance to give their input to make a better product (product being the contest). The first official contest would be (in theory) better due to a low defect yield and a reworked/rehashed/reimplemented arena with improvements. Everyone tests the current arena for the contest, as well as the new arena for feedback. Disadvantages: We do not have prizes. The real contest does not start for another couple of months - at least until this first one is over and the new arena version is ready. If anyone has any other advantages/disadvantages for each of these, I'd like to see them. Basically, I realized that my attempt at quickly developing the arena executable might not result in the best and most fair contest possible. And given that I cannot stand having people use my software if it is buggy, I would rather improve it if that is what everyone would rather have. Another reason is that this is a completely new contest for GameDev.net, and while I do not expect to get it right this first time, I would like to make it as good as possible. I leave this up to you, however. If Option 2 or 3 are decided, then just remember that I will not be working on this fulltime, and I will not be spending a couple hours every night trying to complete it. I have a life that I want to keep, a book that I need to get busy on, and everyday work. However, I would spend a few hours per week, and I would be willing to make this contest better if that is the consensus I received from those interested in participating. Also, feature creep will be kept at a minimum. If a new version is to be created, it will have a defined set of improvements, and only those improvements will be included. Anything else will have to wait until after the "official" contest. ***EDIT: To clarify a point made in a reply below, these features have already been determined for the next version of the arena executable. While people may request many features, some extraneous at this point, I already have a list of improvements and fixes. So by saying that feature creep will be kept at a minimum, I mean that my list of improvements is already defined for the next version, and new requests during that version's development will not be implemented. Anyway, as always, provide comments, suggestions, ideas, your name and credit card number, etc. and let me know as a collective whole what you want to do based on the advantages and disadvantages of each option. *** This post has been edited. Please review it for any changes since your last visit. ***

GameDev: Arena Contests

Started by khawk July 16, 2003 09:12 AM

76 comments, last by khawk 20 years, 11 months ago

Xgkkp

122

July 16, 2003 01:28 PM

Option 3... Lets face it, only one person is ever going to win the prize anyway, and in this scenario they would just have a little tougher opposition. Plus it gives Michalson time to run thousands of generations of ga's! (Something which I intend to at least try.... (and fail miserably))

Plus I get to read the whole of my Ai book!
A couple of months extra till anything starts sounds really bad

I don't know about everyone else but I'm really hyped about this contest. Besides, in a couple of months my second year of Uni'll start so I won't have time to do anything

[edited by - Xgkkp on July 16, 2003 2:31:12 PM]

Michalson

1,657

July 16, 2003 01:33 PM

Without going into any useful detail, 3. Consider the fun contest an open beta.

CodeDemon

363

July 16, 2003 01:43 PM

quote: Original post by Xgkkp
Option 3... Lets face it, only one person is ever going to win the prize anyway, and in this scenario they would just have a little tougher opposition. Plus it gives Michalson time to run thousands of generations of ga''s! (Something which I intend to at least try.... (and fail miserably))

Plus I get to read the whole of my Ai book!
A couple of months extra till anything starts sounds really bad I don''t know about everyone else but I''m really hyped about this contest. Besides, in a couple of months my second year of Uni''ll start so I won''t have time to do anything

[edited by - Xgkkp on July 16, 2003 2:31:12 PM]

Hey, not everyone entering the contest is a newbie, you know. Yeah, school starts for me again in a couple of months as well, I''d like a contest before then, but I''d like it to be worth competing in too.

particleG

150

July 16, 2003 01:48 PM

option 1. Don''t want to wait, waiting two months means that I will not be able to enter.

Do it now!

Sartak

122

July 16, 2003 01:53 PM

I''m going to say option three as well. I simply can''t wait to get crackin''. This will be my first venture into AI, so I''m quite excited.

And as most of the people prior to my posting have said, it will be a chance to flesh out the Arena code even more, to provide a better "real" contest down the line.

If you do decide to release the source code to certain individuals for improvement or whatever, I''ve got plenty of time on my hands.

-Sartak

eighty

220

July 16, 2003 02:01 PM

3!

School starts soon, and then I won''t have time to enter

''Sides, I''m getting impatient.

Wouldn''t it be possible to make a simple 2D or even console (ASCII) version, so that people with old/bad computers could run it?

higherspeed

230

July 16, 2003 02:30 PM

1 all the way. For many people it is the holidays now, in 2 months less people will have the time. More importantly I think that half of the people who have said 3, will have lot interest in 2 months. 3 to me is just a weak version of 1. 1 is the same as 3, except that the wait is longer(a year instead of 2 months), there are prizes and the next version in a year will be better than it will in 2 months.

Finally, if you go for 3, I doubt there will be any chance that it will be released in 2 months, as people have said before, it will just keep slipping.

3 is the easy way out, do the proper thing and go for 1

TypingMonkey

122

July 16, 2003 02:39 PM

I think that option #2 is the fairest option. Option #1 leaves people with incompatible systems out in the cold completely, and option #1 conveys a distinct advantage to those with a compatible system, because they''ll have more programming time. Option #2, (with bug fixes only, no added functionality) is my vote.

tententrample

122

July 16, 2003 02:41 PM

quote: Original post by higherspeed
1 all the way. For many people it is the holidays now, in 2 months less people will have the time. More importantly I think that half of the people who have said 3, will have lot interest in 2 months. 3 to me is just a weak version of 1. 1 is the same as 3, except that the wait is longer(a year instead of 2 months), there are prizes and the next version in a year will be better than it will in 2 months.

Finally, if you go for 3, I doubt there will be any chance that it will be released in 2 months, as people have said before, it will just keep slipping.

3 is the easy way out, do the proper thing and go for 1

Option 1 is definantly the way to go. I''m not sure how many people are in this situation, but I''d really like to get the real contest over with before I''m in the middle of the first semester this year.