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CodeRuler
A Java-based, real-time competition game based on the Eclipse platform.
Date Posted: June 17, 2004
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Update: June 29, 2006
Minor fixes and support for Eclipse 3.1 and Java 2 Standard Edition 1.5.
What is CodeRuler?
CodeRuler is a Java™-based, real-time programming game based on the Eclipse platform. It uses the Eclipse platform and a very simple API that allows users unfamiliar with Java to easily compete while they learn the Java language.
CodeRuler gives users the opportunity to pit their Java programming skills against other players in a medieval world of conquest. Each player writes a Java class that represents and controls a ruler. Each ruler (class) is placed in a simulated battle along with rulers from other players.
This technology runs on Windows®, Linux®, and Macintosh.
How does it work? The game pits rulers against each other in a series of matches. A match consists of up to six rulers competing with each other. Each ruler starts a match with one castle in a random location on a finite two-dimensional grid of squares, with the same amount of peasants and knights as the other rulers. The task of a ruler is to give orders to its peasants, knights, and castles.
During each match, each ruler can accumulate points. Rulers can earn points in three ways: by ordering peasants to claim land; by ordering knights to capture peasants, knights, and castles of other rulers; and by the number of their peasants, knights, and castles remaining at the end of the match. Rulers with the highest point totals from each match advance to subsequent rounds.
When used in a tournament, CodeRuler allows direct, real-time competition between teams. Each player can submit his intermediate solutions and test against the submitted rulers from other players. This allows each player to learn from the strategies of other players and modify his ruler appropriately. After the final submission from each player, the final winner can be found by running a tournament consisting of several rounds.
CodeRuler was first used at the 2004 ACM International Collegiate Programming Competition, sponsored by IBM.
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| | About the technology author(s):
Tim deBoer is the team leader for the deployment and publishing tools found in the WebSphere Studio family of products. His team is responsible for the WebSphere and Tomcat testing environments, as well as the EJB test client. Mr. deBoer has been a contributor to the ACM ICPC World Finals contest for the past six years. He works at the IBM Toronto Lab and can be reached through e-mail. |
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