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ROBOTWAR
Welcome to the battlefield of the future! It is the year 2002. Wars
still rage, but finally, they have been officially declared hazardous to
human health. Now, the only warriors are robots - built in secret and
programmed to fight each other to the death!
Your country has just developed the most efficient battle robot to date.
It should be unbeatable - but part of its micro-computer "brain" is
still blank. Only when a strategy is programmed into its memory will the
robot be able to fight.
The task set before you is to program a robot that no other robot can
destroy.
RobotWar is a fascinating and highly competitive game where robots
battle each other to the death! RobotWar is not a game using manual
dexterity, instead the robots are controlled by pre-programmed
strategies and highly spectator interest.
As well as providing hours of entertainment, RobotWar is designed to
teach and sharpen the skills of creative computer programming. Whether
you are a beginner or an accomplished programmer, RobotWar will prove to
be fun and challenging.
Robot war players design and write robot programs. The program is
written with the help of a text-editor, and then translated by an
assembler into robot-understandable instructions. The program can then
be tested on a simulated robot to make sure it is working properly. Once
the player is assured that the program is running as planned, it is
installed in a battle robot and sent out to do battle with the other
robots.
From the main menu, several options are selectable. These options are
described below:
Option 1
This will access the Battle branch where the player can setup and
execute one robot battle. See "robots and robot battles".
Option 2
This will access the robotwar assembler and testing branch where the
programs are translated and checked for errors, or tested on a simulated
robot. See "the assembler" and "the test bench".
Option 3
This will access the text-editor where an existing program can be edited
or a new program can be written. See "writing and editing source code".
Option 4
This is a simple control that turns the battle sounds on or off.
Pressing the 4 key will change the position of the sound switch.
Option 5
This will access the disk storage branch where a disk can be initialized
for storing robot code. See "storing robots on auxiliary disks".
Option 6
This will cause the computer to exit from the robotwar program to
applesoft basic.
Option 7
This will access the match scheduling branch where the player can
schedule and execute a series of battles. See "robots and robot
battles".
Option 8
This will allow the player to run a previously scheduled or interrupted
match (a series of battles). If you resume a previously interrupted
match it will begin with the battle after the one which was
interrupted.
Note: If no option is selected from the main menu, the program will
automatically select option 8. Robots and Robot Battles Locomotion
Each robot is moved by tracks mounted on a 1.5 meter square chassis. The
two independent motors, driving the tracks, enable the robot to move
vertically (north/south) and horizontally (east/west).
Power Supply
The power supply will take the severest damage from the enemy shells. It
is built into the central body of the robot, along with damage sensors.
These sensors monitor the damage to the power supply and when 100%
damage is attained, the robot will explode.
Radar
On top of the robot is a radar unit that emits a beam in any desired
directions. This beam reflects from walls and other robots and returns
to the robot. The beam is accurately timed, enabling the robot to find
it's position and to spot enemy robots.
Guns and Ammunition
Your robot is equipped with one gun that swivels through 360 degrees and
is automatically loaded. It uses time-fused shells that can be set to
explode at any specified distance. The gun also has a cooling period
between each shot to keep it from overheating.
The Brain
Inside the robot is a micro-computer "brain" that executes the
instructions exactly as they have been programmed. The brain has several
parts: an accumulator where a robot performs all arithmetic operations,
a program storage area where the instructions are stored in memory, and
registers where numbers are stored. the brain links to input sensors
monitoring damage and position as well as to the drive motors, radar,
and gun. While the robot is on the battlefield the brain is in complete
control!
The battlefield
Robot battles take place on a square battlefield inside four strong
walls. Each wall is 260 meters long and strong enough that a robot
cannot crash or shoot through it. As many as five robots can fight at
once, but only one will emerge as the winner.
There is an observations station, directly above the battlefield,
enclosed in blast-proof glass to protect you and the other observers.
Damage
Robots are eliminated from battle by incurring over 100% damage. When a
shell hits a robot or explodes nearby, the robot is damaged. The extent
of that damage depends on the proximity of the shell to the robot. A
shell exploding directly on top of a robot can do 30% damage.
A robot can also be damaged through collisions with walls or other
robots. The extend of damage would depend on the angle of collision. A
head-on collision between two robots can do 25% damage to both robots.
The Scoring System
Each robot has a score associated with it. As each battle is fought the
robots earn points which are added to it's cumulative score. Every time
a robot's program is changed, it's score is reset to 0.
Robots earn points in the following manner. during a battle, every time
a robot is destroyed, 1 point is earned by all of the survivors. Thus in
a five-robot battle, the first to be destroyed receives 0 points. For
outlasting that first robot, all other robots on the battlefield earn 1
point. For outlasting 4 other robots, the winner of a 5-robot battle
earns 4 points!
Controlling Robots
A robot computer contains 34 registers. The 34 registers are divided
into three categories:
1. Memory registers which are used to contain numbers for latter
recall.
2. Input/Output (I/O) registers which are used to monitor and control
specific robot functions.
3. The Index/Data pair of registers which are used to access the other
registers by their numbers instead of their names.
1. Memory Registers
There are 24 memory registers used to store numbers. The memory
registers are named A through W and Z. (X and Y are not included - they
are input registers as described below).
2. Input/Output Registers
There are nine I/O registers that allow the computer to control the
robot's actions. Each controls or monitors a specific robot function as
described below:
a) The X register:
The X register is used to monitor the horizontal position of the robot.
It always contains the current horizontal position of the robot on the
battlefield, as a number from 0 to 256. o is at the extreme left of the
battlefield and 256 is at the extreme right.
b) The Y register:
The y register is used to monitor the vertical position of the robot. 0
is at the top of the battlefield and 256 is at the bottom.
c) The AIM Register:
The AIM register is used to monitor and control the angle at which the
gun is aimed. when a number from 0 to 359 is stored in the Aim register,
the robot's gun will turn to that angle. 0 aims the gun due north, 90
aims it due east, etc. The AIM register always contains the current
angular position of the gun.
d) The RADAR register:
The RADAR register is used to control the radar unit on top of the robot
and monitor the results of the radar beam. Storing a number from 0 to
359 in the RADAR register, sends a beam out in that direction.
e) The SHOT register:
The SHOT register is used to fire the robot's gun and monitor the state
of readiness of the gun. Storing a new number in the SHOT register: Sets
the timer on the shell so that it will travel that number of meters
before exploding, and then fires it. After a shot is fired the SHOT
register will contain the state of the gun's cooling process. When the
SHOT register contains a zero the gun is ready to be fired again.
f) The DAMAGE register:
The DAMAGE register is used to monitor the amount of damage detected by
the damage sensors. the DAMAGE register starts at 100 at the beginning
of each battle and decreases towards 0 as damage is incurred. When the
register reaches 0, the robot is completely destroyed and will disappear
from the battlefield. The DAMAGE register always contains the current
extend of damage.
g) the SPEEDX register:
This register is used to control and monitor the horizontal speed of the
robot. The number stored in the SPEEDX register can range from -255 to
255 and controls the direction and speed of the robot. A negative number
moves the robot to the left at that many decimeters/second, and a
positive number moves the robot to the right at that many
decimeters/second. If a zero is stored in this register the robot will
stop moving in the horizontal direction. The SPEEDX register always
contains the horizontal speed of the robot.
h) The SPEEDY register:
Acts the same as the SPEEDX register, only in the vertical direction. A
positive number is in a downward direction and a negative number is in
an upward direction.
i) The Random register:
This register is used to control the random number generator. Storing a
number in the RANDOM register sets the limit for the generator. Then,
each time the RANDOM register is accessed, it will contain a different
integer (whole number) between 0 and th random number limit which was
previously set.
[----------------------------------------------------------]
| (0,0) (256,0) |
| |
| |
| o |
| o 0 o |
| 315 | 45 |
| o \ |/ o |
| 270------.------90 |
| o/ |\ o |
| 225 | 135 |
| | o |
| 180 |
| |
| |
| (0,256) (256,256) |
[----------------------------------------------------------]
3. The index/Data Registers
The robot registers are usually referenced by their names. The
Index/Data pair allows registers to be accessed by number instead of
name.
Storing a number from 0 to 34 in the INDEX register causes the
corresponding register to be used whenever the DATA register is
referenced.
For example, assume the INDEX register contains 27. When the DATA
register is referenced in an instruction, register #27 (AIM) will be
substituted for DATA.
Number Name Type
1-23 A-W Storage
24 X Current X position
25 Y Current Y position
26 Z Storage
27 AIM Aims gun
28 SHOT fires the gun
29 RADAR pulses the radar
30 DAMAGE monitors damage
31 SPEEDX control horizontal speed
32 SPEEDY control vertical speed
33 RANDOM random number generator
34 INDEX Index other registers