Learn Send Wars@ Google Waterloo: A Virtual Battle Of Intergalactic Spacecraft
On Tuesday, Jan 24, Google Waterloo opened its doors to engineers from the Kitchener-Waterloo expanse to participate inward the starting fourth dimension always Ship Wars Programming Competition. The brainchild of myself together with some other Waterloo engineer, Garret Kelly, Ship Wars is a contest inward which participants code their ain intergalactic crafts inward the programming linguistic communication of their choice, together with and thence battle against each other inward a virtual environment. The maiden contest proved quite popular, drawing nearly xl participants, laid upwards for battle.
The game itself went through a lengthy serial of internal tests together with refinements at the Google Waterloo part inward the weeks leading upwards to the tournament. On the 24-hour interval of the event, participants chop-chop learned how to play together with were able to code, exam together with piece of work into their virtual ships into contest inward nether iii hours. Not an slow feat!
The engineers brought their ain machines (mostly laptops, merely a few brought inward huge desktops) to construct together with run their ships. After a brief overview of the rules, they were able to acquire started coding their ships inward the linguistic communication of their choice—some fifty-fifty switched languages mid-way through the event, changing their programme of attack. They were able to command the means the ships moved (direction together with speed) together with the push clit of their weapons, merely were exclusively given clues equally to how their ship together with weapon systems would ship within the simulation— the balance had to endure deduced yesteryear playing exam matches against illustration ships. This type of on-the-fly work solving proved to endure a unique together with exciting challenge.
To exam their ships inward battle against other engineers’ creations, head-to-head battle stations were laid upwards or thence the room. At these stations, participants could run across how their ships were shaping up, ticker them inward activity together with ultimately cause upwards one's heed what changes they could brand earlier the concluding competition.
At the cease of the evening, guests were given a tour of the Google Waterloo part spell their ships “went to battle.” Thousands of faux head-to-head battles together with xv minutes later, to the audio of much laughter together with raucous cheering, the ship captains saw their results together with watched replays of some of the almost dramatic battles. Prizes (a Motorola Xoom Tablet, a Samsung Milky Way Tablet together with a Google messenger bag) were awarded to the designers of the iii ships amongst the almost wins. For to a greater extent than photos, here’s a link to our album.
This wildly successful lawsuit volition endure expanding out to a few other Google offices inward the close future. Be on the lookout, Pittsburgh together with Cambridge: Ship Wars is coming to you lot next!
(Cross-posted from the Technical Programs together with Events blog)
The game itself went through a lengthy serial of internal tests together with refinements at the Google Waterloo part inward the weeks leading upwards to the tournament. On the 24-hour interval of the event, participants chop-chop learned how to play together with were able to code, exam together with piece of work into their virtual ships into contest inward nether iii hours. Not an slow feat!
The engineers brought their ain machines (mostly laptops, merely a few brought inward huge desktops) to construct together with run their ships. After a brief overview of the rules, they were able to acquire started coding their ships inward the linguistic communication of their choice—some fifty-fifty switched languages mid-way through the event, changing their programme of attack. They were able to command the means the ships moved (direction together with speed) together with the push clit of their weapons, merely were exclusively given clues equally to how their ship together with weapon systems would ship within the simulation— the balance had to endure deduced yesteryear playing exam matches against illustration ships. This type of on-the-fly work solving proved to endure a unique together with exciting challenge.
To exam their ships inward battle against other engineers’ creations, head-to-head battle stations were laid upwards or thence the room. At these stations, participants could run across how their ships were shaping up, ticker them inward activity together with ultimately cause upwards one's heed what changes they could brand earlier the concluding competition.
Local engineers pattern their virtual battleships
At the cease of the evening, guests were given a tour of the Google Waterloo part spell their ships “went to battle.” Thousands of faux head-to-head battles together with xv minutes later, to the audio of much laughter together with raucous cheering, the ship captains saw their results together with watched replays of some of the almost dramatic battles. Prizes (a Motorola Xoom Tablet, a Samsung Milky Way Tablet together with a Google messenger bag) were awarded to the designers of the iii ships amongst the almost wins. For to a greater extent than photos, here’s a link to our album.
This wildly successful lawsuit volition endure expanding out to a few other Google offices inward the close future. Be on the lookout, Pittsburgh together with Cambridge: Ship Wars is coming to you lot next!
(Cross-posted from the Technical Programs together with Events blog)