NAME
stratego - Interface to manage games of stratego between AI programs and/or human players
-WARNING
- This program is still a work in progress. Consider it a Beta version.
+
SYNOPSIS
stratego {[-gpirb] [-o output_file ] [-t stall_time] [-T timeout_time] [-m max_turns] {red_player blue_player | -f input_file} | {-h | --help} }
+QUICK EXAMPLE - Play against a sample AI, using graphics, hiding the AI's pieces
+ stratego -g -b @human ../../agents/vixen/vixen.py
+
+QUICK EXAMPLE - Play two sample AI, using graphics, and a delay of 1 second between moves
+ stratego -g -t 1 ../../agents/vixen/vixen.py ../../agents/basic_python/basic_python.py
+
DESCRIPTION
stratego manages a game of Stratego. It stores the state of the board, and uses a simple protocol to interface with AI programs.
By itself, stratego does not "play" the game. An external AI program must be used. stratego is intended to be used for the testing of
PROTOCOL
- In order to interface with stratego, an AI program must satisfy the following protocol.
- Each query is followed by a newline, and responses are expected to be followed with a newline.
- The queries are recieved through stdin, and responses should be written to stdout.
-
- "QUERY" describes the information sent to a program's stdin stream.
- "RESPONSE" describes the form of the information that the program should immediately respond with, to stdout.
- "CONFIRMATION" describes more information sent to the program's stdin stream, that the program should NOT respond to.
-
- 1. SETUP
- QUERY: YOUR_COLOUR OPPONENT_ID BOARD_WIDTH BOARD_HEIGHT
-
- RESPONSE: 4 lines, each of length BOARD_WIDTH, of characters. Each character represents a piece. The characters are shown above.
+ WARNING: This is quite a wordy section. To avoid being scared off, try just copying a sample AI program. They obey the protocol already.
- RED's pieces are placed at the top of the board, and BLUE's pieces are placed at the bottom.
-
- An AI program does not have to place all 40 pieces, but must at least place the flag ('F').
-
- 2. TURN
- QUERY: START | CONFIRMATION
- BOARD_STATE
-
- On the first turn, "START" is printed to the Red player.
- On subsequent turns, the CONFIRMATION of the opponent's last turn is printed (see below).
-
- BOARD_STATE consists of a BOARD_HEIGHT lines of length BOARD_WIDTH characters, each of which represents a single piece
- as described in the GAME_RULES section. Each line ends with the newline character.
-
+ In order to interface with stratego, an AI program must satisfy the following protocol.
+ The protocol has been grouped into several sections. It is suggested that you read and implement the below sections in order.
- RESPONSE: X Y DIRECTION [MULTIPLIER=1]
- X and Y are the coords (starting from 0) of the piece to move
- DIRECTION is either UP, DOWN, LEFT or RIGHT
- MULTIPLIER is optional and only valid for units of type Scout. Scouts may move through any number of unblocked squares
- in one direction.
+ In the "Synopsis" of each section, a line beginning with the three characters ">> " indicates information sent to the AI.
+ a line beginning with the three characters "<< " indicates the form of the expected response.
+ Each line is always terminated with a new line character '\n'.
+ A vertical bar '|' indicates that the line may have the form shown either to the left, or the right.
+ Fields in square brackets '[' and ']' are optional. The default value will be shown within the brackets after a '=' character.
- CONFIRMATION: X Y DIRECTION [MULTIPLIER=1] OUTCOME | QUIT [RESULT]
+ Any words preceeded by a '$' character are not to be interpreted literally; in the actual protocol, these words are replaced with information.
+ The information will not contain any whitespace unless otherwise stated.
+ The meaning of these words is explained below the "Synopsis" under the "Explanation" subheading for each section of the protocol.
- OUTCOME may be either OK, ILLEGAL, KILLS or DIES
- OK - Move was successful
- ILLEGAL - Move was not allowed. If stratego was not started with the -i switch, the game will end.
- KILLS ATTACKER_RANK DEFENDER_RANK - The piece moved into an occupied square and killed the defender.
- DIES ATTACKER_RANK DEFENDER_RANK - The piece moved into an occupied square and was killed by the defender.
+ Words not preceeded by a '$' character should be interpreted literally;
+ >> START
+ Means that "START", followed by a new line, is printed to the AI.
+
+
+ 1. Setup
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Description
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Setup only occurs once; during the setup phase, AI are provided with information about their colour and opponent.
+ They must then respond with four lines detailing their setup.
+
+ Setup occurs before the first move; your AI should expect to recieve and respond to Setup messages immediately after starting.
+ Immediately after the setup phase, the AI should expect to recieve messages desribed by the Turn section of the protocol.
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Synopsis:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ >> $COLOUR $OPPONENT $WIDTH $HEIGHT
+ << $ROW1
+ << $ROW2
+ << $ROW3
+ << $ROW4
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Explanation:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+
+ COLOUR - The colour assigned to the AI. Will be either "RED" or "BLUE"
+ - Colour is important, because "RED" is always at the top of the board, and "BLUE" at the bottom.
+
+ OPPONENT - Your AI may identify its opponents through this string
+
+ WIDTH - The width of the board. This will always be 10
+ HEIGHT - The height of the board. This will always be 10
+
+ ROW1 - The highest row on the board of the AI's setup.
+ - For RED, this is the back row, but for BLUE, it is the front row.
+ ROW2 - The next highest row
+ ROW3 - The next highest row
+ ROW4 - The lowest row on the board of the AI's setup
+ - For RED, this is the front row, but for BLUE, it is the back row.
+
+ Each row, ROW1 -> ROW4, should consist of WIDTH characters. Each character identifies a piece, as shown under "GAME RULES" above.
- QUIT will only be sent when the game is about to end.
- 3. END GAME
- If the CONFIRMATION line is of the form:
- QUIT [RESULT]
- Then the game is about to end.
+ An AI program does not have to place all 40 pieces, but must at least place the flag ('F').
+ However, note that an AI program with no mobile pieces will immediately lose.
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Example:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ >> RED ../../agents/vixen/vixen.py 10 10
+ << FB8sB479B8
+ << BB31555583
+ << 6724898974
+ << 967B669999
+
+ In this example, the AI will be playing as "RED". It's opponent is the "vixen" sample AI.
+ The board width and height will always be 10.
+
+ The AI responds with a sensible setup for the "RED" player, putting the flag in the back corner.
+
+ 2. Turn
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Description
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ After the Setup phase, a number of Turns occur, until the game ends.
+
+ Warning: The game may end between turns, in which case a "QUIT" message is sent.
+ The "QUIT" message will be sent in place of the first line in the synopsis shown below.
+ Read "3. End Game" below.
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Synopsis
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ For the AI with colour "RED" only, and only on the very first turn:
+ >> START
+ >> $ROW1
+ >> $ROW2
+ >> $ROW3
+ >> $ROW4
+ >> $ROW5
+ >> $ROW6
+ >> $ROW7
+ >> $ROW8
+ >> $ROW9
+ >> $ROW10
+ << $X $Y $DIRECTION [$MULTIPLIER=1]
+ >> $X $Y $DIRECTION [$MULTIPLIER=1] $OUTCOME
+
+ For the AI with colour "RED" on every subsequent turn, and the AI with colour "BLUE" on all turns:
+ >> $LASTMOVE $OUTCOME
+ >> $ROW1
+ >> $ROW2
+ >> $ROW3
+ >> $ROW4
+ >> $ROW5
+ >> $ROW6
+ >> $ROW7
+ >> $ROW8
+ >> $ROW9
+ >> $ROW10
+ << $X $Y $DIRECTION [$MULTIPLIER=1]
+ >> $X $Y $DIRECTION [$MULTIPLIER=1] $OUTCOME | QUIT [$RESULT]
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Explanation:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+
+ [Recieved data 1]
+
+ LASTMOVE - The last move made
+ - That is, the move made by the opponent AI, immediately before this move
+ - It is a direct copy of the opponent AI's response
+ - On the very first turn, since no move has been made, "START" is printed to the RED AI
+
+ OUTCOME - The interpretation of the move by the manager program; will be one of the following
+ - Successful, uneventful move: "OK"
+ - Illegal move: "ILLEGAL"
+ - The moved piece attacked and destroyed an opponent piece: "KILLS $ATTACKER_RANK $DEFENDER_RANK"
+ - ATTACKER_RANK and DEFENDER_RANK are the ranks of the attacking and defending piece respectively
+ - The moved piece was destroyed by an opponent piece that it attacked: "DIES $ATTACKER_RANK $DEFENDER_RANK"
+ - ATTACKER_RANK and DEFENDER_RANK are the ranks of the attacking and defending piece respectively
+ - The moved piece attacked an opponent piece, and both pieces were destroyed: "BOTHDIE $ATTACKER_RANK $DEFENDER_RANK"
+ - ATTACKER_RANK and DEFENDER_RANK are the ranks of the attacking and defending piece respectively
+
+ ROW1 -> ROW10 - The state of the board will be printed
+ - Each line represents a row on the board, from the top downwards
+ - The characters are as desribed above in "GAME RULES"
+ - Enemy pieces will NOT be revealed, even if they have been involved in combat. They are always shown as '#'.
+ - It is recommended that AI's rely on the LASTMOVE and OUTCOME results to keep state
+ - Interpreting these lines is not necessary, or recommended
+ - They still exist because I say so. GET OVER IT.
+
+ [Sent data]
+
+ X - The x coordinate of the piece to be moved. Ranges from 0 (zero) to 9 (nine) (left to right)
+ Y - The y coordinate of the piece to be moved. Ranges from 0 (zero) to 9 (nine) (top to bottom)
+ DIRECTION - The direction to move the piece in. May be either "LEFT", "RIGHT", "UP" or "DOWN"
+ MULTIPLIER - Scouts may move more than one square.
+ - To move a scout multiple spaces, print an integer indicating the number of spaces immediately after DIRECTION
+
+ [Recieved data 2]
+
+ The manager program will check the validity of the move, and respond by repeating it back to the AI, followed by OUTCOME.
+ OUTCOME is as described above.
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Example:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+
+ First turn for RED:
+ -------------------
+ >> START
+ >> FB8sB479B8
+ >> BB31555583
+ >> 6724898974
+ >> 967B669999
+ >> ..++..++..
+ >> ..++..++..
+ >> ##########
+ >> ##########
+ >> ##########
+ >> ##########
+ << 0 3 DOWN
+ >> 0 3 DOWN OK
+ -------------------
+ Continuing from the Setup example, the RED AI is told to start, and then the board is printed.
+ Note that only RED's pieces are revealed. The obstacles are always in the same place, as shown.
+ Refer to the "GAME RULES" section for an explanation of each piece character.
+
+ The AI decides to move its scout (9) at (0,3) downwards by one place.
+
+ The manager reports that this move was successful.
+
+ Second Turn for RED:
+ -------------------
+ >> 9 6 UP 3 BOTHDIE 9 9
+ >> FB8sB479B8
+ >> BB31555583
+ >> 6724898974
+ >> .67B66999.
+ >> 9.++..++..
+ >> ..++..++..
+ >> #########.
+ >> ##########
+ >> ##########
+ >> ##########
+ << 9 2 DOWN
+ >> 9 2 DOWN OK
+ -------------------
+ The next message recieved by the RED AI tells it that BLUE has moved its piece at (9,6) up by 3.
+ This brought the piece into contact with RED's scout (9) at (9,3)
+ Since BLUE's piece was also a scout (9), both pieces die, indicated by "BOTHDIE" followed by their ranks (9 and 9)
+
+ The board is printed again. Note that RED's first move is reflected
+ (the scout (9) at (0,4)), and BLUE's last move (both (9,6) and (9,3) are now empty).
- If present, RESULT will be a direct copy of the message to stdout described in the EXIT/OUTPUT section below.
+ The RED AI decides to move its major (4) at (9,2) downwards. This move is OK, because there is now nothing occupying (9,3).
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ WARNING:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ It is recommended that you ignore the board state lines, except for the first turn.
+ Remember that an AI may not place all its pieces, so assuming its initial setup is a bad idea.
+ On subsequent turns, the board state lines provide no information that can't be processed from the move confirmation lines.
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+
+ 3. End Game
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Description:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ A message of "QUIT" at any time signals to an AI that the game is about to end.
+ This will be sent immediately after an AI makes a move of the form "$X $Y $DIRECTION [$MULTIPLIER=1]" which ends the game
+ It may also be sent at any time in case of errors
+ The AI should immediately exit if a QUIT message is recieved.
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Synopsis:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ >> QUIT [RESULT]
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Explanation:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ RESULT - Usually not present; it may contain debug information if it is.
+ ---------------------------------------------------
- 4. TIMEOUTS
+ 4. Timeouts
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Description:
+ ---------------------------------------------------
If a program fails to respond to a query, the game will end and that AI will be sent the ILLEGAL result.
Human players are not subject to the timeout restriction.
-
- Please see the information on the -T switch.
+ ---------------------------------------------------
+ Please see the information on the -T switch, and the "End Game" section above.
EXIT/OUTPUT
- If the game ends due to a player either winning, or making an illegal move, stratego will print one of the following result messages to stdout.
+ If the game ends due to a player either winning, or making an illegal move, stratego will print one the following result message to stdout.
- NAME COLOUR OUTCOME TURN_NUMBER OUTCOME RED_PIECE_VALUE BLUE_PIECE_VALUE
+ $NAME $COLOUR $OUTCOME $TURN $RED_PIECE_VALUE $BLUE_PIECE_VALUE
Where:
NAME is the name of the player on whose turn the game ended,
+
COLOUR is the colour of that player,
+
OUTCOME is one of the following:
VICTORY - The indicated player won
DEFEAT - The indicated player lost
DRAW_DEFAULT - The game ended in a draw because the maximum number of moves was exceeded
ILLEGAL - The indicated player loses due to an Illegal move/response
DEFAULT - The indicated player wins by default due to the other player making an Illegal move/response
- BOTH_ILLEGAL - Both players made an Illegal move/response. Usually occurs due to simultaneous setup errors, or bad executable paths.
- INTERNAL_ERROR - The game ended, even though it shouldn't have.
-
- TURN_NUMBER is the number of turns that elapsed before the game ended
+ BOTH_ILLEGAL - Both players made an Illegal move/response. Usually occurs due to simultaneous setup errors.
+ - May occur due to bad AI path names
+ INTERNAL_ERROR - The game ended, even though it shouldn't have.
+
+ TURN is the number of turns that elapsed before the game ended
RED_PIECE_VALUE and BLUE_PIECE_VALUE are the summed piece values of the pieces of RED and BLUE respectively.
Bombs and Flags are worth zero, and the ranked pieces (Spys -> Marshal) are worth (11 - rank).
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THIS PAGE LAST UPDATED
- 2/02/12 by Sam Moore
+ 3/03/12 by Sam Moore
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