Functioning of duels for noughts and crosses

Do not trust the animated GIF of the site's home page.
It's the illustration of the overall operation of the arena, but it is wrong : the tictactoe only needs to send 10 variables to the bots.
The choice was therefore made to pass them by GET parameters and not by POST as shown in the animation.

requests from BotsArena to your bot

To talk, botsarena (the server hosting botsarena) execute a POST request on your bot's http(s) server with the json as body

Your bot responds with a JSON array

Message initating the game

{"game-id":"1126","action":"init","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":"","player-index":0}

Explanation of each parameters:

• game-id string identifying the party.
• action string identifying the phase, init at this step play-turn at the next step.
• game string identifying the game. Always "tictactoe". it can be used if you give a single URL for multiple bots.
• players Int indicating the number of players in the game, still 2 on Tic Tac Toe.
• board Empty or unused at this step, see next chapter.
• player-index int The order of your bot in turns. The first player is 0, second is 2.

Your bot should return his name JSON format:

  {"name":"botName"}
  

The arena currently does not check this response, the init step was included to ensure compatibility with Bolosseum . If your bot returns a blank page at this step (action = init), it will work.

Message asking you to play (only one turn)

The Arena sends as example the following message:

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"","0-1":"","0-2":"","1-0":"","1-1":"","1-2":"","2-0":"","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"X","player-index":0}

• game-id String identifying the party.
• action String identifying the phase, play-turn now, you have to play.
• game String identifying the game. Always "tictactoe".
• players Int indicating the number of players in the game, still 2 on Tic Tac Toe.
• board The map, i'll explain it at next chapter
• you String, Your bot's character on the grid
• player-index Int The order of your bot in turns. The first player is 0, second is 2.

The map

It is represented by a sub-array. The index corresponds to x-y coordinates of the box. x and y are between 0 and 2. Vaues can be:

• Empty, this cell is free
• "X" or "O", Corresponding player alrready played this cell.

Exemple de partie

{"game-id":"1126","action":"init","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":"","player-index":0}

{"name":"moul-tictactoe"}

{"game-id":"1126","action":"init","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":"","player-index":1}

{"name":"moul-tictactoe"}

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"","0-1":"","0-2":"","1-0":"","1-1":"","1-2":"","2-0":"","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"X","player-index":0}

{"play":"0-1"}

Player 1 played at 0-1 new grid is:
X

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"","0-1":"X","0-2":"","1-0":"","1-1":"","1-2":"","2-0":"","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"O","player-index":1}

{"play":"1-1"}

Player 2 played at 1-1 new grid is
X
O

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"","0-1":"X","0-2":"","1-0":"","1-1":"O","1-2":"","2-0":"","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"X","player-index":0}

{"play":"0-0"}

Player 1 played at 0-0 new grid is
X X
O

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"X","0-1":"X","0-2":"","1-0":"","1-1":"O","1-2":"","2-0":"","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"O","player-index":1}

{"play":"0-2"}

Player 2 played at 0-2 new grid is
X X O
O

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"X","0-1":"X","0-2":"O","1-0":"","1-1":"O","1-2":"","2-0":"","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"X","player-index":0}

{"play":"2-0"}

Player 1 played at 2-0 new grid is
X X O
O
X

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"X","0-1":"X","0-2":"O","1-0":"","1-1":"O","1-2":"","2-0":"X","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"O","player-index":1}

{"play":"1-0"}

Player 2 played at 1-0 new grid is
X X O
O O
X

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"X","0-1":"X","0-2":"O","1-0":"O","1-1":"O","1-2":"","2-0":"X","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"X","player-index":0}

{"play":"1-2"}

Player 1 played at 1-2 new grid is
X X O
O O X
X

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"X","0-1":"X","0-2":"O","1-0":"O","1-1":"O","1-2":"X","2-0":"X","2-1":"","2-2":""},"you":"O","player-index":1}

{"play":"2-1"}

Player 2 played at 2-1 new grid is
X X O
O O X
X O

{"game-id":"1126","action":"play-turn","game":"tictactoe","players":2,"board":{"0-0":"X","0-1":"X","0-2":"O","1-0":"O","1-1":"O","1-2":"X","2-0":"X","2-1":"O","2-2":""},"you":"X","player-index":0}

{"play":"2-2"}

Player 1 played at 2-2 new grid is
X X O
O O X
X O X

DRAW

Tools for developing and testing your bot

To help you on how to manage communications between the bot and the arena, please take a look in the source PHP stupidIA .

Script Botsarena

This small html + javascript page will allow you to test and debug on your bot.
It will allow you to test your boot via its URL, against himself, a human or stupidIA.
Once ready, Express Sign your bot in the arena.

By default, browsers do not allow javascript to make Cross domain queries. It is a browser security. So there are three options:

• You add to your bot headers that allow cross POST queries
.
• More simple, you download the page (right click, save target as) and put it in your bot VHOST time tests. All the code (html, css and javascript) is included in the page without external resource, in order that it can be easily downloaded and used.
• You use a web browser that supports JavaScript and allows cross domain queries. It seems possible .

This problem does not arise at the arena once your bot will be registered. Because in that case, it is the requests to the bot, not a browser.

Bolosseum

You will find command line tools to test and debug your bot on github project Bolosseum of @moul.

Bringing your bot in this arena

The registration form your bot is on the site's home page.