Setup Troubleshooting

🤔 Having trouble getting Robocode running? Use this guide to solve common setup issues.

Robocode won’t launch

Issue: Double-clicking the app does nothing. Fix: Make sure the downloaded folder is fully extracted. On macOS, right-click and choose Open the first time to bypass security prompts.
Issue: Robocode GUI won’t open due to an incorrect Java version. Fix: Point to Java 21 before launching Robocode:

macOS
```
export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 21)
export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
```
Windows
```
set "JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-21"
set "PATH=%JAVA_HOME%\bin;%PATH%"
```
These commands temporarily use the correct JDK for the current session.

Issue: Terminal says command not found. Fix: Confirm the JDK is installed and in your PATH.
- Windows: Open Command Prompt and run where java. If it reports nothing, reinstall the JDK and check “Set JAVA_HOME”.
- macOS: Run /usr/libexec/java_home in Terminal to verify. If missing, reinstall using brew install temurin.

Issue: Java files show errors or the Run button is missing. Fix: Install the Extension Pack for Java and restart VS Code. If problems persist, press Ctrl+Shift+P, search for Java: Configure Java Runtime, and ensure the JDK path points to your installation.

Issue: Robocode opens but no robots appear. Fix: In Robocode go to Config → Bot Root Directories… and select the robots folder inside your project. Save and reopen the Battle view.

Ask an instructor or teammate for help — there’s usually a quick fix!