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🎮 Try the PlayerBot! (WASD + Q/E + Space)

Before you start coding your own AI tank, it’s important to understand how Robocode movement and firing actually feel. To help you do that, we’ve built a special tank that YOU can drive around!

🧠 What is PlayerBot?

PlayerBot is a manually-controlled robot that you can move using your keyboard. It’s a great way to get a sense of how turning, moving, and firing bullets works in the arena.

image of playerbot GUI

🧭 What Your Robot Sees (HUD Guide)

Your robot has a special heads-up display (HUD) to help you see what’s going on during the match! Here’s what everything means:

🎯 Dots on the Compass

Use this guide to understand the colored dots on PlayerBot’s on‑screen compass.

Dot ColourMeaning
🔴 RedOpponent’s current location (shown right after a scan).
🟡 YellowOpponent’s previous location. The red dot turns yellow once the enemy moves, so you can see where they were last.
🔵 BlueDirection your gun turret is pointing.
🟢 GreenDirection your tank body is pointing.

Keep an eye on how the red dot switches to yellow—this tells you the enemy has changed position since your last scan.

💚 Health Bars

  • 🔴 Red Bar – The opponent tank’s energy
  • 🟢 Green Bar – Your robot’s energy

📡 Visibility Info

This section shows what your robot currently sees using its scanner. If it hasn’t scanned an opponent recently, it will say “No opponent scanned.”

When you do scan an opponent, you’ll see:

  • Angle – Where the opponent was spotted
  • Opponent ID – Their unique robot number
  • Opponent X/Y – The position of the opponent on the map
  • Opponent Energy – How much health they have
  • Opponent Direction – Which way they’re moving
  • Opponent Speed – How fast they’re going

🤖 Your Robot’s Stats

These numbers help you understand your own tank:

  • Energy – Your robot’s current health
  • X/Y – Your robot’s position on the map
  • Heading – Which direction your robot is facing
  • Gun Heading – Which way your gun is pointing
  • Radar Heading – Which way your radar is scanning
  • Gun Heat – How hot your gun is (can’t fire until it cools!)
  • Speed – How fast you’re moving

Use this info to aim, dodge, and stay in the fight!

⚙️ Setup Instructions

Follow these steps to set up your PlayerBot and get it running in a Robocode Tank Royale match!

1. 📁 Download the Files

Your instructor will give you a file:

  • PlayerBotLauncher.jar

Save this file somewhere easy to find, such as a folder on your Desktop. You can name the folder PlayerBot.

2. 🧑‍💻 Open the Launcher

  1. Double-click PlayerBotLauncher.jar to run it.

  2. A small window will appear asking you to enter two things:

    • Server Address – this should start with ws://
    • Server Secret – you’ll get this from your local server setup.

3. 🔐 Get Your Server Secret

  1. Start the Robocode Tank Royale Launcher.

  2. Click Start Local Server (this sets up your own battle arena).

  3. Go to your Robocode server folder and open the file server.properties.

  4. Find the line that says:

    bots-secrets = YOUR_SECRET_KEY

  5. Copy the long secret key after the = sign.

4. 🚀 Launch Your Bot

  1. Paste the address (usually ws://localhost:7654) into the address box.
  2. Paste your secret key into the secret box.
  3. Click the Launch Bot button.
  4. If everything is set up correctly, you’ll see your bot appear in the list of ready bots when starting a match.

You’re now ready to battle! 🎯

If something doesn’t work, double-check the address and secret you typed in. Make sure your local server is running before launching the bot.

5. 🧪 Start the Local Server (If Not Already Running)

Make sure the Local Server is still running in the Robocode Launcher.

6. 🚀 Run the PlayerBot

In VS Code:

  1. Open the terminal (View > Terminal).
  2. Type this and press Enter:
PlayerBot.cmd

PlayerBot will start, and you should see some logs in the terminal.

7. ✅ Confirm It’s Working

Go back to the Robocode Launcher and click Start Game.

  • In the list of bots, you should now see PlayerBot listed as “Ready”.

You’re all set! Have fun driving your robot!


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## 🎮 Controls

Use these keys to drive:

* `W` – Move forward
* `S` – Move backward
* `A` – Strafe left (turn body left)
* `D` – Strafe right (turn body right)
* `Q` – Rotate turret counterclockwise
* `E` – Rotate turret clockwise
* `Space` – Fire!

> Try spinning in place, dodging bullets, or chasing down an enemy.

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## 🔍 What to Look For

* How fast can you turn?
* How long does it take for your gun to cool down?
* What happens when you hit a wall?
* How do bullets travel?

Use this play session to explore how the basic physics and rules of Robocode work.

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## ✅ Challenge

See if you can:

* Hit a moving enemy
* Dodge incoming fire
* Defeat "Target" in a 1v1 match

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💡 *Understanding the game by playing it will make your AI robot smarter when you start programming it later!*

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