🎮 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.

🧭 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 Colour	Meaning
🔴 Red	Opponent’s current location (shown right after a scan).
🟡 Yellow	Opponent’s previous location. The red dot turns yellow once the opponent moves, so you can see where they were last.
🔵 Blue	Direction your gun turret is pointing.
🟢 Green	Direction your tank body is pointing.

Keep an eye on how the red dot switches to yellow—this tells you the opponent 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 Launcher

Your instructor will give you a file:

PlayerBotLauncher.jar

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

2. 🔐 Start the Local Server and Copy the Secret

Start the Robocode Tank Royale Launcher.
Click Start Local Server to create your battle arena.
Open the file server.properties in your Robocode server folder.
Find the line:
```
bots-secrets = YOUR_SECRET_KEY
```
Copy the long secret key after the = sign.

3. 🚀 Launch Your Bot

Double-click PlayerBotLauncher.jar.
Enter the server address (usually ws://localhost:7654).
Paste your secret key into the secret box.
Click Launch Bot.

If everything is set up correctly, you’ll see your bot appear in the list of ready bots when starting a match.

4. ✅ 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!

If something doesn’t work, double-check the address and secret and make sure the local server is running.

🎮 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 opponent.

🔍 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.

✅ Challenge

See if you can:

Hit a moving opponent
Dodge incoming fire
Defeat “Target” in a 1v1 match

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

Explorer

Minigame