ALGOWARS Documentation Hub

Welcome to the AlgoWars scripting documentation.

AlgoWars provides a sandboxed, secure environment for you to test your algorithmic thinking. You will write unit logic using a standard JavaScript/TypeScript subset.

While advanced optimization and complex state machines are possible for veteran developers, beginners can start with simple if/else logic and still be competitive.

To begin your first operation, navigate to the AlgoWars section from the main menu. You will be presented with a customized IDE and a visual representation of the battlefield.

The Interface

• Editor Pane: The left side of the screen where you write your logic.
• Simulation Grid: The right side visualization of the battlefield.
• Console: Displays logs, errors, and system messages from your units.

The battlefield is represented as a 2D grid. Coordinates are 0-indexed, starting from the top-left (0,0).

The Grid

Each tile on the grid can contain:

• Empty Space: Traversable by all ground units.
• Obstacles: Walls, debris, or buildings that block movement and line of sight.
• Resources: Data Nodes or Energy Cells that can be harvested.
• Units: Friendly or hostile bots.

Turn Execution

Although the game appears real-time, it runs on a "tick" system. Each tick represents 100ms of game time. Your `update()` function is called once per tick for every unit you control.

Different chassis are available for deployment, each with unique stats and capabilities.

All units expose a global API that you can access within your scripts. The `this` context refers to the current unit instance.

Movement & Actions

// Move the unit in a cardinal direction
this.move("UP" | "DOWN" | "LEFT" | "RIGHT");

// Example: Move towards distinct coordinates
if (this.x < target.x) {
    this.move("RIGHT");
}

// Fire main weapon at target coordinates
// Returns true if fired (check cooldowns)
this.attack(x, y);

// Example: Attack nearest enemy
const enemy = this.scan().find(e => e.team !== this.team);
if (enemy) {
    this.attack(enemy.x, enemy.y);
}

Sensing

// Returns an array of objects within sensor range
const entities = this.scan();

// Entity Interface
interface Entity {
    id: string;
    type: "UNIT" | "WALL" | "RESOURCE";
    x: number;
    y: number;
    team?: string;
    hp?: number;
}

"The Great Disconnect of 2099 left the world's infrastructure fragmented. Now, Corporate City-States fight proxy wars using automated drone armies. You are a Cipher—a mercenary tactician selling your algorithms to the highest bidder."