Spring Coding Challenge is buggy, and not user friendly mess

Hi there,

I have just joined in the spring challenge, but I’m already regretting it. The game seemed good in the intro video, however the backend of CodinGames is just so buggy I immediately lost interest.

First off, the video that should get created whenever you play your algorithm, doesn’t actually show up in my browser. Meaning, it’s a text-based game that you read in the output terminal, which makes it REALLY HARD to follow what actually happens on the board.
Secondly, when you start out, you literally encounter your false information in the left panel, saying in highlighted AND bold letters: “In this league, there is only 1 day”. That is wrong. There are 7 days in the first league, which is 1 week.
Thirdly, things like numberOfPossibleMoves variables, only made me confused, because they return false information. I presume this (BTW totally useless) variable is meant to tell me the actual theoretical maximum number of moves I could POSSIBLY make, and funniest part is, in the text, they say it’s meant to help newcomers, while all it does, is make it harder for them XD.

Fourthly: Please make an example output at the bottom of the left panel, because it’s not obvious in what format you have to output multiple actions in 1 turn, especially if you have variables like the one I mentioned above.

And lastly: The best strategy in this game, clearly, is to cockblock your opponent, and make them encircled, and because they cannot overtake a once owned tile, it will render them unable to move, meaning you will win (contrary to what the guy says in the YT video). And then they give you the cell index from the center, which spirals outwards. Next time, please, at least make a picture telling which cell is what index, because it took me a good amount of time, just to make a dictionary with which I reindexed all cells, and even to just figure out which index is which cell, since the direction of the spiral is not mentioned AT ALL, and the video doesn’t show up either.

Alright, rant over, sorry, I just had to let steam out, because you guys are better than this.

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  1. Some people had that exact issue. Asked in chat and resolved it immediately

  2. Have you even read the statement? 1 day is composed of multiple turns

  3. Info is correct

  4. Output example is on bottom of statement as well as in list of possible moves

  5. Your strategy leads nowhere. You won’t be able to zone your enemy. No resources for that

Try to ask for help next time instead of writing such an offensive message. Many many people enjoys it

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Didn’t know about #1. Haven’t had that issue personally.

#2 I was a little confused by this at the start, but it is actually limited to 1 day. You take multiple turns per day, and the day ends when both players wait. This is actually nice because the information updates for you between each action, where as I originally thought I needed to make a list of actions to send, while keeping track of data changes myself. Instead, you take 1 action per turn, but you get as many turns per day as you need. Actually kind of nice.

#3. I’m pretty sure you are just incorrect on this. And it’s hardly useless information, it actually saves me quite a bit of processing time when it comes to planting seeds.

As for strategy: I’m in the top25ish thus far and that’s not my strategy. I also don’t really see how it can happen because of sun requirements. But I’m open to see what strategies do work. Also, the ground isn’t always the same in bronze, sometimes you are limited in where you can plant, even towards the center.

Cell index as well as it’s neighbors(and what direction the neighbor is in) is already included, not sure what you are talking about, sorry.

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  1. Then what is the solution to this problem if you would mind sharing with me?
  2. I have read the statement. But to me, as someone coming from a thourough background of strategy games and millitary tactics, that statement meant a COMPLELY different thing, than to you, and is MINIMUM misleading, but I consider it wrong. Now that I have read Mindme’s comment, now I get it, but still, it’s dumb. Each turn is made up of multiple turns… Whoever came up with that is rewriting turn based strategy game base principles with that… XD Kappa.
    And also, if so, who has the 1st turn? Because there is no such thing as simultanious turns. One HAS TO be executed first, then the other. How is it determined who gets a tile, if both players choose to seed the same tile in the same turn of a turn?
  3. I still fail to see how this info is useful in any way. But sure, whatever.
  4. There is no output example. Quote: “A single line with your command”. This is not an example I’m sorry. NOW that I understand that 1 turn is made of an artificial number of turns, I understand it, you are meant to output 1 action every turn of a turn, and when you are done, you go to sleep… But man, this system is just purely bad and counter intuitive.
  5. Well, that strategy is the winning one. :smiley: Whoever can encircle the other with the narrowest radius circle, wins. This millitary tactic was used since AT LEAST since Napoleon, and is used ever since. It can be implemented very easily, because most people rush the center, and you only need to seed a few tiles. If we add the fact that the sun is 1 directional, it’s especially OP.

Then have fun with it, cuz I’m outsky, and it wasn’t offensive in the slightest, it only shows my first impressions of this contest. Also, please don’t be like some poeple are, that consider literally anything offensive. You don’t want to be that guy :slight_smile:

For broken video try to use another browser, it should help.

…and if you think best option is make opponent encircled, proof that! And proof you are good coder.

You are talking about the rules in wood2 league, which are limited and has only 1 day. In the higher leagues, things open up and the sun changes each day. Bronze is currently the highest open, and the sun changes directions each day.

You also don’t seem to understand the cost formula for adding trees. The more trees you have, the more it costs to grow them. Add to this, the more trees that are on the board, the more often they become shaded, which mean they give you 0 sun. It wouldn’t be long before you could barely afford another tree.

So unless you think you are going to be a wood league 2 hero, you might want to learn the rules before giving strategy advice.

While I enjoy shitting on CG (when they deserve it) as much as the next guy, I do have to take special notice of the irony of writing three pages of text after having “lost interest”. :sweat_smile:
You sir are a true scholar.

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Yes, and the real irony here, is that you lack the basic understanding of why people write 3 pages of text after having lost interest :smiley::smiley:

So, congrats, sir, and thank you for making me laugh :slight_smile:

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Do I, though :stuck_out_tongue:

Hey this thread is kind of degenerate and offtopic now. Closing.

Also there’s a special BUG thread for this, you may use that instead, no worries.

My suggestion that I gave to others as well is to read the statement carefully. It’s easy to miss some rules.

Here’s the Bug thread: https://www.codingame.com/forum/t/spring-challenge-2021-bugs-questions/190526/18
Enjoy

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