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.