Frequently asked questions

• How do I get started?

  The first thing to do is to download the software and follow the accompanying instructions to get it working on your system. An entire agent code skeleton is provided, so that you can jump right in and being writing your agent immediately. Please contact us to let us know you are interested in participating, so we can help answer any questions that may arise.

• How hard is it to get this working?

  The new infrastructure has been designed to enable a very low bar of entry. You don't have to know anything about the client or server, you can simply write C++ code that will choose a shot to attempt given a table state. Some commonly used functions are provided in the software package, as well as the physics simulation code used in the competition. The game server is already running, and so as soon as you have code written that picks a shot, you should be able to play games to your heart's content.

• What level of student would this be appropriate for?

  The answer to this will obviously depend a lot on the students involved, but we anticipate that designing and implementing an agent could be done by either a group of undergraduates over the course of a semester, perhaps as part of a course, or by a masters or PhD student as a slightly longer term project. The sophistication of the agents can vary a lot, and the new noise levels of the competition might be best attacked with new agent designs that haven't been around before.

• Would we have to physically attend the tournament?

  While it is always fun to interact with the other competitors in person, the tournament has been designed to facilitate remote participation. This means that the cost of participation is just the amount of time it takes you to program your agent and the computer that it runs on!

• How can I help get more people involved?

  Email your friends and colleagues, put up some flyers, tell everyone you know!

Contact Information

If you have any suggestions or questions, please email: computational_billiards@lists.stanford.edu