ICFP Contest Underway

iseff writes "The ICFP Contest (reported first here) is now underway. There's probably still some time for us slackers to code up something for the first round. This year's problem is similar to the board game Cops and Robbers. What I find cool about this year is the split into two parts -- code the original spec, then wait, get a new spec, and modify. Plus, any language is accepted, even though it's a 'functional programming' contest."

Re:The name of the game is

[Anonymous Coward]

It's often best practices to make a contest be a game programming contest;

Actually it's not. The problem with multiplayer game simulations is that the best strategy will depend on what other bots are doing. Even if you write a very complicated program that detects what strategies the other bots are following and has a large number of strategies coded as possible responses (which is far more effort than most entrants will make), there will still sometimes be no winning strategy against certain groups of bots, so all your extra effort goes to waste and someone with a trivial strategy wins.

If you absolutely must run a contest on a game, use these rules:

1) two players at a time only.

2) run many iterations.

3) consult a game theorist about your ideas.