The Ultimate Programming Contest Returns Again

ACM@UIUC.EDU

and

Proudly Present...


MechMania III: Another Mech in the Wall

Overview

Programming contest teams will write C++ code to control their mechs in the scenario which will be given out on Friday, Oct 17. After about 17 hours of lab time, the teams' mechs will compete against each other.

To get a better idea of the kind of game that will be used, the type of coding involved, and type of documentation you're provided with, look at the pages for the previous MechManias.

Sponsors and Prizes

MechMania III's official sponsor is Trilogy. Trilogy is providing food (pizza, soda, and assorted munchies) during contest lab time as well as prizes for the first, second, and third place teams.
  • Third Place - A 3rd Place Plaque and $75 in bookstore gift certificates
  • Second Place - A 2nd Place Plaque and $150 in bookstore gift certificates
  • First Place - A 1st Place Plaque and $300 in bookstore gift certificates
The bookstore (to be announced) will be a national chain that has a store in the Champaign/Urbana Area.
What you need to know

C++ programming experience is expected. All C++ classes and game engine code will be provided -- your team must code the AI that controls your mechs during the game. One or two complete sample clients will be provided.

No knowledge of graphics or network programming is required. The Client/Server game engine contains no user servicable parts.

Details

Time Limit:
You have 17 hours to write and debug your code (only 10-15 should be needed, so feel free to take breaks to eat, go to other conference events, etc.)

Resources:
We provide two HP workstations, GNU C++ and the GNU debugger, emacs and vi, and complete specs on the game API, including a tutorial and assorted sample code.

More Resources:
You may bring any textual references you like - C++ books, Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", whatever. However, since all code must be typed during the contest, on-line references are not allowed. If you have a favorite on-line reference, print it out and bring it.

Food:
Pizza, Sub Sandwiches, and Soda will be provided throughout the contest. There is no food or drink allowed in the lab, so keep this in mind if you want to bring your own snacks or beverages.

Break:
Saturday afternoon, the lab will be closed during the keynote speaker.

Prizes:
First, second, and third place teams will receive plaques and additional prizes will be listed here later.
Location & Schedule
  o University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    Digital Computer Laboratory,
    1304 West Springfield, Urbana IL
    
  o Friday, Oct 17th:
    5:00pm - 7:00pm   Conference barbecue (grass field south of Beckman)
    7:00pm - 8:00pm   Intro / Distribution of API / Q&A Session  (1320 DCL)
    
  o Saturday, Oct 18th:
    9:00am - 1:00pm   Lab Time (4 hours)   (1245 DCL)
    1:00pm - 3:00pm   Keynote Speaker      (Grainger Library)
    3:00pm - 2:00am   Lab Time (11 hours)  (1245 DCL)
    
  o Sunday, Oct 19th:
    8:00am - 10:00am  Last minute lab (2 hours)         (1245 DCL)
    11:00am - 1:00pm  MechMania 'regular season'        (1320 DCL)
    2:00pm  - 3:30pm  MechMania Championship tournament (1320 DCL)

This schedule may change slightly once the conference schedule is complete.
More Information
Feel free to email mechmania@acm.uiuc.edu with any questions. You may register online.