3D AI Tanks
September 11, 2008 - Patrick Lucas (latest update)
This is a project I'm currently working on that's in the pre-alpha stage. As in, early enough so that the name is temporary. As in, I'm still working on learning the programming language and 3D and physics frameworks on which I'm going to build it.
I have, so far, made a plane onto which you can fling physickal cubes! (Although at an alarmingly high rate - I need to figure out how to detect when the key to make them has been raised) I'm considering uploading snapshots of the source and executable so any Interested Persons can follow it's (my) progress.
3D AI Tanks is inspired by CROBOTS and JRobots: It will be an environment where users can not only program the AI for their robot-tank, but also build it! The program will load tanks created and programmed by users and place them in a 3D battlefield where they will fight with multiple types of weapons and move around - all goverened by rules of physics.
Tanks will be designed from a library of parts and weapons, each of which is given a "cost". Users will have a budget dependant on the type of match in which they wish to deploy their robot. User created tanks will be stored in XML files.
Match data will also be stored in an XML file. This will enable users to use complex features of the application, such as round-robin tournaments with any number of competing robots, as in JRobots.
Robots will be programmed in Python with access to certain given functions and functions provided by each dynamic part of their tank.
3D AI Tanks is being created in C++ using IrrLicht and NVIDIA® PhysXTM.
IrrLicht is a free, open-source realtime 3D engine; PhysX is a physics engine. I'm using the SDK which is available free for PC for commerical and non-commerical use!
