CREATE Code Clash: Battleship Bot Challenge - Winter 2026

Table of Contents

1. Competition Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Bot Development Guide
4. JSON Interface Specification
5. Submission Guidelines
6. Technical Requirements

Competition Overview

Welcome to Code Clash: Battleship Bot Challenge! This competition challenges you to create an AI bot that plays a enhanced version of Battleship against other participants' bots. Your bot will compete in automated matches, with the top performers advancing to the live finals during our closing ceremony.

Key Features

• Enhanced Battleship: 8×8 grid with special abilities
• Special Abilities: Choose 2 of 4 unique powers
• Live Finals: Top 8 bots compete in live-streamed matches

Game Rules

Board and Ships

• Board Size: 8×8 grid (0-based coordinates: 0-7)
• Ships: 4 ships with different sizes:
  • 1×4 (4 cells)
  • 1×3 (3 cells)
  • 2×3 (6 cells)
  • 1×2 (2 cells)

Game Phases

1. Ability Selection: Choose 2 of 4 abilities for the entire game
2. Ship Placement: Place all 4 ships on your board
3. Combat: Take turns shooting or using abilities until one player wins

Special Abilities

Each ability can be used once per game (instead of shooting):

Code	Name	Effect
SP	Sonar Pulse	Reveal 3×3 area
RF	Rapid Fire	Fire 2 simultaneous shots
SD	Shield	Protect a ship for 2 turns
HS	Hailstorm	Fire 4 random shots across grid

Win Condition

The first player to sink all opponent's ships wins the match.

Bot Development Guide

Bot Interface

Your bot must be a single executable file that:

• Accepts one command-line argument: path to state.json
• Reads game state from the provided JSON file
• Outputs a valid JSON move
• Exits with code 0 on success, non-zero on error
• Completes within 3 seconds per move

Execution Pattern

./your_bot /path/to/state.json

Starter Code

We provide starter code in three languages:

• Python: battleship_bot.py + battleship_api.py
• C++: battleship_bot.cpp + battleship_api.h
• C: battleship_bot.c + battleship_api.h

JSON Interface Specification

Input: Game State (state.json)

The game state provided to your bot varies by phase:

Ability Selection Phase

{}

Placement Phase

{
    "player_ships": [
        {
        "name": "ship_1x4",
        "coordinates": [[0,0], [0,1], [0,2], [0,3]],
        "hits": []
        }
    ],
    "player_grid": [
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"]
    ],
    "opponent_grid": [
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"]
    ],
    "player_abilities": [],
    "opponent_abilities": [],
    "current_ship": "ship_1x3" # Ship to be placed in current call
}

Combat Phase

{
    "player_ships": [
        {
        "name": "ship_1x4",
        "coordinates": [[0,0], [0,1], [0,2], [0,3]],
        "hits": []
        },
        # 3 other ships here
    ],
    "player_grid": [
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"]
    ],
    "opponent_grid": [
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"],
        ["N","N","N","N","N","N","N","N"]
    ],
    "player_abilities": [
        {"ability": "SP", "info": {"None": {}}},
        {"ability": "RF", "info": {"None": {}}}
    ],
    "opponent_abilities": [
        {"ability": "SD", "info": {"None": {}}},
        {"ability": "HS", "info": {"None": {}}}
    ]
}

Grid Cell Status

• N: No shot attempted
• H: Hit (successful shot)
• M: Miss (unsuccessful shot)
• B: Blocked (shot blocked by shield)

Output: Bot Moves

Your bot must output exactly one of these JSON response format:

Ability Selection

{"abilitySelect": ["SP", "RF"]}

Ship Placement

{
  "placement": {
    "name": "ship_1x4",
    "cell": [0, 0],
    "direction": "H"
  }
}

Combat Move (Shoot)

{
  "combat": {
    "cell": [3, 4],
    "ability": {"None": {}}
  }
}

Combat Move (Use Ability)

{
  "combat": {
    "cell": [0, 0],
    "ability": {"SP": [3, 3]}
  }
}

Submission Guidelines

File Structure

Submit a .py file. (battleship_bot, NOT battleship_api). do NOT change battleship_api btw.

Executable Requirements

• Single file: Must run as standalone executable
• Ubuntu 24.04: Tested on our competition environment
• No dependencies: Except standard system libraries
• 3-second timeout: Must complete moves within time limit. Failure to comply will result in random behaviour for that turn.

Build Instructions

TODO: complete this section

Validation Checklist

• Bot reads state.json from command line argument
• Bot outputs valid JSON
• Executable runs on Ubuntu 24.04
• All moves complete within 3 seconds
• No external network/database dependencies
• ZIP contains executable + source code + README