Frequently Asked Questions
Why shouldn't I just submit a program which makes random moves?
- A random strategy will win about 50% of its matches. The top entries on the leaderboard win about 80% to 90% of their matches. Random strategies tend to rank somewhere near the middle of the leaderboard. This is your incentive for not submitting random.
How is the leaderboard ranking determined?
- Based on the average win ratio of each program (weighted more heavily towards recent matches). Ranked matches are regularly performed by an automated system based on available computational resources.
What is the difference between a round and a match?
- A match is a series of RPS games between two players. A round is a single game in the match.
How many RPS rounds are there in a match?
- In this competition there will be 1,000 rounds per match. However, a match is stopped early if a player's score guarantees victory. This happens when the difference between the player scores is greater than the number of remaining rounds.
How is "win rate" calculated?
- It is the number of ranked match victories divided by the total number of ranked matches.
What prevents somebody else from copying my program?
- Nothing. Copying and modifying another competitor's program is encouraged. However, exact duplicates may be subject to disqualification. Since each submission has a timestamp, it is possible to determine who was the original author of a program. If you copy another author's program, please put an acknowledgement in a comment at the top of the source code.
Why was my program removed from the leaderboard?
- Your program will be removed from the leaderboard and put in the graveyard if it gets disqualified. Disqualification criteria includes exceeding memory/CPU limits, accessing/modifying datastore entries, submitting functionally duplicate programs, or other malicious activities. The CPU limit for a match is five seconds. Send an email if you see a program that might need to be disqualified.
What copyright license covers the source code I submit?
- All code that you submit is in the public domain. Do not submit any existing code that is not already in the public domain. Any violations of this rule can result in disqualification.
How do I report problems or make suggestions about the website?
- Send an email: byron@byronknoll.com