Alls fair in love and WAR!

I just had a truely unscrupulous, very lawyer like thought. In this contest you can store any data you like in your own personal data file, so I was thinking, what if I could figure out how to get access to somebody elses move.txt? (and the others?) Now as interesting as this would make strategy, especially if both scripts were doing it, it screams sick and wrong to me. That said if I do get a working script once the contest is over I might see if I can figure out a way for kicks. What do you think, is it do-able?

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

You post way too much, all the animated blobs are making me dizzy!

if($dizzy == "TRUE"){
vomit();
}//end of if

function vomit(){
while(1 == 1){
echo "HHHHUUUURGH!!!";
}//end of while
}//end of function vomit

Sorry you all had to see that.

the simplest thing u can do with his data.txt is delete it!

or in any other way temper with it's content. that way u can confuse the other script.

and i asume that it would be easy to find that data.txt...

i would expect testing dir structure smth like this:

ctf/ (spots for indent)
....judge.php
....script01/
........capture.php
........data.txt
....script02/
........capture.php
........data.txt
....script03/
...
....script57/
...

and ur script would just have to go back one dir (..) and then search all sub-dirs for the data.txt files, and delete them (excep ur own ;))

but i think that matt already had some thought of this...

that is why the name of that file is fixed to data.txt, so that matt could ie save it after each step, and reproduce it before the next step.

(at least i hope this is true)

if he didn't think of that, the rules could go just "you can write any data to any file in the dir where your script is.."

greetz.

Your are also able to edit the script of your opponent...
Search for his script, open it, and then replace "data.txt" for "".
That would be fun...

Better: replace the opponent with a script that will not move, then go and shoot it ;)

Well, I think Matt isn't stupid!
I think he'll open every capture.php and check whether or not the file contains illegal functions. I.E. dir(), a common robot won't need the function dir();
so you may assume that the file is corrupt...

well... i don't think that would do it...

in php, there is a sweet litle function eval() that u pass a string to, and it evaluates it as it was typed in a file source...

now, u may wonder how that can be used to cheat, when all that function can do is:



but, u can also scramle in some way the text u pass to the eval() function. u can do one at home:

and that would print smth like: "A0E1838D8FA0E1838D8F"

after that u can put in ur robot script:


and there u have it.. this script executes dir(), but it doesn't show in the source...

i know that this can also be detected, but there could be some other way of doing it!

and if matt would have to look at every line of every submission to see some bad code, that could take days.

50 submisions * 300 lines average = 15,000 lines of code!

lmao.. there is a section in the rules specifically titled: "What your script can do on its turn"

Maybe it's just me but.. I don't see where it says you can try and hack the other players script in there

well, it also doesn't say that u can use for(..) loops, if() statements, functions or classes! ;)

and i just asume that u can do all that stuff..

i think that smth has to be forbiden for us not to use it!

Well it is a curious dilema is it not? I personally am a big fan of gaming in general, not so much computer games but thats besides the point. I feel that modifying anybody elses files in anyway should be against the rules and is definitly not in the spirit of the contest. I haven't and I wouldn't because I'm not sure, but to me the idea of looking at other files is a bit of a grey area. On the one hand you're not being damaging on the other it doesn't "feel" like an honest thing to be doing.

I'm very pleased this is being discussed because I think it raises some interesting points that may well be of interest in future competitions. Thanks for your thoughts peoples!

this topic reminds me of the episode of the Simpsons, where a company take over the school and use it to do Market Research and make the toy called "Funzo". that toy is programmed to destroy all other toys. - The comment after that makes me crack up every time
"It must be programmed to destroy the competition"
"What? Like Microsoft"

hmm... its more funny when u see it on the TV...

hmm... what a waste of 2 minutes

its open source, microsoft would be at their freedom to develop a solution, and then an infinite number of patches! they'd love it. Of course some users may object but since when did that stop them.

i just met someone who said
"I dont ever plan on using linux. Microsoft is what I know and LOVE"

Anyone got a shotgun?

also... ShaneO: What the hell is that darn green blob doing?

actualy, i have thought of that...

but then this is possible: we all agree that considering the randomity of teleports, and other stuff, there could be a situation wher robot A beets B, B beets C and C beets A.

then, if for some reason, a cheating script doesn't win, but takes 2nd (or 3rd, 4th...) place, it wouldn't get checked.

but if it didn't participate at all, a robot that have lost to it, could win...

then, a result could be diferent...

OK, one more example of going way too far...

1. Analyze ALL data.txt files that can be found(or scripts)

2. Record analysis in own data.txt

3. Determine current opponent's strategy based on past analysis

4. Act accordingly.

A true AI.

Any takers?