Rules (How to Play Bots'n'Scouts)
Background
Bots'n'Scouts is inspired by the Wizards of the Coast game "RoboRally". You are assigned a robot in a factory, which you program with 5 moves each round. The robot may not complete the moves exactly as you intended; it may be pushed, moved by conveyor belts, or even destroyed. Your task is to make the robot touch all the flags in the factory, in order, before any other robot does.
There are many differences between RoboRally and Bots'n'Scouts. For instance, Bots'n'Scouts doesn't have the weapon and upgrade cards available in RoboRally. And RoboRally isn't an online multiplayer network game, but a physical board game.
Gameplay
- Available Instructions
Instead of choosing from all the instructions, you receive a random set of instructions each round to choose from. These instructions are embodied as cards; the effect of each card is symbolized by the picture on it. Some examples of valid cards include "Move Forward 1", "Move Forward 2", "Turn Right", and "Turn Around", athough others exist.
- Starting the Game
For the first turn, all the robots are "virtual"; they can't push each other or shoot at each other. In fact, they act as though they were alone on the board - this also means they are affected by board elements like lasers and pits...
- Rounds
Each round you are dealt 9 cards. (There are some exceptions; damaged robots don't receive as many cards, for example.) Select the instructions you want to use from your available cards. When all the players have finished programming their 'Bots, the 'Bots execute the instructions, and a new round begins.
- Movement
Your 'Bot executes the instructions you gave, in order. Since you get 5 instructions in each program, there are 5 moves, or phases, in each round. After each move, the space the 'Bot has landed on may then have an effect. For instance, if you land on a conveyor belt, you will be moved one space in the direction indicated by the belt.
Moving through some spaces will also have an effect. For instance, trying to move through a wall will stop your 'Bot at the wall instead. However, your 'Bot cannot touch a flag by moving through it, and a laser won't hurt your 'Bot unless it stops in the laser's path.
Your 'Bot may not occupy the same space as another 'Bot. Whenever a 'Bot tries to move into a space occupied by another 'Bot, it pushes the other 'Bot away. 'Bots are very powerful: any 'Bots behind a pushed 'Bot get pushed, too. 'Bots can't push past walls, though. If they try, they'll just be stopped.
Some spaces work only on certain phases. For instance, Pushers and Crushers have the phase during which they will operate printed on them. During any other phase, it's safe to stop on these spaces.
More information on the effects of various spaces can be found here.
At the end of each move, if any 'Bot can fire on another, it will. The lasers are mounted only on the front of the 'Bot, so it has to be facing its target. Conveyor belts, gears, and flags won't stop a laser, but walls will.
- Priority
Since 'Bots can push each other, there must be some way to decide which 'Bot moves first. This is the number at the top of the card, which is the move's priority. Higher numbers go first, which sounds good, but is not always desirable: a 'Bot with a high priority could move into a space, only to be pushed back immediately by the 'Bot with the lower priority.
- Damage
As mentioned earlier, 'Bots can shoot each other. Each shot causes 1 point of damage. A 'Bot only draws one card for each hit point it has left, so the more damaged your 'Bot gets, the fewer options you have for the next round's program.
If your 'Bot is too damaged, some of its instructions will become "locked": they will be incorporated into your 'Bots program until it is repaired. You will be prompted to select the cards you wish to unlock from the program if this option is available.
Damage can be reparied at Garages, at Flags, or by shutting down.
- Upgrade
Bots'n'Scouts doesn't have upgrades. Yet. You must be thinking of that other game.
- Dying
If your 'Bot meets with an untimely end, you will be granted another, up to a total of 3 'Bots. After that, you're out of the game.
There are four kinds of untimely ends: being crushed, falling in a pit, being shot to death by other 'Bots, and walking off the map.
Controls
- Programming your 'Bot
Bots'n'Scouts is entirely controlled by the mouse. To select an instruction from your cards, click on it, and it will moved to the end of the current program. To remove an instruction from the current program, click on it, and it will be returned to your hand.
- Zooming and Scrolling
To get a better view of the entire arena, use the Zoom menu. You can choose to zoom out (up to 40%) for an overall view, or zoom in (up to 150%) for a closer look at the tiles.
To find a flag or robot, use the Locate menu. The view will zoom to the flag or robot you select, and an orange circle will appear on the space it occupies to help you locate it.
You can manually scroll the screen, too. Just right-click on the location you would like to center, or use the scroll bar(s).
- The Weisenheimer
The squiggly thing in the upper-right corner -- you know, the one that kinda looks like a guy with a big nose, in profile -- is the Weisenheimer. When you click on him, he shows you a sequence of instructions he thinks you should choose. The crowd doesn't like it when you use the Weisenheimer, but there is no other penalty.
- The Scout
The other thing in the upper-right corner -- you know, the one that kinda looks like a cloud -- is the Scout. By default the Scout is inactive. You should activate it (by clicking) as soon as possible. As you add new instructions to your program, the Scout shows you where your robot will be located and in which direction it will be facing after the program is executed. It's extremely helpful, especially for beginners.
Note that the Scout is not precognizant. It does not show when you will be shot, or how you will be pushed by other 'Bots, since it can't know what they're going to do. It does take conveyor belts, pits, and other obstacles into account, however. In short, it shows how your program will work if there is no interference from other 'Bots.
The Board
This is a list of all the tiles and their effects.
Floor
Floor has no effect on 'Bots. 'Bots can safely move through or end a move on a Floor. Nothing will happen. Honest.
Wall
Walls prevent 'Bots from moving past them. Since Walls aren't actually spaces, but in-between spaces, 'Bots can't end a move on a Wall.
Conveyor Belts
Conveyor Belts move a 'Bot one space in the indicated direction. Conveyor belts may also rotate a 'Bot up to 90 degrees. The effects of Conveyor Belts occur before any other effects, such as Crushers or Pushers in the same space (more on Crushers and Pushers in a moment). Conveyor Belts only work when the 'Bot ends a move on it; 'Bots who pass over Conveyor Belts are not affected by them.
Express Belts
Express Belts are like Conveyor Belts, but they work twice at the end of each move. An Express Belt only works when a 'Bot ends a move on it.
Gears
Gears are always on the floor, never on a Conveyor Belt. A Gear will rotate a 'Bot clockwise or counter-clockwise, as indicated by the arrows on the Gear. A Gear only works when a 'Bot ends a move on it.
Pushers
Pushers are always mounted on Walls. They move a 'Bot one space away from the Wall. A Pusher only works when a 'Bot ends a move on it, and only when the move is one of the phases printed on the Pusher. (For instance, if a Pusher works on phases 1, 3, and 5, then a 'Bot could land there on its second move and not be pushed. If it is still on the Pusher at the end of phase 3, it will be pushed.) Pushers have no effect on 'Bots that move through them.
Crushers
Crushers are always mounted on Conveyor Belts or Express Belts. They destroy 'Bots. A Crusher only works when a 'Bot ends a move on it, and only when the move is one of the phases printed on the Crusher (just like a Pusher). Crushers have no effect on 'Bots that move through them.
Pits
A Pit is... well... a Pit. A big hole in the floor. A 'Bot who falls in a Pit is destroyed. 'Bots cannot move over Pits; they'll fall in anyway.
Lasers
Lasers are always attached to walls. They fire a laser in one direction, horizontally or vertically. A 'Bot that ends its move on a square that the laser light passes through will suffer damage. The damage level of the board lasers is shown by their color; red lasers do 1 damage, orange ones 2, yellow ones three.
Flags
Flags are the whole objective of the game. A 'Bot wins by touching each flag in order, according to the number printed on the flag. All 'Bots start the game on flag number 1. A 'Bot must end a move on a flag in order to touch it; moving past the flag doesn't count.
If a 'Bot ends its entire program on a flag, it will be repaired by 1 point.
Garage
A Garage is a space where a 'Bot can go to be repaired. Each move ended on a Garage repairs 1 point of damage to a 'Bot. Moving through a repair space has no effect on a 'Bot.
Super Garage
A Super Garage is just like a Garage, but it repairs 2 damage instead of just 1.
Instruction Cards
Forward 1
The basic card. The 'Bot moves forward one space.
Forward 2
Forward 1's big brother. The 'Bot moves forward two spaces. This presents the opportunity of skipping over things like laser beams and conveyor belts, but you'll still push other 'Bots, run into walls, and fall into pits.
Forward 3
And their Big Daddy. This works just like Forward 2, but you get to move forward three spaces.
Back Up
Like Forward 1, Back Up lets you move one space. Only this time, it's in the direction opposite the one the 'Bot faces. Much as the name implies.
Rotate Left
The direction the 'Bot faces is modified by 90 degrees in the counter-clockwise direction. No movement occurs.
Rotate Right
Like Rotate Left, only in the opposite direction: clockwise. The 'Bot still doesn't move foward or backward.
U-Turn (Turn Around)
The direction the 'Bot faces is reversed.
Used
When a card has already been used to program the 'Bot, it changes to the Used card. You must continue to choose cards until five instructions are programmed.
Locked
A locked card cannot be modified. You'll have to work with it in the program where it is. Instructions get locked into a program when a 'Bot is seriously damaged; you can unlock the instruction by repairing the 'Bot.
Other Options
Facing
When your 'Bot is placed on the board for the first time, you'll have to choose an initial direction for it to face. You'll also have to choose a direction for the 'Bot to face after it has been destroyed, before it's placed back on the board.
Shut Down
When you check the "shut down" checkbox, your 'Bot will execute its program, but not move next round. At the end of each round, you will be asked if you want the 'Bot to power up again.
Why would you want to do something like this? Because it completely repairs your bot, that's why. You will seldom need to shut down for more than one turn at a time, but it's there if you need it.
Starting a Game
Ah yes, the part we've all been waiting for! Simply start Bots'n'Scouts in any of the ways you already know from your familiarity with Java programs: double-click the jar file, run start.bat, run start.sh, or drag the jar into your java bin, depending on your operating system.
- Choose a Language
You will only be asked once. Choose the language you would like to see when you play Bots'n'Scouts: English or German. If you don't like the translations, do them yourself.
- Start or Join a Game
You should see a screen with several options. For an operational game, there must be one computer to run the game (the "server") and at least one computer to play the part of the player (the "client"). You can play a game on a single computer -- it is both the server and the client.
If your computer will be the server, press the "Start Game" button. If you are not interested in starting a new game, but you want to play, press the "Join a Game" button. If you just want to watch some other people who you know are playing, press the "Watch a Game" button. (If you are not starting a new game, you will need to know the name or address of the computer running the game you want.)
- Start Game
- Set up the Board
If you choose to start the game, you will soon see the game setup screen. Here you can choose a new board (from the drop-down labeled "default"), edit boards (by adding rooms) and save them, and actually start up the game.
If you want to play the game (as well as running it on this computer), check the Participate box. You can then choose a name and a 'color' of 'Bot.
If you just want to run the game, uncheck the Participate box. Your computer will run the game, and other players will be allowed to play in the game, but you will not have a part unless you start up a client as well. You could just watch, if that's your thing...
When everything is set up to your liking, press the Start Game button. If you have a change of heart, hit Back instead.
- Add Players
You should see a quick animation as your computer prepares the server.
Now you have to add players to your game. You can add local players (that's you, and anybody else who wants to use your keyboard), by entering a name, choosing a 'Bot type, and pressing Start (in the Local Player windows, of course).
You can start a computer player, or AutoBot, by choosing an intelligence for the AutoBot and pressing Start (in the Autobot window, this time).
You can add network players by waiting for them to join.
When you've got all the players you want, but no more than 8, press the "Go!" button. Don't do this until all the players have joined; once the game has started, no players can be added.
- Watch and Wait
The game should start momentarily. Your computer will watch the game and compute the moves for the AutoBot. When the game is over, select Quit from the File menu to end the game.
- Set up the Board
- Join a Game
- Choose a game
If you decide to join a game already in progress, you'll see a screen with 3 inputs. Enter the name or IP address of the server (the computer running the game), the name you want to be known by, and the type of 'Bot you want to use. Press the Go! button if you're satisfied, and the Back button if you decide not to play.
Note that the 'Bot you choose may not be the 'Bot you get. If someone else has already chosen that color, you will be assigned a random color instead.
- Run For Your Life!
You'll see the Bots'n'Scouts logo until the server decides to start the game. Then you'll see the playing screen. Choose a direction for your 'Bot to face, then start programming. Be careful; if you take too long to send your program, the game will destroy your 'Bot.
- Choose a game
- Watch a Game
If you just want to watch a few games, click the Watch a Game button. You'll need to specify a server, just like joining a game. After the game starts, you'll see all the action.
Advanced Options
- In the main Bots'n'Scouts directory, there is a file called bns.config. In it, you can customize some things that can not yet be customized through the GUI, e.g. your preferred name. Please read the file README that came with your Bots'n'Scouts distribution on what is possible in that release.
Bye
Have fun!
The Bots'n'Scouts developer thank Jude for providing this description!