[net.games] Core Wars

db@harpo.UUCP (dan becker) (05/11/84)

There was an article in the Scientific American by A. K. Dewdney recently
that described a game called Core War, where two programs written by
the combatting programmers try to trash each other. The last program still
standing (executing valid instructions) wins.

Has anybody out there seen it? Have a copy of the game running on UNIX?
We plan on putting one together if nobody has one they can share, but
I'd be interested in others experiences/hints/bells/whistles anyway. thanks.

					dan becker
					harpo!db or harpo!groucho!dcb

davidk@dartvax.UUCP (David C. Kovar) (05/13/84)

Sounds like machine language animals to me. The simplest one
just runs up (or down) memory. This can be done with one
inststruction on our Honeywell, something like jump decrement
PC. Of course, they can be far more complex. With the advent
of memory protection, animals died out for the most part, but
before that they roamed free. I've heard stories of operating
systems that took potshots at memory hoping to kill animals
running loose...

-- 
David C. Kovar    
	    USNET:      {linus|decvax|cornell|astrovax}!dartvax!davidk
	    ARPA:	davidk%dartmouth@csnet-relay
	    CSNET:	davidk@dartmouth


"The difficult we did yesterday, the impossible we are doing now."

jsgray@watmath.UUCP (Jan Gray) (05/14/84)

Perhaps some kind hearted person could post the darwin(6) manual page from
version 6 UNIX (or before?)?  Or a brief description?

Thanks,
Jan Gray (jsgray@watmath.UUCP)   University of Waterloo   (519) 885-1211 x2730

"I'll say, Jan Gray is not the morning's eye,
 'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow..."

ccohesh001@ucdavis.UUCP (Peter Costantinidis, Jr.) (12/13/85)

TITLE
	cw - Core Ware with visual display

INTENDED ENVIRONMENT
	UNIX

TESTED ENVIRONMENTS
	BSD 4.2 VAX 11/750

DESCRIPTION
	Cw is the "Core War" game system.  There are three programs in
	this system, "rcasm" the assembler, "unrc" the disassembler, and
	"mars" the simulator.  By default the simulator runs in visual
	mode (representing the memory array with a box of periods ('.')),
	but can be run in non-visual mode where you have the option to
	print each instruction as it is executed.
	
	This program is entirely new and has not been posted previously.

NOTES
	Cw uses curses, lex, yacc and bitfields.  If your system does
	not have virtual memory, some of the sizes defined in "cw.h"
	will have to be changed.  There is no equivalent of a "fork"
	instruction in this implementation, but "mars" can run more
	than two programs at once.

CHALLENGE
	Lets have a net-wide battle where those participating post
	their best redcode program to net.sources.games.  Winners are
	invited to boast on net.games.

WHEREAMI
	net.sources.games

BUGS

	Please send all bug reports to:
		
		{dual,lll-crg,ucbvax}!ucdavis!deneb!ccohesh001

AUTHOR
	Peter Costantinidis, Jr., University of California at Davis

THANKS TO
	A. K. Dewdney and D. G. Jones
-- 
-- Peter Costantinidis, Jr.
-- ucdavis!deneb!ccohesh001@ucb-vax.arpa		(ARPA)
-- ...!{ucbvax,lll-crg,dual}!ucdavis!deneb!ccohesh001	(UUCP)