[comp.misc] core wars

howell@bert.llnl.gov (Louis Howell) (07/07/90)

Could someone send me either a complete specification for the core wars
game, or at least tell me who I should contact to obtain it?  Source code
would be helpful if you don't have English text on-line.

For those who haven't heard of it, core wars is a game played between two
programs sharing a common block of memory.  Execution jumps back and forth
between the programs, each of which is trying to find the other and put
it out of action by overwriting some key instruction.  The game was invented
by A. K. Dewdney, and described in his Computer Recreations column in
Scientific American.  The columns are a bit frustrating, since Dewdney
includes a nearly complete description of the pseudo-assembly language
in which the programs are to be written, but leaves out just a few of the
key details I need to write a simulator.  All three of the core wars columns
are reprinted in Dewdney's book, The Armchair Universe.

Louis Howell

#include <std.disclaimer>

dankg@lightning.Berkeley.EDU (Dan KoGai) (07/07/90)

In article <63960@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV>,
howell@bert.llnl.gov (Louis Howell) said:

>Could someone send me either a complete specification for the core wars
>game, or at least tell me who I should contact to obtain it?  Source code
>would be helpful if you don't have English text on-line.

	If you have a Mac, you can enjoy Core Wars with 4 simultenious
fighters and window with debugger.  It's called Core! and it includes
complete specs of Redcode.  The source is available via anon ftp
to you-know-if-you-are-a-mac-user-with-usenet-connection sumex-aim.stanford.edu
and its directory is info-mac/game.
	Since it's possible for me to convert Redcode manual to pure
text and post here, I'll do so upon request.  But I'm too lazy to move on
now.

>For those who haven't heard of it, core wars is a game played between two
>programs sharing a common block of memory.  Execution jumps back and forth
>between the programs, each of which is trying to find the other and put
>it out of action by overwriting some key instruction.  The game was invented
>by A. K. Dewdney, and described in his Computer Recreations column in
>Scientific American.  The columns are a bit frustrating, since Dewdney
>includes a nearly complete description of the pseudo-assembly language
>in which the programs are to be written, but leaves out just a few of the
>key details I need to write a simulator.  All three of the core wars columns
>are reprinted in Dewdney's book, The Armchair Universe.

	I still haven't seen greater fighter than imp.  Some beat imp sometimes
but not for all conditions...

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dbell@maths.tcd.ie (Derek Bell) (07/09/90)

		I'd like info too!
-- 
Derek Bell 
dbell%maths.tcd.ie@cunyvm.cuny.edu belld@unix1.tcd.ie belld@vax1.tcd.ie