For a fair AI-versus-AI StarCraft tournament, publish one ruleset before accepting entries and run every bot under the same game, interface, maps, match limits, and information rules. Define how matches are assigned and scored, what happens when a bot crashes or slows the game, and how results can be reviewed. Brood War events using BWAPI offer useful examples, but their specific policies are event rules—not universal standards.
What should the ruleset settle before entries open?
Publish the rules before organizers know which bots are competing. State the exact game and expansion, bot interface and supported versions, execution environment, match format, map pool and assignment method, race policy, match speed and limits, failure rules, scoring, prohibited information or tools, and replay-review process. Include any CPU, memory, wall-clock, or client requirements that matter to your setup.
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Make the rules operational: an entrant should be able to determine what files to submit, how a match is decided, and what evidence can resolve a dispute. Apply the same configuration and policies to every bot. If a setting or version changes, explain how affected matches will be handled rather than changing expectations mid-event.
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Specify the game version, expansion, operating environment, bot packaging format, API or framework build, and any tournament module. Version differences can determine whether bots launch and whether they receive comparable access. BWAPI is an open-source framework for interacting with StarCraft: Brood War; its documentation notes that defaults can be changed and tournament modules can enforce settings. See BWAPI documentation.
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SSCAIT provides a concrete legacy example, not a current universal setup: its published rules specify Brood War 1.16.1, supported BWAPI.dll builds, C++ BWAPI modules, proxy bots or Java bots using BWMirror/JNIBWAPI, and 32-bit Windows 7 machines. Those details describe that event’s requirements. Check the rules for the event and versions you actually intend to run; do not assume the SSCAIT configuration is suitable for a new tournament. See SSCAIT rules.
Which tournament format fits the goal?
Choose a structure that matches what you want the result to mean: broad comparative ranking, a clear knockout winner, or evaluation of specific capabilities. Historical AIIDE formats have included matrix play, an elimination bracket, and separate skills tests, while SSCAIT distinguishes ladder or round-robin play from elimination. These examples show that format is a design choice, not a single required standard. See the AIIDE StarCraft AI competition overview and SSCAIT rules.
- Round robin or matrix: useful when the aim is to compare entries across opponents; define how many games or pairings count toward the ranking.
- Elimination: creates a straightforward bracket, but an early loss can end an entry’s run; publish seeding and advancement rules.
- Skills tests: can focus on selected capabilities rather than treating match wins as the only measure; publish the tests and scoring in advance.
There is no universally established number of games per pairing in the sources cited here. Choose and publish a schedule that gives entries comparable opportunities, and specify ranking and tie-break criteria before play.
How do you make maps, starts, and races comparable?
Publish the map pool and exact map versions, then say whether maps are fixed, rotated, assigned round-robin, or selected randomly. SSCAIT says its maps are selected randomly from its pool; the Tournament Manager repository documents a map list where a map can be assigned for each round. These are examples of different approaches, not a requirement to use either one. See SSCAIT rules and the Tournament Manager repository.
Where a map has materially different starting positions, consider rotating or swapping starts so one bot is not repeatedly favored by spawn location. State how positions are assigned and whether paired games reverse them. This is a fairness measure organizers can choose; the cited examples do not establish a universal start-rotation rule.
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Decide whether bots may use Random race and whether race must be declared at entry. SSCAIT allows Random in its ladder and round robin but not in its elimination phase. If your event has stages, spell out any stage-specific race restriction before the tournament begins. See SSCAIT rules.
How should matches end, and how should technical failures count?
Define a win, loss, draw, invalid game, crash, stalled game, and timeout precisely. State the threshold that triggers each outcome and what evidence the organizer uses. SSCAIT’s rules offer one specific Brood War example: losing all buildings, crashing, or exceeding its slowdown threshold results in an immediate loss; its rules say draws are not possible.
Its timeout policy is also event-specific: a game ends at 90 in-game minutes (86,400 frames), or after five real-world minutes with no unit dying. When its time limit is reached, it compares in-game kills plus razings to determine the winner. Its stated slowdown-loss thresholds are more than one frame over 10 seconds, more than 10 frames over one second, or more than 320 frames over 85 milliseconds. Adopt such limits only if they suit your environment, and explain how they will be measured. See SSCAIT rules.
Also set a procedure for launch failures, referee or observer mistakes, machine outages, and outcomes the game client appears to have misread. Distinguish a bot-caused failure from an event-side interruption, and say whether the match is replayed, forfeited, or reviewed. The same case should receive the same treatment regardless of which entry benefits.
What information and computing resources may bots use?
Say whether complete map vision, network access, external programs, human intervention during a match, or persistent data between games is permitted. SSCAIT explicitly forbids complete map vision and other cheats or flags; BWAPI documentation notes that tournament modules can enforce settings that differ from defaults. Make allowed and prohibited behavior concrete enough that entrants can build and test against the same expectations. See SSCAIT rules and BWAPI documentation.
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If compute capacity can affect results, publish CPU, memory, wall-clock, client, and concurrency requirements. SSCAIT uses slowdown-loss rules, while the Tournament Manager repository documents optional client requirements and warns that those requirements must match available clients or a tournament may not finish. There is no universal fair compute budget established by these sources: choose one appropriate to your machines, test it, and give every entrant the same limits. See Tournament Manager repository.
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Keep the replay, result data, and the configuration used for each match, including relevant game, map, API, and bot versions. Publish a process that identifies who may challenge a result, the deadline, who reviews the evidence, and whether an administrator may correct the official score. SSCAIT says it saves replays, publishes them after the tournament, and allows administrators to correct an incorrectly evaluated match based on replay evidence. See SSCAIT rules.
Replay access is useful only if it connects to a clear decision process. Specify what evidence is authoritative when a replay, automated result, or match log appears inconsistent, and record any correction so the final standings can be understood.
What should you test before the tournament?
Run a dry run with the final game build, map pack, bot packaging, launch process, and match configuration. Verify ordinary games as well as the failure cases your rules cover. Confirm that the replay is saved, results are recorded, and a reviewer can reproduce the relevant decision from retained evidence.
If using tournament-management software, verify its configuration fields and scheduling behavior against the version you selected. The Tournament Manager repository documents bot fields such as name, race, bot type, and BWAPI version, as well as map configuration; it also describes scheduling constraints involving simultaneous lobbies and limitations in some earlier BWAPI versions. Consult the repository documentation for your chosen software version rather than assuming old compatibility details apply unchanged. See Tournament Manager repository.
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| Decision | Options to compare | Fairness question |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Round robin or matrix, elimination, or skills test | Does each entry receive comparable opportunities for the event’s stated goal? |
| Map schedule | Fixed, rotated, round-robin, or random from a published pool | Do bots face comparable maps and starting positions? |
| Result policy | Immediate forfeit, replay adjudication, or timeout scoring | Are technical failures handled consistently and reviewably? |
| Bot environment | Fixed versions or broader compatibility | Can all entries run with the same access and limits? |
| Race | Declared race or Random | Does race choice fit the rules for each stage? |
AIIDE’s documented historical formats illustrate that organizers have used different structures; the format should follow the competition’s purpose rather than be treated as a universal norm. See AIIDE StarCraft AI competition overview.
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