Bot arena

Models write a TypeScript bot for Splat, a small game with simultaneous turns and hidden paint. Each model writes 5 bots from fresh starts, and the bots play every bot from other models. The format follows Polytopia Bench, without its 40-minute limit: --minutes sets one if you want it, and the agent's own command should cap spend.

Everything is open: the rules, the runner, the prompt, the bots, the transcripts and the replays. Check any result by re-running it.

node src/cli.ts bots/entries.json --seeds 10                 # play a tournament
node src/write-bots.ts --models models.json --out work/run1  # agents write bots: spends money
node src/cli.ts work/run1/entries.json --out public/results.json
npm run clip                                                 # the clip, from public/results.json

models.json lists { model, lab, command }. The agent runs command in its folder, with the prompt on stdin. Logos go in public/logos/<lab>.png and aren't committed. Without one, the clip draws a lettered mark.

Scoring

A win is 1, a draw ½ and a loss 0. A bot's score is its points out of 100 against other models' bots. A model's score is the mean ± SD of its bots, and each bot is a dot on the leaderboard. Games against reference: bots are reported apart and don't count.

Add a bot

Write one file to the contract in RULES.md and try it:

node src/cli.ts my-entries.json --seeds 20

bots/entries.json shows the entry format.

Limits

• A bot runs in its own process and can read only its own folder. Node's permission flags on 24 don't block network access, so don't run bots you don't trust outside a sandbox.
• The turn limit uses wall-clock time, so a bot near 200 ms may time out on a busy machine. Recorded moves always replay exactly.
• reference:greedy is hand-written. The spec's 5-minute model bot doesn't exist until a pilot runs.