2012 saw the launch of the inaugural Entelect 100K Challenge – and this week sees the lift-off of the annual contest pitting like-minded individuals against one another in a blazing battle to win.
The Entelect 100K Challenge calls for entrants to try their hand at coding. Candidates have to write an artificially intelligent program that can play against an opponent in the cult Nintendo classic, Battle City.
Innovation, effectiveness and intelligence are all that is required. A tournament will be held with all the successful entrants, with scheduled play-offs, playing each program against the other in an online environment. The ultimate finals, taking place at rAge, promises to be heated, competitive and gripping as contenders battle it out for the ultimate prize – a chance to fast track their lives with a massive cash injection.
“We had to change things up a bit this year. Last year was quite a familiar AI problem for coders to deal with (Tron Lightcycles). This year we decided to take things down 8-bit memory lane and do something fun in the form of Battle City. The core problem that coders will have to solve this year is similar, but with a few more quirks and a lot more opportunity for unique strategy. As we saw with last year’s challenge, the finalists were all individuals who went to great lengths for that extra 10% intelligence. We hope this year to see an even wider array of clever strategies as the tanks fight it out for superiority on the battlefield.” – Tim Kroon of Entelect Software.
“This is a high-energy, adrenaline-infused opportunity that not only has a huge winning incentive but is a lot of fun. This is for every red-blooded individual who enjoys a bit of competition and could picture themselves securing the prestige of developing the winning code -a great career starter. We are thrilled to be able to host the finals at rAge, which further adds to the excitement of the Entelect 100K Challenge,” says Michael James, Editor, NAG Magazine.
Entries for the Entelect 100K Challenge are now open and will close on 2 September 2013, with the tournament play-offs taking place on 16 September after entries have been collated and tested. The tournament will see a heated play-off as all entrants go up against each other for a spot in the finals. At the end of the evening, the finalists who will participate in a live face-off at rAge on 5 October will be announced. For more information visit the Entelect website on: www.entelect.co.za
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Staff writer
