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9.2 - Competing with Your Bot - Ladders and Tournaments

9.2. Competing with Your Bot: Ladders and Tournaments​

Building a bot is a creative act, but competing is how you truly test its intelligence. Pitting your creation against others is the ultimate way to discover its strengths, expose its flaws, and gather invaluable data for improvement. The StarCraft II AI community offers a vibrant competitive scene centered around automated ladders and annual tournaments.

The Competitive Ecosystem​

The path for a new bot often follows this progression:

+---------------------+      +---------------------+      +---------------------+
|                     |      |                     |      |                     |
|    Local Testing    | ---> |    SC2 AI Arena     | ---> | Annual Tournaments  |
| (vs. Built-in AI)   |      |  (Continuous Ladder)|      | (e.g., AIIDE)       |
|                     |      |                     |      |                     |
+---------------------+      +---------------------+      +---------------------+
   (Initial Debugging)        (Real-world Testing)         (Peak Competition)

The SC2 AI Arena: Your Primary Proving Ground​

The SC2 AI Arena is the central, year-round automated ladder for all community bots. It is the best place to start your competitive journey.

FeatureDescriptionWhy It's Valuable for You
Automated MatchmakingYou upload your bot as a .zip file. The system automatically schedules and runs games against other bots on powerful cloud servers.You get a constant stream of games without any manual effort, providing a large dataset of your bot's performance.
Public LeaderboardAll bots are ranked using a standard rating system (like Elo). You can track your bot's progress as it wins and loses games.Provides a clear, quantitative measure of your bot's strength and lets you see how it stacks up against the community.
Automated Replay AccessThe replay file for every game your bot plays is automatically saved and made available for you to download and analyze.This is the most important feature. Replays are the ultimate tool for diagnosing strategic flaws and understanding why you won or lost.

Your First Steps on the Ladder:

  1. Read the Rules: Familiarize yourself with the packaging requirements and rules on the website.
  2. Upload Your Bot: Package your bot into a .zip file and upload it.
  3. Analyze Your First Games: Download the replays from your first few matches. Don't worry about the results; focus on identifying one or two obvious flaws (e.g., "My bot never built anti-air units").
  4. Iterate and Re-upload: Fix the flaw, re-package your bot, and upload the new version. Repeat!

Major Tournaments: The Pinnacle of Competition​

In addition to the 24/7 ladder, the community hosts several high-profile tournaments each year. These are scheduled events with specific deadlines and often attract the strongest and most innovative bots.

TournamentDescriptionWhen to Participate
AIIDE StarCraft AI CompetitionOne of the oldest and most prestigious academic AI competitions. It is a major event in the community calendar.After you have gained experience on the ladder and are confident in your bot's core stability and strategy.
Community TournamentsVarious other tournaments are announced on the Discord server throughout the year, often with unique rules or map pools.Keep an eye on the #announcements channel on Discord for opportunities to test your bot in different formats.

For a new developer, the goal should be to get a stable bot running on the SC2 AI Arena ladder. The experience and data you gain there are the best preparation for the exciting challenge of a major tournament.