Coders and gamers can win R100,000

Entries for the Entelect 100K Challenge are now open and will close on 2 September 2013. Entrants have to write an artificially intelligent programme that can play against an opponent in the cult Nintendo classic, Battle City. Entelect Software and NAG Magazine sponsor the event, which began last year.

Innovation, effectiveness and intelligence are all that is required. Tournament play-offs will take place on 16 September, after the entries have been collated and tested, with all successful entrants playing each programme against the other in an online environment.

The finals, taking place at rAge on 5 October 2013, promises to be heated, competitive and gripping, as contenders battle it out for the R100,000 prize.

More challenging

"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," says 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 competition," adds Michael James, Editor, NAG Magazine.

For more information, go to www.entelect.co.za.