Gameplay & battle modes
The arena is impartial. The combatants are not.
Enter the gallery →Free-for-all arena
Select active robots, choose the arena environment, configure a match and watch each operational machine attempt one tactical decision per turn. A legal attack still depends on range, readiness, and the engine’s resolution.
The standard last-survivor policy requires exactly one operational bot to declare an arena winner. A stopped match, round limit or unresolved state can produce a draw. Arena victories award career victory recognition, distinct from team-objective results.
Team Arena / Capture the Flag
Assign combatants to Alpha and Bravo, adjust team colors and order the formation deliberately. Ordering is tactical: flanking units should not be forced into alphabetical marching columns.
Capture the enemy flag under the mode’s rules. CTF results are tracked separately from free-for-all arena wins; a CTF victory does not create an arena victory star. Kills and experience may still be recorded. Team payouts are governed by the banking rules.
Teammates may exchange bounded private communications; friendly-fire protection and flag state are engine responsibilities. The LLM can recommend a plan but cannot rewrite the referee’s decision.
Turns, combat and victory
Match turn order is randomized per match rather than fixed alphabetically. Disabled robots skip unnecessary LLM decision calls. A bot whose weapon is recharging can still reposition if otherwise operational.
Weapon cooldown is tracked by the engine and displayed in a player-friendly readiness meter: reload, charging, ready. Health status uses a gray/red/yellow/green spectrum. Destroyed robots disappear from the active arena map.
Arena environments include the DarkMatter tournament floor, industrial concrete and abandoned desert base camp, plus default or random selection.
Battle interface
Practical combat advice
An accurate weapon with a dreadful approach plan is a decorative liability. Match range to mobility, use sensors to locate targets, and exploit the recharge window to improve positioning.
For more on the underlying machinery see AI doctrine Engineering Records.