BotArena and DeckBot

[battlestar]

BotArena is yet another MTG application which allows you to play MTG with your computer or another player over the net. However, the current focus of the project is the single player/AI aspect of the game.

Features:

• Rule enforced (both DeckBot and BotArena)
• Mana usage aware (both DeckBot and BotArena) which means the engine can automatically pass for you because you don't have enough mana to cast any spells or perform any abilities
• Play with computer (both DeckBot and BotArena)
• Play with another player over the net
• Deck constructions
• Define 'usage pattern' per ability per card to tell the application when not to ask you to play an ability (e.g. you only want to ping someone at the end of your opponent's turn)
• Drag and drop cards to perform single targeted operations (e.g. Shock, block an attacker)

Download version 1.0.6.7 (5/20/08): http://www.deckbotarena.net/botarena/index.html

[battlestar]

Version 1.0.6.7 uploaded.

Changes in 1.0.6.7:

• Bug fix: Until end of turn effect now affects only cards at casting time
• Bug fix: Phyrexian Gargantua is now 4/4
• Bug fix: Casting Enfeeblement on small creatures now remove Enfeeblement from play

Known issues to be resolved:

• card bitmap problems - cards may disappear or not displayed correctly
• When AI cast a Terror effect, and you counter that spell, the targeted creature goes to the graveyard as if the spell wasn't countered.
• When you win the coin flip and starts the game, you get 6 cards in hand and draw one more during your draw phase. That it is no true in real magic. You start with 7 cards in hand and skip your first draw phase.

[battlestar]

BotArena 1.0.6.10 is the last version I am distributing because of the uncertainty in the legality of the application. The download link will be disabled soon. DeckBot will continue to be available because of the text-based approach and no rules text is included.

Changes in 1.0.6.10 (thanks to Franavalon and many others for all the bug reports and suggestions):

You can now click on a spell/pseudo spell in the stack to see the associated card image in the Preview window
Double clicking in the deck builder will add/remove cards
Added more board (table top) sizes: 2000x700, 1600x700
Bug fix: Memory leak - all missing bitmap and memory leak issues should be resolved
Bug fix: Thorn Elemental and similar cards now deal damage instead of give life
Bug fix: Sunlance now correctly gather legal targets and no more crash because of that
Bug fix: Tariff and simliar special mana payment cards - fixed crash
Bug fix: Coat of Arms now correctly identify shared creature types
Bug fix: Wildfire no longer deals damage to players
Bug fix: Inspiration and other simliar cards now correctly draw cards to the targeted opponent
Bug fix: River Bear now has Islandwalk instead of Forestwalk
Bug fix: Contaminated Bond's life loss is now not preventable
Bug fix: Mindslicer now triggers correctly
Bug fix: Groundbreaker now has trample
Bug fix: Sleight of Hand now discards to the bottom of the library
Bug fix: Crystal Vein no longer comes into play tapped
Bug fix: Nightmare and similar cards now monitor in-play changes correctly
Bug fix: Aven Cloudchaser has the correct casting cost now
Bug fix: Living Lands and similar cards - crash fixed
Bug fix: UIs and minor fixes - Nantuko Disciple, Mind Sludge, Intruder Alarm, Vampiric Link, Disorder, Tidal Kraken, Reminisce
Known Issues: Contaminated Bond, Consume Spirit, Guerrilla tactics, Sleight of hand

[battlestar]

Changes in 1.0.6.11 (thanks to Franavalon, Dinghammer and others for all the bug reports):

• Added missing 8th Edition pre-constructed decks: Speed Scorch, Heavy Hitters
• Declare blockers and combat damage steps are skipped when no attackers are declared
• These enchant cards' abilities are now properly used from the enchant card instead of the enchanted card:
  
  • Spirit Link
  • Vampiric Link
  • Psychic Venom
  • Blight
  • Pariah
  • Granite Grip
  • Blanchwood Armor
  • Spreading Algae
  • Fertile Ground
  • Contaminated Bond
  • Keen Sense
  • Curiosity
  • Regeneration
  • Firebreathing
• Balduvian Horde: discard is done during triggered ability resolution (triggered ability fix)
• Coastal Hornclaw: multiple usage possible through 'all actions'
• Confiscate: now goes to graveyard for illegal targets
• Delusions of Mediocrity: control change now do not trigger the ability
• Dream Cache: now asks for the placement choice
• Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore: updated to the Time Spiral rule so that multiple Eyes can attack
• Fecundity (and similars): 'all actions' no longer needed to choose not to draw
• Flash, Ostracize: only creature cards can be selected now (fix applies to all single card selection spells/abilities)
• Foul Imp: fixed life deduction to life loss instead of normal damage
• Furnace of Rath:
  
  • second Furnace of Rath can now be cast without using 'all actions'
  • damage is now calculated correctly according to dinghammer's explanation
• Guerrilla Tactics: should not be triggered when not discarded by opponents
• Hammer of Bogardan: fixed spell type to Sorcery instead of Instant (originally reported as a bug in Magnivore)
• Hecatomb + Festering Goblin: sacrificing creatures are done during triggered ability resolution and the triggered abilities of Festering Goblin are triggered afterward (triggered ability fix)
• Hidden Horror: discard is done during triggered ability resolution (triggered ability fix)
• Howling Mine: now triggers after the normal draw
• Infernal Contract, Doomsday, Murderous Betrayal: life lose correctly rounded
• Index: can be used without using 'all actions'
• Lesser Gargadon + Coastal Hornclaw: land sacrifice in resolution (triggered ability fix)
• Loxodon Warhammer: now gives trample
• Mana Breach: land selection now done during triggered ability resolution (triggered ability fix)
• Nantuko Husk: now gets +2/+2 when used
• Natural Affinity: land creatures now can attack if they have no summoning sickness
• Persecute: fixed all multiple card selection validations
• Primeval Force: sacrificing now done in resolution (triggered ability fix)
• Rag Man: now shows opponent's hand before random discard
• Rathi Dragon: land sacrifices now done during resolution (triggered ability fix)
• Recall: swapped selection order so now you couldn't select cards just discarded
• Snake Basket: corrected token color
• Star Compass: control changes of basic lands now functional
• Teferi's Puzzle Box: Opponent's discarded card names are no longer available
• Trade Routes: card movements from in-play zone to hand no longer requires checking 'all actions'
• UI or minor fixes: Tidal Kraken(8th), Flowstone Slide, Goblin Balloon Brigade, Sift (9th), Collective Unconscious, Ley Druid

[battlestar]

1.0.6.12:
[list]
[*] Changed end game check to whenever a player receives priority instead of when the stack is cleared
[*] Changed 10th Edition cards to use the abbrevation '10th' instead of 'X'
[*] Caltrops: fixed missing damage deal
[*] Dwarven Demolition Team: changed activated ability to has tap cost intead of (R)
[*] Shard Phoenix: removed damage to players
[*] Skull of Orm: fixed card move to hand instead of in-play
[*] Spirit Link (and similar): fixed not working life gain
[*] Story Circle: removed colorless as a selection option
[*] Treasure trove: removed tap cost
[*] Tempest of Light: changed spell type from Sorcery to Instant
[*] Warmth: removed optional choice when triggered
[*] UI or minor fixes:
[\list]

[battlestar]

Changes in 1.0.6.13:

New: now supports mulligan
New (BotArena): card size can be customized in the Appearance options
New (BotArena): added UI link to equipement and equipped creature
Blocking action: blocked status of an attacking creature is maintained if a blocking creatre is removed from combat at the end of the Declare Blockers Step
Regeneration action (reported in Drudge Skeletons): regenerated creatures retains +/- values until of turn
Equipments (reported as a bug in Mogg Sentry): changed ability type to Activated instead of Sorcery
Ivory Cup (and similars): fixed bug which is preventing ability usage
Jester's Cap: updated logic to tag zone Removed From Game as something bad
Sustainer of the Realm (reported as a bug in Sword Dancer): added missing Flying ability
Threaten, Confiscate (and similar control cards): removed creature power and toughness reset after gaining control of a creature
The Hive: added tap cost
Wildfire: fixed bug which was causing more than 4 cards to be discarded; can now cast without using 'all actions' when there are no opponent creatures
UI or minor fixes:
(BotArena) Fixed broken sorting function in the Action list
Shivan Reef

[battlestar]

1.0.6.14 changes (some changes are for BotArena only):

• New: added filtering by text in any fields in deck editor
  
• New: all windows will be hidden in full screen mode; also the Actions window will appear automatically if some of the actions cannot be performed on a card
  
• New: undo tapping mana can be done on a card by double clicks now (if double click option is enabled, otherwise right click will see the undo action)
  
• Combat damage assignments: simple assignments are now automatic if the 'Auto' option is checked
  
• AI: computer should be able to do overkills during combats (new default option in Game play->overkill)
  
• AI: computer should not mind losing some life at early stage (new default option in Game play->conserve life)
  
• Mulligan: reduced land expectation from computer player by 1 (7 cards -> expect 2, 6 cards -> expect 1, 5 cards -> stop)
  
• Fixed missing rendered card back image
  
• Equipment: fixed incorrect ability type (again)
  
• Losing condition check (reported as a bug in Corrupt): check added between any switch to the priority player
  
• Counterspell (and similars): added code to remove countered spells from stack
  
• Gift of Estates (and Weird Harvest): allows selection of less than 3 cards
  
• Goblin Elite Infantry (and similars): shouldn't trigger Furnace of Rath now
  
• Plow Under: fixed target card type to lands instead of creatures
  
• Recall: discard is now before search (reverted changes in 1.0.6.11)
  
• Reprocess (reported as bug in Sacred Ground): fixed incorrect performed-by player information
  
• Sea's Claim: now targets all land types
  
• Western Paladin: fixed target card type to white creatures only
  
• UI or minor fixes:
  
  • Double click to perform an action is now the default (instead of zoom) if you install a fresh copy of BotArena
    
  • Card info fixed: Dwarven Demolition Team, Saltblast, Counsel of the Soratami
    

[Huggybaby]

The goodness keeps coming, thanks battlestar.

[Huggybaby]

In case you can't access Battlestar's site:

DeckBot.1.0.6.15.zip (957.21 KB)
http://www.mediafire.com/?jarm3fiodnm

[doxaios]

When I saw the screenshot I got crazy!I thought that the installation etc will be easy as MagMa but it is not. First of all I downloaded a rar file from Huggy's link. I unrar this and when I double click the application icon nothing happens. The txt file says this

[08/28/08 19:29:24 Debug 2816 CoreApp.cpp(103) oreApp::InitInstance()] Core App initializing...
[08/28/08 19:29:24 Debug 2816 Socket.cpp(122) CWinsock::Initialize()] Winsock initialized.
[08/28/08 19:29:24 Infor 2816 DeckBot.cpp(238) CDeckBotApp::Run()] Bad command line
[08/28/08 19:29:24 Debug 2816 CoreApp.cpp(221) oreApp::ExitInstance()] Core App exiting...

In the forum I found wonderful programs but I think that the instructions are not good enough. I think that someone who actually run these programs must wright detailed instructions.

[Incantus]

Hey doxalos,

The GUI program is no longer released. Only the console version.

[doxaios]

damn

[meep.o.matic]

i'm sorry, are there instructions on how to play this? I can't see how you doo it without a gui, sorry for the noobish question

[frwololo]

I'd say you run it in a command line window.
Whenever you can play, a menu asks you to type a key on your keyboard depending on what you can do

[meep.o.matic]

=/ It's sad to see such a promissing program fade away, because of legal issues =/ I thought the only thing that was ilegal were the card pictures