Teacher's Guide to CodeCombat Multiplayer Arena Levels - AI4kids

The last level of each topic learning stage in CodeCombat is a multiplayer arena, namely the Wakka Maul level in the CS1 stage, the Power Peak level in the CS2 stage, and the Cross Bones level in the CS3 stage.

This level is a reward for completing each stage of content. Students who have fallen behind in the previous levels can use this opportunity to catch up with their classmates. Students who have successfully submitted their assignments can enter the arena and compete with their classmates within a time limit, trying multiple solutions.

Course Objectives The instructor's course objectives for using the multiplayer arena level are as follows:

• Write precise JavaScript or Python syntax
• Testing JavaScript or Python programs
• Innovative thinking, diverse solutions

We recommend that the teaching time be divided into two stages, namely the student programming stage and the classroom thinking stage. The detailed suggestions are as follows: Student Programming (40-55 minutes) Before programming, students should be divided into two teams: red team or blue team, and each student should join a team.

The specific division method is as follows:

• Randomly divide the team by drawing cards.
• Those who hand in their homework first will be assigned to the blue team, and those who hand in their homework later will be assigned to the red team.
• After the students finish, they will exchange positions.

Note: Without any designation, most students will be assigned to the Red Team. The two teams do not need to have equal numbers of people, but both teams must have people so that students can compete with each other. Class Ranking

After students defeat the computer, they will be placed in the class ranking. The red team will compete against the blue team. Each team has a ranking, as shown in the figure below. Students will only play against the computer and their CodeCombat classmates.

The Arena is a dynamic ranking mechanism that applies Bayesian inference. Only by defeating masters can you continuously improve your ranking. The ranking is based on the size of the points. When a student with a lower ranking in points defeats a student with a higher ranking in points, the greater the difference in points between the two, the more points will be increased or decreased; when a student with a higher ranking in points defeats a student with a lower ranking in points, the greater the difference in points between the two, the fewer points will be increased or decreased. At the same time, we will continue to randomly select the red and blue teams for battle in the background, so everyone's ranking may change. After each student submits the program code, other students can click the "Battle" link in the ranking to challenge him. After the battle, the points will be increased or decreased according to the above rules. Note: Course rankings are transparent. If some students don't like competition or public rankings, you can let them choose the following screen exercises: write a guide to pass their favorite level, write a review of the game.

Code for the Arena can be submitted repeatedly . Students are encouraged to submit their program codes and make repeated improvements and innovations by observing how the code attacks the adversary AI or classmates. Classroom Thinking (5 minutes) Students can raise questions after the competition. You can guide students to think deeply through classroom discussions and other forms. The reference questions are as follows: What is the difference between writing code to control a hero and actually controlling a hero? The game requires the entire plan to be determined in advance, and the hero will no longer be disturbed once he starts executing the instructions. This is different from the way we control heroes in traditional video games. We cannot control heroes in real time while the game is running. Talk about how those differences feel. Which one is more interesting? Which one is harder? How will your strategy change? How do you handle errors? The multiplayer arena level can be used for competition . Click "Upgrade Competition" in the upper left corner of the game interface to set up the competition. The recommended manual is as follows:

Team competition on the first day : let students form teams to get better strategies and promote teamwork. Team competition: let all students in the class play the arena at the same time, half red team and half blue team. Show teacher account: leaving the teacher account on the arena ladder page will stimulate more competition between students.

Day 2 Strategy: Have each team write code for 20 minutes to get the final strategy Submission: Have the players stop writing and hand in the final version of the code Elimination: Design an elimination game and watch the hostile play between players and pairs (teachers can design their own elimination game to increase playability) Sharing: Have the winning player explain the code behind his strategy to the whole class

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