What is Halite?
Halite is an open-source programming environment and AI arena combat game developed by Two Sigma. It provides a sandbox environment for programmers to build intelligent bots using Python, Java, Julia, Haskell, Rust or other languages to play a turn-based abstract strategy game.
In Halite, the game board is a grid map representing salt mines. Players program their bots to compete against other bots by mining salt on the map and battling over territory. The goal is to build the bot with the most sophisticated strategies to gain control of the map and mines the most salt.
Key features of Halite include:
- Open source platform for AI experimentation and learning
- Supports coding bots in Python, Java, and other languages
- Abstract strategy game environment resembling Codecombat
- Compete in leagues and tournaments against bots coded by others
- Great for practice in pathfinding algorithms, decision making, and other AI concepts
With its built-in visulization and debugging tools, Halite provides a appealing sandbox for programmers of all levels to gain AI and bot coding skills. The open community and leagues also facilitate learning through competitions and code sharing.