View source for Wave Surfing

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A form of precise bullet dodging movement used primarily in [[One on One|1v1]]. A [[Waves|Wave]] is a mechanic used to represent all possible locations of a bullet.  Through observation of waves and bullets, one can try to project the relative dangers of each area of a wave in the air -- i.e., the likelihood that the enemy fired at various angles.  (Note that Robocode bots cannot see bullets in the air.)

== History == 

[[User:ABC|ABC]] was the first to implement true Wave Surfing in a Robocode bot when he added it to [[Shadow]] in mid-2004. As of April, 2010, the top 40 duelists in the [[RoboRumble]] use a form of Wave Surfing.

== How it works ==
* Detect an [[Energy Drop|energy drop]] to know that a bullet was fired.  Create a matching Wave.
* Gather data from <code>onHitByBullet</code> or <code>onBulletHitBullet</code>, always matching to the correct Wave, to learn what firing angles the enemy gun uses in different situations.
* For the nearest bullet(s) in the air, use [[Precise Prediction|precise prediction]] to deduce the areas of the wave(s) your bot could reach.
* Try to move to the safest reachable spot on each wave.

== Styles of surfing ==

* [[/True Surfing|True Surfing]] - Decide each tick whether to move forward, backward, or stop.  By far the most common form of wave  surfing, it is used by many bots including [[BasicSurfer]], [[Diamond]], and [[Shadow]].
* [[/GoTo Surfing|GoTo Surfing]] - Calculate the safest spot on the nearest wave(s) and move there directly.  [[DrussGT]] uses this method.
* [[/Melee|Melee Surfing]] - Surfing waves fired by multiple bots simultaneously.  [[Neuromancer]] uses this method.

==See also==
* [[Wave Surfing Tutorial]]
* [[Waves]]
* [[Energy Drop]]
* [[Precise Prediction]]
* [[Flattener]]
* [[Gun Heat Waves]]

[[Category:Movement]]