Stronghold Sim is an application designed as my final project for a second-year course at Queen's University.
It simulates a single robot playing the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition game, Stronghold. After the simulation is complete, users can navigate the list of events that occurred during the simulation, alongside a graphical representation of the field.
Due to it's dependency on SDL2 and Windows.h, it can only be run on Windows.
Graphics are run with the SDL2 library, which is used under the zlib license. A copy of the license from the website can be found in the SDL2 folder. SDL2 source code can be found in their Mercurial repository.
When run, a file named out.graphml is generated showing the current graph with edge directions and node indices. This is designed to be viewed using the online viewer at https://www.yworks.com/yed-live/.
The source code includes the required SDL2 headers, libraries, and required dll file to build and run the application on Windows.
Included is _run.bat, which will automatically compile if the exe is missing and run the project. Additionally, it will set console size to the ideal for use with the application. This is the recommended way of running.
There is a makefile in the root directory that can be used to build the executable.
The program can be built using g++ with the following command from the project root:
g++ StrongholdSim.cpp robot.cpp utils/graph.cpp field/fieldnode.cpp game.cpp utils/utils.cpp field/field.cpp ui/console.cpp ui/interface.cpp -o "main.exe" -ISDL2 -LSDL2 -lmingw32 -lSDL2main -lSDL2
Information related to robot performance (such a speed, defenses, etc) is read from a configuration file. This file is a CSV with the below columns. If the values exceed limits which would prevent simulation, errors are thrown. If values exceed limits which would hinder results, warnings are thrown which can be overridden.
Multiple robot configurations can be listed, and the user will be prompted to select one by robot number.
| Name | Type | Description | Values |
|---|---|---|---|
| team | int | Team number, used in output | 0-9999 |
| can_low | boolean | Flag indicating if robot can go under low bar | 0 or 1 |
| shot_range | unsigned char | Maximum range for high goal shot [inches] | 0-170 |
| centre_shot_time | unsigned char | Time needed for centre high goal shot, 0 indicates unable [seconds] | 0-255 |
| side_shot_time | int | Time needed for side high goal shot, 0 indicates unable [seconds] | 0-255 |
| centre_angle | unsigned char | Maximum angle for shot at centre goal [degrees] | 0-40 |
| side_angle | unsigned char | Angle for shot at side goal [degrees] | 0-40 |
| low_time | unsigned char | Time needed to store in low goal 0 indicates unable [seconds] | 0-255 |
| defenses | long int (hex) | Hex value representing time to cross defenses , 0 means cannot cross and F means it takes 15s [seconds] |
See below |
| speed | float | Robot's speed [fps] | >0 |
| point_value | float | How many seconds of weight are removed per point scored, higher numbers means more defense crossing | 0-9999 |
| Category | Defense | ID | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Portcullis | 0 | 0x0000000F |
| " | Cheval de Frise | 1 | 0x000000F0 |
| B | Moat | 2 | 0x00000F00 |
| " | Ramparts | 3 | 0x0000F000 |
| C | Drawbridge | 4 | 0x000F0000 |
| " | Sally Port | 5 | 0x00F00000 |
| D | Rock Wall | 6 | 0x0F000000 |
| " | Rough Terrain | 7 | 0xF0000000 |
Upon running the code, you will be asked to provide the following inputs:
- Config File: Path to the config file, defaults to
../robots.csv - Team number: Number of the team to be used for the simulation. Must be one listed in
robots.csv - Defense configuration: IDs for defenses to use, in order of position. Input should include one defense from each category. Defaults to
0 2 4 6 - Simulation length: The number of seconds of match time to be simulated, defaults to
150 - Starting node index: The index of the node where the robot should start. To get indices refer to the generated graphml.
After inputs are provided, robot will be loaded and simulation will begin. This will take a shot amount of time to complete, depending on sim duration.
Once the simulation is complete, you will be able to see the list of events that occurred during the math. Events include driving between nodes, crossing defense, intaking a ball, and scoring goals.
The console is the primary UI component. It shows the complete event list, with time, robot, location and a description for each event.
Events can be navigated using the up/down arrow keys. The currently selected event will be coloured light-blue.
On the right, the time, score, and defense stats at the selected event can be seen
Press escape at any time to exit
The Field GUI is a complimentary window which shows an image of the field with a marker at the robot's current location, a line to it's previous, and a line showing the planned path, all with respect to the currently selected node.
By pressing g in the console window, the graph will cycle between hidden, nodes only, and nodes + edges.
There are a variety of robot configurations available for testing the application's behaviour.
A variety of input files have been included under the tests folder to test various elements of input validation. These files are all derived from the same functional dataset, with deviations added to trigger specific behaviour. Most files only check one error as many result in termination of the program.
| File Path | Error | Expected Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| tests/bd1.csv | shot_range entry missing | csv_parsing, missing values |
| tests/bd2.csv | Duplicate team names | invalid_parameter, duplicate teams |
| tests/bd3.csv | Zero speed | invalid_parameter, speed 0 |
| tests/bd4.csv | Cannot cross defenses | invalid_parameter, cannot cross defenses |
| tests/bd5.csv | Cannot score | invalid_parameter, cannot score |
| tests/bd6.csv | Centre+side angle, time and range tolerances exceeded | Tolerance warnings for all listed On override, graph generation with interesting properties |
Similarly, to input validation, configurations have been provided to test various simulation behaviours. These have been provided in the form of teams in the configuration file.
| Team | Input variance | Expected Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| 2708 | Control data, designed to demo everything | Robot navigates field using most elements |
| 901 | Can only score low goal, times boosted to reduce advantage over high | Only scores in low goal, follows general navigation rules |
| 902 | Can only score high goal, times boosted to reduce advantage over low | Only scores in high goal, follows general navigation rules |
| 903 | Can only cross defense default in pos 5. Cross time boosted to discourage crossing | Only crosses farthest defense (assuming defaults) |
| 904 | Can only cross low bar, cannot score centre high | Only crosses low bar, only scores in low or side high |
| 905 | Can only use centre goal from straight on and in close | Only scores from specified node close to goal |