Ocean Mining

Date: 18th February - 20th February Prize Pool: ₹25,000 Prize Distribution: 1st Rank: ₹12,500 2nd Rank: ₹7,500 3rd Rank: ₹5,000 Description: Pragyan 2026, scheduled from 19th to 22nd February 2026, is the annual international techno-managerial festival of NIT Tiruchirappalli. It is among the few student-run festivals certified with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 20121:2012, attracting over 15,000 participants from 100+ colleges each year. The fest features 7 diverse clusters and 40+ events spanning technology, management, robotics, analytics, design, quizzing, finance, innovation, and beyond — making it a dynamic platform for competition, collaboration, and creativity. Oceanmaster is a competitive programming game in which participants write code to control bots that harvest algae and compete against other players’ algorithms in real-time strategic matches. Game Format: Participants are required to write a Python script using a custom Python library provided by the organizers to control the movement and abilities of their bots. Players begin each match with a fixed amount of scraps (the in-game currency), which are used to build different types of bots with unique abilities and associated costs. A match concludes when a player permanently harvests more than 50% of the algae on the game board, or when 1000 ticks (turns) have elapsed. Players progress on the leaderboard by gaining ELO points upon winning matches. The Game Board: Each match is played on a 20 × 20 grid containing algae placed at specific, predetermined locations. The objective is to collect algae while efficiently managing resources such as bots and scraps, and defending against attacks from the opponent. Players may attack opponent bots using the self-destruct ability, which destroys the bot itself along with all bots within a one-block radius. Four banks exist on the map, with two banks located on each side. Bots can deposit algae into a bank, which must be defended for 100 ticks for the deposit to become permanent. Bots equipped with the Lockpick ability may steal algae from a bank while a deposit is in progress. Two energy refill stations are located at the center of the map. Gameplay: Ocean Mining is a 1v1, turn-based game. A player’s algorithm is matched against another player’s algorithm using a matchmaking formula designed to ensure fair competition. Each player starts with 100 scraps, which may be used to construct bots with various abilities such as harvesting or self-destruction. After every tick (turn), each player receives 1 additional scrap. The Bot: Each bot is created from an empty template and can be customized with different abilities. Creating a bot requires 10 scraps and 50 energy points. Additional abilities increase the total scrap cost. Bot movement logic is fully designed by the participant. Sample template bots with predefined movement logic will be provided and may be used directly or as a reference. Detailed bot abilities and their respective costs will be provided in the official game documentation, to be released separately. Judging Criteria: Prizes will be awarded based on the final leaderboard rankings. The decision of the organizers shall be final and binding.