Looking to play a game of RoboRuckus? This guide will give you a brief introduction to the player interface. This guide won’t cover the game rules, for the basics on that see the About section. While the interface is mobile compatible, for simplicity this guide will refer only to clicks, but taps can be substituted for clicks.
As a general rule, try to avoid hitting the back button in your browser, but if you do get lost, just ask your game master for help getting back to the appropriate page.
Setting Up
To begin, get the Wi-Fi information from your game master and connect to the RoboRuckus Wi-Fi server with your preferred device (phone/tablet/laptop). If the game master has set up nginx and dnsmasq (ask them) connect to the game server by visiting https://roboruckus.com/ otherwise go to http://192.168.3.1:8082/, you may need to disable your cellular data connection to force the browser to connect to the game server. If the game isn’t setup yet you’ll be asked to wait until it is, or if the game is full you’ll be informed you can’t join this game, sorry.
Once you’ve successfully connected to the game server you’ll be taken to the setup page. Here you’ll choose a robot and place it on the board. First, select a robot from the drop-down menu, then place it on the board by clicking on the square you want to start in, click it again to rotate the robot’s orientation. One you’re satisfied with where your robot is, click the “Join Game” button, then place your physical robot on the real board in the space and orientation that matches your choice.
Your game master may provide instructions on which spaces you can and cannot use to enter the game, so be sure to listen to them first before choosing one.
As other players join the game, their positions on the game board will be displayed on the set up screen. Set up is first-come-first-served, so if another player joins the game before you do with the bot or space you wanted, you’ll be asked to choose another.
Playing
After setting up you’ll be taken the the main game screen and dealt your cards. The main part of the display shows all the cards you were dealt and below that are the five registers (card slots) you can drag and drop your cards into to “program” your bot. Along the top of the screen is the robot status: The “robot damage” circles fill in for each point of damage the robot takes; the “flags touched” squares fill in for each flag the robot has successfully touched, if flags are being used; the “lives remaining” circles empty for each life the robot has lost by being destroyed.
Once you’re satisfied with your program, click the “Submit Program” to send your program to the game server. At this point your program will be locked and no further changes will be permitted. If the game master has enabled the timer and you’re the last player still choosing your program, or the only player currently not shutdown or dead, a thirty-second timer will appear and begin counting down. If you don’t submit your program before the timer runs out, any unfilled slots will be filled with random cards from your hand, and your program will be automatically submitted.
When all the players have submitted their programs the round will start. During each register in the round, the player interface will replace the dealt cards with the board element, if any, that is currently active, and the register that’s currently being executed will be highlighted in blue. During the course of the registers, a number of sound effects will be played at appropriate times, such as when lasers are firing, if a robot takes damage or is repaired, and so on.
Damage and Shutting Down
If your robot takes enough damage the appropriate registers will be locked until enough damage is healed to unlock them. To heal all damage, you can toggle the shutdown button below the “Submit Program” button. When this toggle is enabled the robot will be shut down during the next round, i.e. after the robot has finished moving for this round. When your robot is shutdown you won’t be dealt any cards and you can’t submit a program, but your robot can still be affected by other robots and board elements.
To initiate a shutdown on the next turn, program your robot normally, toggle the shutdown switch to the on position, and then submit your program. Your robot will move normally and then shutdown at the end of the round assuming it’s not destroyed.
Currently, a robot cannot remain shutdown multiple rounds it a row, nor can it be shutdown while re-entering the game.
When your (or any) robot is destroyed the game will be paused until the game master finishes re-entering the destroyed the robots into the game. If your robot is destroyed three times, it will be removed from the game, sorry, better luck next game!