Questions we hear from educators and organizers.
Short answers to the things people ask before they run their first Haxios competition. If yours isn't here, get in touch and we'll answer it directly.
What it is, and who it's for.
Are the robots real?
Most of our arenas are virtual. Students write a program that controls a robot in a simulated arena, and the matches run on screen with a replay of every one. The exception is Robot Tanks Live, which puts the same competition onto the floor with physical robot tanks and infrared cannons. It's in development, with pilot events planned.
Who is Haxios Learning for?
High school and college students, in teams of three to five. Every arena runs at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, so a first-year programming class and a senior capstone team can compete in the same arena with a rule set that fits them.
What's the difference between Venture Bot and a Competition Season?
Venture Bot is a competition with a pitch. Teams make four decisions, present them to a panel of industry judges, then compete, and the pitch is 30% of the score. A Competition Season has no pitch and no panel. Teams play round after round in one arena, a public ladder tracks the standings, and the top teams meet in the Haxios Cup finale.
What is an arena?
An arena is the game the robots play. There are seven available now, from Robot Tanks to Robo-Soccer and Rally Racing, plus Robot Tanks Live on the way. They share the same process and scoring; what changes is the game on the screen and the lesson students take home. The competitions page compares them side by side.
Why is it called a "business challenge"?
Because engineering isn't 100% of the work. In Venture Bot, teams have to decide how to spend a fixed budget, pick a technology and defend it, and explain their strategy to people who fund and approve projects for a living. Getting the plan funded and understood is part of the job, so it's part of the competition.
What it takes to run one.
How much does it cost?
Pricing depends on which arena you run, how long the program lasts, and how many students take part. A two-day Venture Bot event for one school is priced differently from a semester-long season across a department. Tell us what you have in mind and we'll put a quote together. Get in touch.
What do we need to provide?
A room, a computer with a web browser and an internet connection for each team, and a display to screen matches on. For Venture Bot you'll also want volunteer coaches and a small judging panel, ideally from local industry. We'll brief them. For a season you'll need one person to act as commissioner and run the ladder.
How long does a program take?
Venture Bot runs as a two-day event or a semester unit. A Competition Season runs anywhere from one week to a full semester, with rounds spaced to fit your calendar. The season page shows what a one-week, club-term and semester schedule each look like.
How many students can take part?
Teams are three to five students, and the number of teams is up to you. A class of thirty makes six to ten teams and a lively round-robin. Larger groups work well as a season, where the ladder keeps every team involved until the playoffs.
Can this be part of a graded course?
Yes. It runs well as a semester unit or course, with the Haxios Cup or the final matches in place of an exam. You set the grading. The platform gives you a replay of every match, the scores and standings, and for Venture Bot the judged pitch, so there's plenty to assess.
What students need, and what they get.
Do students need to know how to program already?
Not necessarily. The beginner level is built for first competitions, and arenas like Robot Sumo and Rally Racing get a first working entry running in an afternoon. Coaches help teams get unstuck, and the AI modes can provide as much or as little help as you decide. That said, students should expect to write code, and the more they know, the further they'll take it.
What programming language do students use?
Python or JavaScript. Both are among the most common first languages taught in high school and college, so it is a good choice for these competitions. Teams pick whichever they know best, and in Venture Bot they're expected to explain why they chose it.
What do students actually learn?
Beyond the programming: how to read a situation and anticipate an opponent, how to spend a fixed budget and defend the trade-offs, how to work in a team against a hard deadline, and how to explain a decision to people who weren't in the room when it was made. Each arena adds its own lesson, from probability in Robo-Basketball to cooperation in the Relay Obstacle Course.
Do students use AI?
That's up to the program administrator. There are four AI modes, from unrestricted AI-developer mode down to AI-off, and two ways to supply the AI: students bring their own tools, or we provide an assistant built into the platform. The mode is a policy choice and doesn't change the difficulty level. The AI Approach page explains the options.
Is there a combat theme? Some of our students and parents won't want that.
Robot Tanks is themed around tanks, but nothing is destroyed: hits score points, and the match ends on points or the clock. If you'd rather avoid the theme entirely, six of the arenas are sports: soccer, football, basketball, racing, sumo and a relay. Same strategy, a game every student already knows.
Coaches, judges, scoring and safety.
Who coaches and judges?
Coaches are volunteers who sit with a team and keep it organized and on schedule. They advise; the students decide, and coaches never write the code or the presentation. Judges score the Venture Bot pitch against five published categories. Both roles suit professionals from local industry, and we provide the briefing materials. The Venture Bot page describes each role.
How is it scored?
In Venture Bot, the judged pitch is 30% of a team's standing, match wins 50%, and arena craft 20%. Arena craft measures how well the matches were played: efficiency, accuracy and decisiveness. In a Competition Season there's no pitch; match points and arena craft accumulate on a ladder, and the ladder seeds the playoffs.
Can students watch the matches?
Yes, and they should. Every match produces a replay, and selected matches are screened for the whole event or school with live commentary. Watching your own code make decisions in front of a room is a big part of the experience.
What happens if a team's code doesn't work by the deadline?
Teams submit their code by a set deadline, and coaches push them to get a working entry in early rather than a perfect one at the last minute. An entry that runs but plays poorly still competes and still learns from the replay. That's one reason we recommend practice rounds before the first real match.
Is Robot Tanks Live safe?
Yes. The cannons are infrared emitters, the same invisible light a TV remote uses. There are no projectiles, no lasers and no contact between tanks. The tanks are small and slow enough to catch by hand, and the arena has walls.
How do we get started?
Get in touch and tell us about your students, your calendar and what you want them to walk away with. We'll recommend an arena, a level and an AI mode, or plan a season with you, and give you a quote.
Ask us directly.
Tell us about your program and we'll answer whatever isn't covered here.