Partially de-obfuscated simpleTarget() from nodewar.com

simpleTarget.js

// nodewar.com library function…
// o.lib.targeting.simpleTarget(ship, pos)
//
// mostly deobfuscated/deminified
//
function simpleTarget(ship, pos) {
    var i, r, h,
        torque = 0,
        thrust = 0,
        dir = o.lib.targeting.dir(ship, pos);
    
    if (Math.abs(dir) < Math.PI/8) {
        thrust = 1;
    }
    else if (Math.abs(dir) < Math.PI/4) {
        thrust = .5;
    }
    
    // ship is not turning
    if (ship.a_vel === 0)
        torque = (dir < 0) ? -1 : 1;

    // ship is turning right, but target is left
    else if (dir < 0 && ship.a_vel > 0)
        torque = -1;

    // ship is turning left, but target is right
    else if (dir > 0 && ship.a_vel < 0)
        torque = 1;

    // we're turning the right way. just fine tuning...
    else  {
        i = o.RULES.TORQUE_RANGE[1] / ship.m_i;
        h = Math.abs(ship.a_vel) / i;
        r = Math.abs(ship.a_vel) * h + .5 * -i * h * h;
        
        if (Math.abs(dir) > r) {
            torque = (dir > 0) ? 1 : -1;
        }
        else {
            torque = (dir > 0) ? -1 : 1;
        }
    }
        
    return {thrust: thrust, torque: torque, label: null};
}

for what it's worth, I expect a way to win Nodewar would be to stop using my simpleTarget and to write a better one.

I think the real improvements are to be gained with changing how the thrust works. The rotation code, as far as I could figure, was just about ideal: at the timescales involved (t=0.005 in x = x0 + vt + 1/2at^2) and taking the moment of inertia into account, the torque should always be maxed out in either direction.

It occurs to me that this may not hold with smaller fragments, though… hmm!

As a side note, I'm amused at how many (all?) of the leaders are based on the open-source bots, just with slightly different weightings.

There's also surely some advantage to be gained by adjusting weighting according to the moon field size, as well as taking gravity into account. More accurate navigation would quite likely trip up any of the existing contenders.

Thanks @malgorithms

@aniero yeah, that's why I'm trying to understand simpleTarget =D

my first goal is to change the targeting from the current "skate toward the puck" to "skate to where the puck is going". And use that when attacking.