AI Development for StarCraft II

Welcome to the exciting journey of programming artificial intelligence for StarCraft II, the popular real-time strategy game. StarCraft II is free-to-play and available on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, making it accessible for AI enthusiasts and developers across different operating systems.

Resources for Learning and Inspiration

As you embark on this adventure, here are some valuable resources to kickstart your AI project:

• The Python-based StarCraft II Client for AI development is an excellent starting point: Check out the repository at BurnySc2/python-sc2 for comprehensive guides and a plethora of examples to learn from.

• DeepMind's groundbreaking work on AI with their article, AlphaStar: Mastering the real-time strategy game StarCraft II, offers an in-depth look at how they trained a neural network to play StarCraft II at a high level.

• Explore AI tournaments, such as the ones hosted by the University of Olomouc, for a practical glimpse into competitive AI gameplay: UPOL SC2 AI Cup.

• And more

  • https://eschamp.com/guides/how-to-quickly-start-with-a-terran-bot-in-python/
  • https://vinsloev.medium.com/conquer-the-galaxy-building-a-starcraft-2-ai-with-python-7925ce8d05aa
  • https://pythonprogramming.net/starcraft-ii-ai-python-sc2-tutorial/

Setting Up Your Environment

Follow these steps to prepare your development environment:

Create Python project

1. Download the Project Starter Kit: Access the project template to get started with a sample AI bot. Download Link: Starter Project Kit

2. Create a Virtual Environment and Install Dependencies: Ensure that you have a clean workspace for your AI's development by creating a virtual environment and installing the necessary libraries.

# Create a virtual environment
python -m venv .venv

# Activate the virtual environment
# For Windows:
.\.venv\Scripts\activate
# For macOS/Linux:
source .venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies from the requirements.txt file
pip install -r requirements.txt

Map Configuration for Bot Testing

To effectively test our AI bots, we will be using a simplified version of the game on a custom map named "Distributer." This map provides a controlled environment that is ideal for AI development and testing.

• Downloading the Map: Obtain the Distributer map from the following resource: 2022 - Agria Valley.

• Installing the Map: Once downloaded, the map file must be placed into the Maps directory of your StarCraft II installation. The default path on most systems is C:\Program Files (x86)\StarCraft II\Maps.

Running a Demo Bot

To see a StarCraft II AI bot in action:

Execute the script WorkerRushBot.py in your preferred IDE or command line interface.

python WorkerRushBot.py

Additional Notes on Visual Studio Code Setup

For those who prefer using Visual Studio Code (VSCode) as their IDE, here's a brief guide to get your project up and running:

1. Open VSCode and navigate to the cloned/downloaded project directory.
2. Open a terminal in VSCode (usually `Ctrl + `` or through the Terminal menu).
3. Follow the steps outlined in 'Setting Up Your Environment' to create your virtual environment and install dependencies directly within the VSCode terminal.
4. Run your bot by right-clicking on WorkerRushBot.py and selecting 'Run Python File in Terminal' or by using the terminal command mentioned above.

By following these instructions, you'll have a functioning AI bot for StarCraft II ready for development and experimentation in no time. Dive into the provided resources, get inspired, and start crafting your AI!