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Modula-2 PACS: Tutorial

To create the best PACS-team, follow these steps:

Modula-2 programming prerequisites:

advanced & expert
exercises Topic A untill Topic O & Topic P

Try the demo
Read the Introduction: learn about the rules of the game, the engine, the players' behaviour, ...
Install the PACS files

install XDS first
run PACS from PACS.mod

Try all possibilities of the PACS configuration and mode in PACS.mod

play interactively using the arrow keys
try out a board start situation (plElFromInput := TRUE)

Learn about the PACS files: what is the role of every file, how are they linked

what is a library? consists of a definition and an implementation module
compilation produces .sym & .obj files, linking creates the PACS.exe file

Learn about the engine (its program structure) and where your team fits in
Study PACSInterface.def carefully
Study our demo player JJSimplePl (JJSimplePl.def & JJSimplePl.mod) (its program structure)
Start making your own player by copying our demo player JJSimplePl and changing its name everywhere in the code
Think about a team strategy

what will be the global structure?
what seperate modules can be identified (eg memory)

Good programming

Use our standards!
Learn about Structured Programming (eg use the PACSInterface constants & types)
Consult the Troubleshooting page
Clean memory (add counters for each type of allocation! Print them at the end of your code, they should be 0.)

Debug your code

use gDebugLevel in each module (like in JJSimplePl.mod)
Learn to use the debugger!

Test your code

try out all game numbers (eg play without GUI, put a loop around the PlayPACS pocedure, see bottom of PACS.mod file)
try out all opponant teams
play with white AND black
try out several arenas

General tips

use of XDS
make enough backups & organise them properly!!

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