Welcome, aspiring gamers and developers! Today, we’ll explore how to develop your very own StarCraft II AI bot using an easy-to-use library in Python 3. Here, we will focus on the installation process, a simple bot example, and what to do if you encounter any hiccups along the way. Let’s dive in!

What You Need to Get Started

Before we start coding, ensure you have the following essentials:

• Python 3.9 or newer installed.
• StarCraft II executable, which you can install from Blizzard App.
• Maps for your bot to run on.

Installation Steps

Follow these simple steps to install the StarCraft II API client:

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. To install, run the command:

pip install --upgrade burnysc2

3. Alternatively, install it directly from the develop branch using:

pip install poetry
pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall https://github.com/BurnySc2/python-sc2/archive/develop.zip

4. If you want to run both forks simultaneously, consider using virtual environments or poetry.

Setting Up StarCraft II

Here’s how you can set up StarCraft II depending on your operating system:

For Windows or macOS

Simply install StarCraft II from the Blizzard App and you’re good to go!

For Linux Users

You’ll need to install StarCraft II using Wine or Lutris. You can also use the Linux binary, though it is headless. Here’s how to set the environment variables:

SC2PF=WineLinux
WINE=/usr/bin/wine
SC2PATH=/home/burny/Games/battlenet/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/StarCraft II

Creating Your First Bot

Let’s implement a basic worker rush bot in just a few lines of code. Think of your bot as a small team of workers with an essential mission: attack the enemy base! Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

Bot Code Example

Here is how the code works:

python
from sc2 import maps
from sc2.player import Bot, Computer
from sc2.main import run_game
from sc2.data import Race, Difficulty
from sc2.bot_ai import BotAI

class WorkerRushBot(BotAI):
    async def on_step(self, iteration: int):
        if iteration == 0:
            for worker in self.workers:
                worker.attack(self.enemy_start_locations[0])

run_game(maps.get("Abyssal Reef LE"), 
         [Bot(Race.Zerg, WorkerRushBot()), 
          Computer(Race.Protoss, Difficulty.Medium)], 
         realtime=True)

Imagine the bot as a soccer player during a game. At the beginning of the match (iteration == 0), the player (worker) receives a directive to “attack” (pass the ball) and heads straight toward the opposing team’s goal (enemy start location). This ensures that all players make a concerted effort to score early, increasing their chances of winning.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you face any challenges while setting up or running your bot, don’t worry! Here are some troubleshooting ideas:

• Make sure you have the correct version of Python installed.
• Check that all required environment variables are set correctly, especially for Linux users.
• If you encounter issues with different forks of the library, consider using virtual environments to avoid conflicts.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Conclusion

Congratulations on taking the first step towards creating your own AI bot in StarCraft II! With this powerful API client in Python 3, the sky’s the limit for your creativity. If you wish to explore further options, remember that the community is there to help, and you can find many resources including discussions on the Starcraft 2 AI Discord server.

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.