EA Announces UK Version Of 'Tank Wars' Student Competition

Following the recent announcement of the U.S. version of ‘Tank Wars’, a competition that invites computer science students to write an AI program that pits one military tank against another in a battle for supremacy, Electronic Arts has announced a UK version of the competition. John Buchanan, Head of University Research Liaison at EA commented with regard to the announcement: "As we move into the next-generation, the task of rendering stunning graphics in games is slowly being handed over to specialized hardware. We have reached the point where we can easily produce highly realistic and incredibly impressive visuals with relative ease. In this competition, we have deliberately downgraded the graphics to emphasize the importance of A.I. Over the next five to 10 years, A.I. is going to differentiate great games from the rest. With this competition, we hope to find people with a passion for A.I and understanding of the magic that makes a game truly fun to play." The by-invitation-only competition is open to the following UK Universities: Sheffield University, Imperial College London, University College London, Manchester University, Cambridge University, University of Surrey, Abertay University, York University, Liverpool John Moore University, University of Sussex, Edinburgh University and Trinity College Dublin. Prizes for the competition include a chance to meet the development team of the Battlefield franchise from EA and Digital Illusions and take home a new gaming computer complete with an EA line-up of PC titles. Submissions will be accepted from February 15, 2006 to February 28, 2006, and prize winners will be revealed on or about March 19, 2006, and there's more information via the UK Tank Wars invitation document.