... would come in handy when you start to evaluate the contest, too :)
What I'm thinking of:
Point the program to a directory, set preferences
(like number of cars, difficulty setting, number of runs,
number of tests - to make multiple tests for the same bridge, and MOST important: delay between start of sim and start of train - that way you dont have to have such unpredictable things in the rules like:'We will run the train a few seconds after..' - you could state exactly: 'We will test it with delays 3 and 5'),
and then the program will take every bridge found in that folder and test it with these settings, gathering infos into a text file (file name, bridge name, architect, cost, broken links, time for each of the train passes (for some benchmark guys or hehe... let the fastest train win :), total test time).
No graphics needed (maybe a progress report or whatever), should be able to be run in background..
I would like to see multiple tests per brigde, too:
test it with increasing load until it breaks on successive runs.. (maybe optional configuration via script file) so you can easy specify such runs:
easy 7 cars 2 runs
easy 9 cars 4 runs
medium 5 cars 2 runs
...
of course, here is another contest idea:
make a bridge that withstands the heaviest load
with a given budget :) (on a tie, the cheaper bridge wins)
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