write-arena-page

name	write-arena-page
description	Write the codeclash.ai arena page for a CodeClash arena. Use when asked to "write/add an arena page", "document an arena on the website", or "write up <arena> for the site". Produces pages/arenas/<arena>.md matching site conventions.

Write an Arena Page

An arena page is a single markdown file, pages/arenas/<arena>.md, with a key-value front matter block followed by the write-up body. server.py serves it at /arenas/<arena>/, templates/arena.html renders it, and templates/arenas.html auto-lists it on the index (sorted by title) — no registration anywhere else.

Learn the arena first (don't write from the description alone)

The prompt's blurb is a starting point, not the source of truth. Before writing:

1. Read the arena class repo/codeclash/arenas/<arena>/<arena>.py — its name, submission file, description, and validate_code define the exact bot contract.
2. Read the arena's own repo (the Dockerfile git clones CodeClash-ai/<Arena>). Its README.md + engine are the ground truth for rules, physics constants, the obs/state shape, actions, scoring, and win condition. Prefer engine code over the README when they disagree, and note the real starting conditions (e.g. balls that start at rest, side-swapping across seeded games).
3. Read the test config repo/configs/test/<arena>.yaml for player count and the game_description prompt shown to agents.
4. Read 2-3 existing pages in pages/arenas/ to match tone and depth. Short train-split arenas (bomberland.md, scml.md) are the default shape; big test-split / ladder arenas (battlesnake.md, corewar.md) add extra sections.

Front matter (one key: value per line, no --- fences)

title: <Display name>
logo: /static/images/arenas/<arena>.png
preview: /static/images/arenas/<arena>.gif
preview_width: 55            # optional, % width of the preview (default 50)
description: <one line, imperative, no period — shown on the index card>
date-added: <YYYY>-<MM>-<DD>T00:00:00.000000Z   # date the arena was added
players: 2+                  # or an exact count, matching the arena/config
language: Python             # comma-separated; must have a matching static/images/languages/<lang>.svg
split: train                 # train = no leaderboard; test = renders the Leaderboard section
ladder: true                 # optional; adds the 🪜 badge + expects a CC:Ladder section

Set split: test only for arenas that have leaderboard data in data/leaderboards.json (keyed by the page slug); otherwise train. Add ladder: true only if a CC:Ladder exists — then include a ## 🪜 CC:Ladder section (see battlesnake.md).

Body

Four bold-question sections in this order, each one tight paragraph:

• What is <Arena>? — the game in one or two sentences + the win condition.
• How does it work? — the submission file, the entry function + its signature, the legal actions/return values, what obs (game state) contains, and how a round is scored.
• What's the goal? — the objective and the core scoring mechanic; call out any non-obvious rule (e.g. "doing nothing scores nothing").
• What makes it challenging? — the real strategic tension, concretely.

Then a ---, an ### References list (the arena's own repo + the CodeClash repo), and — only if the arena ports an external game — a <pre> BibTeX block crediting the original creators (see bomberland.md). Original CodeClash games need no third-party citation.

Accuracy rules

• Quote real numbers (grid size, tick budget, key physics constants) from the engine, not guesses. Preserve the arena's own terminology.
• State exact action strings / return values and the entry-function signature verbatim.
• Don't invent features, external inspirations, or citations the repo doesn't support.

Assets (separate deliverable)

The page references static/images/arenas/<arena>.png (logo) and .gif (gameplay preview). These are generated from a replay, not hand-authored — if they don't exist yet, write the page with the conventional paths and flag that the two image assets still need to be produced. Never commit a fabricated/placeholder binary.

Verify

Run python server.py in website/ and open /arenas/<arena>/ and /arenas/, or python server.py build to freeze. Confirm the page renders, the card appears on the index, and the language icon resolves.