TPS (Turns Per Second)

Introduction

Turns Per Second is a term used in Robocode that can be compared to FPS (Frames Per Second). TPS is the visualization speed for observers watching a battle. It does not affect how much time bots have to compute or the outcome of battles.

Turn Timeout

The game has a turn timeout defined as a part of the game rules. The turn timeout is specified in microseconds (µs), where a microsecond (µs) is a millionth of a second. The turn timeout is the fixed duration of every turn in a battle.

Important: Deterministic Battles

Every turn takes exactly the turn timeout duration, regardless of when bots send their intents. This ensures that:

• Battle outcomes depend only on turn timeout, not on TPS settings
• Running the same battle at different TPS values produces identical results
• All bots get the same computation time in every turn

This deterministic behavior is critical for competitive play and reproducible simulations.

Skipped Turns

If a bot fails to send its intent before the turn timeout expires, the bot will be skipping the turn, meaning it missed the opportunity to update its actions. This means that the bot cannot fire its cannon, turn, or change its speed, etc. in that turn. The server will use the bot's previous intent (or default values) and proceed to the next turn.

TPS as Visualization Speed Only

TPS controls the maximum rate at which turns are displayed to observers. It does not affect bot computation time:

• Low TPS (e.g., 30 TPS): Slow-motion visualization for detailed observation
• High TPS (e.g., 500 TPS): Fast-forward visualization for quick battles
• TPS = -1: Unlimited speed (as fast as hardware allows)

Regardless of TPS setting, every turn gives bots the full turn timeout to compute.

Maximum Turn Rate

The maximum turn rate is determined by the turn timeout:

$TPS_{max} = \frac{1,000,000}{timeout_{turn}}$

So if the turn timeout is set to 30,000 µs (30 ms), the maximum turn rate will be:

$TPS_{max} = \frac{1,000,000}{30,000} = 33.33$ TPS

You cannot run faster than this maximum rate because each turn requires the full timeout duration.

Example Configurations

Turn Timeout	Max TPS	Description
10,000 µs (10 ms)	100 TPS	Fast bots, limited visualization speed
30,000 µs (30 ms)	33.33 TPS	Standard competitive play
100,000 µs (100 ms)	10 TPS	Slower bots, more thinking time

Choosing TPS Settings

When setting TPS, remember:

1. TPS ≤ Max TPS: You can set TPS lower than the maximum for slower visualization
2. TPS > Max TPS: Has no effect - turns still take turn timeout duration
3. Battle outcomes: Are always determined by turn timeout, never by TPS
4. For competitive battles: Use the same turn timeout. TPS is a viewer preference.

Note About Performance

Be careful when setting very low turn timeouts (< 1000 µs)! This can cause issues on some systems, meaning that bots might skip turns due to hardware or OS limitations, not because of their code.