May was all about helping new Battlesnake developers get started on the platform and creating their Battlesnakes. We have introduced a new version of the API and associated documentation, as well as fixed a few legacy design issues that we saw as road blocks.
In April, our development focus was on features supporting virtual events and tournaments, more specifically our Stay Home and Code event. Out of that came a lot of site enhancements, quality of life improvements and several bug fixes to the arena system. Battlesnake will be launching several new virtual streaming events over the coming months, so keep an eye on the Events page.
Throughout April we’ve been running an online programming league called Stay Home and Code,raising money for Food Banks Canada.
Stay Home and Code was presented by RBC and AWS, in partnership with Communitech and Prospect.
Over 300 developers from all over Canada (and around the world!) stayed home to build, tweak, and fine-tune their Battlesnakes in preparation for a live Battlesnake tournament held on April 25th. The event has been a lot of fun, and we were humbled by how our community rallied to support a great cause. Together we raised $25,000.
The COVID-19 crisis in Canada has forced everyone into new realities and routines. For Battlesnake, this has meant postponing all in-person events until it is possible to hold them safely. It also means doing what we can to support all Canadians during these difficult times.
While March did not go as planned, we have redirected our energy to new features and improving the usability of the Battlesnake environment. Over the next few months, Battlesnake will be focusing on more virtual and streaming events, so keep an eye on both the Events page and the Battlesnake Twitch channel!
Due to growing concerns surrounding COVID-19, and along with guidance from PHAC, WHO, and other health authorities, the Battlesnake team has decided to postpone our Battlesnake Victoria 2020 event until later this year.
February was a busy month as we are actively preparing for upcoming events. The team has delivered several site improvements and some new features that will power what we have in store for Battlesnake events over the next few months.
January had us working on internal systems to improve performance, stability and support some of the initiatives we have planned for the year. That said, we have managed to squeak in a few public changes to the system as well:
This is our first official Developer Update! We will be doing these regularly to outline some of the changes we are making to Battlesnake, whether those are exciting new features, system improvements or just bugs fixes.
This past weekend we held the 5th Annual Battlesnake Tournament in Victoria BC Canada. It was easily the best event we’ve ever organized, with over 200 teams registering to compete and nearly 1,000 participants, spectators, and sponsors attending throughout the day.