CoreWar Plus

CoreWar Plus is an integrated environment for the game Core Wars.

Core Wars was introduced by A. K. Dewdney in the Computer Recreations column in Scientific American (later compiled in his book The Armchair Universe).

Under the supervision of MARS (Memory Array Redcode Simulator), battle programs written in an assembly-like language called Redcode fight for memory space in a circular virtual memory array known as the Core.

CoreWar Plus is a complete, full-featured implementation of this game. The menu-driven environment includes:

The Redcode interpreter itself
Extensive debugging tools
A built-in program editor
A memory editor
The ability to load and save battles in progress

CoreWar Plus is written in Turbo Prolog, using its built-in dynamic memory management. The simulated memory array (Core) can be any size, and the memory it occupies expands or shrinks dynamically as Redcode programs write to it.

The maximum Core size — as well as the maximum number of programs — is limited only by available heap memory. Consequently, the Redcode interpreter supports a virtually unlimited number of programs in Core. Each program can also spawn a virtually unlimited number of subprocesses using the SPL instruction.

Unlike many other PC implementations of the game, CoreWar Plus can successfully run programs such as IMPGUN, which create subprocesses ad infinitum.

CoreWar Plus supports all Redcode instructions and addressing modes introduced or mentioned by A. K. Dewdney, including:

SPL — Split subprocess
PCT — Protect address
Autodecrement (<)
Autoincrement (>) addressing modes