This is my second post in a series highlighting different entries to the Open AIM Developer Challenge. In the last post, I gave a brief introduction to the challenge, and talked about the IM Whiteboard plug-in, which was submitted by dhbellol. This week I’m going to introduce a different type of entry, by showing you the QuizBOT 3000.
As I mentioned in my introduction last week, one of the defining characteristics of the new Open AIM 2.0 release is its flexibility. There are many more options available to you, the developer, through relaxed licensing, more complete documentation, and much less limitation on API usage. The fact is, though, that there has always been a lot of flexibility in the APIs themselves. Using AIM as a platform, it has long been possible to create very complete and diverse solutions.
Bots
Today I want to draw your attention to a bot called QuizBOT 3000: an entry submitted by jal278. QuizBot 3000 is a bot which functions as a quiz game. The word 'bot' brings to mind the days when IRC was the main method of instant communication over the Internet. IRC Bots served many purposes, but their functionality relied on the ability to respond to simple commands typed either into the chat room, or through a private message. AIM Bots provide a very similar functionality within the realm of Open AIM. To the user, AIM Bots are simply buddies that you can add to your buddy list, whose responses are automated.
QuizBot 3000
QuizBot 3000 sends you quiz questions and tallies your correct responses, adding up your score. To begin using the QuizBot 3000, simply add it as a buddy, then send it a message to begin a session. The bot will respond with a welcome message, displaying the menu and any relevant information (ie. “your buddy has beaten your highscore!”). Selecting a menu option is as simple as sending the corresponding number to the bot. Before you begin a quiz, you may want to add some of your buddies, allowing you to compete against them. To do this, select the third option from the menu and enter your buddy’s name. Your buddy will then be informed of your high scores, and vice-versa.
Image 1 - The Main Menu and The Buddy Menu
Once you have added your buddies, go back to the main menu and select the first option to start the quiz. The questions will start out easy, but it won’t take long to move into the more difficult levels. Another cool feature of the QuizBot 3000 is the ability to compare yourself against everyone who uses it. By selecting the second option in the menu, you are able to see your high score, and how it stacks up against the top 5 scores.
Image 2 - You against the world: the high score list.
The QuizBot 3000 is one of a number of bot entries to the AIM Developer Challenge. I encourage you to head over to the contest page and check out some of the other entries. In closing I will just say that while I have so far introduced you to a plug-in and a bot in this series, the options available to you are much more diverse. Check out the Open AIM home page to explore all of the many possibilities that are available through the APIs.
Image 3 - A QuizBot3000 Session. The welcome message, and beating a buddy's high score.
