🚀 go-pugleaf

RE: Is it DAT 0, 0 or DAT #0, #0?  How do I compare to core?

Under ICWS'88 rules, core is initialized to DAT 0, 0.  This is an "illegal"
instruction under ICWS'88 and strictly compliant assemblers (such as KotH)
will not let you write a DAT 0, 0 instruction - only DAT #0, #0.

The MADgic Core assembler - ASR - is not strictly compliant in that it
allows all grammatically-correct instructions and does not flag any
so called "illegal" instructions.  It is left up to the programmer not to
use illegal instructions when developing code for KotH or ICWS tournaments.
On the other hand, if you want to experiment with MOV #a, #b you can do so.
This feature merely reflects my bias against illegal instructions.

So the question is "How to compare instructions to see if one is empty
core?".  The answer is, most likely the instruction before your first
instruction and/or the instruction after your last instruction are both
DAT 0, 0.  You can use them, or any other likely unmodified instructions,
for comparisons.

In fact, in KotH, if the number of instructions in your program is N, all
of the instructions from N to 99 (relative to your first instruction at
location 0) are guaranteed to be DAT 0, 0 at the beginning of the battle.
This is because KotH allots 100 instructions to your warrior, whether you
use all 100 or not, and guarantees warriors will not overlap.

Mark A. Durham
MAD