Mulcaster House Triumphs in House Computing Competition

In an exciting culmination of our annual House Computing competition, Mulcaster House emerged victorious with their outstanding text-based adventure game. The super-talented team of Chaitya J, Will B, and Jack B demonstrated exceptional skill and creativity, securing the highest scores in the categories of ‘algorithm quality’, ‘game play’, and ‘world building’.

The competition was intense, with Hilles and White placing a very close second and third respectively. Their submissions were also truly remarkable, showcasing a level of sophistication and innovation far beyond the norms of GCSE Grade 9. In fact, all entries this year exceeded expectations, reflecting the impressive talent and dedication of our students: all eight teams can expect the best outcomes in GCSE CS and beyond.

Mulcaster’s winning game was unanimously considered the best by a team of A Level CS students for its complex algorithms, engaging gameplay, and immersive world-building, which marked the game out as well worth playing. The team must have worked exceptionally hard to produce this in two days.

Chaitya J (5ths) has written up his experience competing in the event below:

On Tuesday 11th February, teams from all eight houses were given the brief for this year’s House Computing: a 48-hour, all out code jam. Once the brief was received (a text-based adventure game with the theme “Run for your life!”), all teams immediately set to work planning their game.

The teams were being judged on algorithm quality, gameplay and quality of story, meaning we all had to work hard to make a full, well-rounded game.

After all the teams trash-talked each other in the halls, we all dedicated two non-stop nights to programming, working and refining system after system until we were nearly asleep, all the whilst planning and writing our stories to make sure we were on top. Time was tight, and all teams programmed right up until the deadline. I personally only managed to run the first full test of the game on the morning of the submission!

When all the teams gathered once again to showcase their games, we were all impressed with the sheer quality of the submissions. A wide variety of plots and systems were on offer, including a game about running from the wrath of Queen Victoria and a game about escaping a haunted house.

Unfortunately, only one team could win; Mulcaster with “Space Issues”, a game involving an escape from a slowly deteriorating spacecraft. Hilles and White came in a close second and third. This ensures that Mulcaster remain top of the house points table!

All teams did extremely well, and the standard of code was very high. Congratulations to all who contributed and good luck for next year.

Congratulations to Mulcaster House and all participants for their exceptional contributions to this year’s House Computing competition. Your software inspires everyone in the MT coding community.

Keep coding; keep pushing the boundaries; keep developing!