15 Minute Technical Assessment Quake Parser

15-minute-technical-assessment-quake-parser.md

Quake Log Parser - AI-Driven Live Coding Test

Truth can only be found in one place: the code.
– Robert C. Martin

Introduction

Welcome to the Quake Log Parser Test! In this live coding challenge, you will using embedded AI tools in your IDE (e.g., Aider, Cursor, Co-pilot) to implement a log parser that processes game data from a Quake 3 Arena server. This test evaluates your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and effective use of AI in real-time coding.

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The Challenge

Task: Parse a Quake log file to extract and summarize match data.

1. Input: A log file with match events, such as player kills and deaths. Example Snippet:

0:00 Kill: 1022 2 22: <world> killed Isgalamido by MOD_TRIGGER_HURT
0:15 Kill: 3 2 10: Isgalamido killed Dono da Bola by MOD_RAILGUN
1:00 Kill: 3 2 10: Isgalamido killed Zeh by MOD_RAILGUN

Full Log

2. Output: JSON summarizing players and their kills. Example:

{
  "players": ["Isgalamido", "Dono da Bola", "Zeh"],
  "kills": {"Isgalamido": 2, "Dono da Bola": 0, "Zeh": 0}
}

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Requirements

1. Parse the log file and extract the following:

   • A list of players in the match.
   • A dictionary showing the number of kills per player.

2. Rules:

   • If <world> kills a player, that player’s kill count decreases by 1.
   • <world> is not considered a player and should not appear in the output.

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Plus Features (Optional)

For candidates who finish the base task quickly, implement one or more of these advanced features:

1. Group Data by Match
   Create a structure that organizes the parsed data by match.
   Example Output:

{
  "game_1": {
    "total_kills": 3,
    "players": ["Isgalamido", "Dono da Bola", "Zeh"],
    "kills": {"Isgalamido": 2, "Dono da Bola": 0, "Zeh": 0}
  }
}

2. Death Cause Report
   Summarize kills grouped by the cause of death.
   Example:

{
  "game_1": {
    "kills_by_means": {
      "MOD_TRIGGER_HURT": 1,
      "MOD_RAILGUN": 2
    }
  }
}

3. Ranking Report
   Generate a ranking of players based on their kill counts across all matches. Example:

1. Isgalamido - 10 kills
2. Zeh - 7 kills
3. Dono da Bola - 3 kills