Simon Willison introduces Battle Drones, a vibe-coded RTS with audio-based multiplayer

What happened

Simon Willison built Battle Drones, a browser-based RTS for mobile and desktop, through 12 major iterations and 321 coding-agent commits, mainly using Claude Code. His development walkthrough covers simulated playtesting, a transition to 3D, and battles between LLM agents. The latest version synchronizes nearby devices through audio messages without a multiplayer server; Willison reports successful trials with laptops, iPhones, and iPads, while noting limited testing so far.

The story so far

Simon Willison built Battle Drones, a browser-based real-time strategy game for mobile and desktop, using coding agents; its latest version synchronizes nearby devices through audio messages without a multiplayer server. Willison reports successful trials with laptops, iPhones, and iPads, though testing remains limited. His walkthrough describes 12 major iterations and 321 coding-agent commits, mainly using Claude Code. Development included simulated playtesting, a transition to 3D, and battles between LLM agents.

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