Arena Registry

This registry assigns unique IDs to arena configurations for use in G4.1 V2 and G6 V1 pattern file headers.

Overview

Arena IDs allow pattern files to embed metadata about which arena configuration they were designed for. This enables:

• Automatic validation when loading patterns
• Proper dimension checking for partial arenas
• Better documentation and organization

Key Design: Per-Generation Namespaces

IMPORTANT: Arena IDs are per-generation, not global.

• G4 arena ID 1 is independent of G6 arena ID 1
• Each generation (G4, G4.1, G6) has its own ID namespace
• This allows 10+ IDs per generation without conflicts

ID Range Allocation

G4.1 Patterns (8-bit arena_id: 0-255)

| Range | Purpose | Process | |——-|———|———| | 0 | Unspecified/unknown | N/A | | 1-10 | Reiser lab official | Maintained by reiserlab | | 11-200 | Community registered | Submit PR to this repository | | 201-254 | User-defined/experimental | No registration needed | | 255 | Reserved | Future use |

G6 Patterns (6-bit arena_id: 0-63)

| Range | Purpose | Process | |——-|———|———| | 0 | Unspecified/unknown | N/A | | 1-10 | Reiser lab official | Maintained by reiserlab | | 11-50 | Community registered | Submit PR to this repository | | 51-62 | User-defined/experimental | No registration needed | | 63 | Reserved | Future use |

Registering a New Arena

For Reiser Lab Official Arenas (IDs 1-10)

1. Choose next available ID for your generation in index.yaml
2. Create arena YAML file in arenas/{GEN}/NNN_arena_name.yaml
3. Add entry to index.yaml under the appropriate generation section
4. Update this README if needed

For Community Registered Arenas (IDs 11-200 or 11-50)

1. Fork this repository
2. Check index.yaml for the next available community ID for your generation
3. Create arenas/{GEN}/NNN_your_arena_name.yaml using existing files as template
4. Add entry to index.yaml under the appropriate generation section
5. Submit pull request with:
   • Description of the arena configuration
   • Photo or diagram (optional but helpful)
   • Your contact info as maintainer

For User-Defined Arenas (IDs 201-254 or 51-62)

No registration needed! Use these IDs for:

• Custom lab setups
• Experimental configurations
• Temporary arenas

File Structure

arena_registry/
├── README.md              # This file
├── index.yaml            # Master ID → name mapping (per generation)
├── generations.yaml      # Generation definitions
└── arenas/
    ├── G4/
    │   ├── 001_G4_4x12.yaml
    │   └── 002_G4_3x12of18.yaml
    ├── G41/
    │   └── 001_G41_2x12_cw.yaml
    └── G6/
        ├── 001_G6_2x10.yaml
        ├── 002_G6_2x8of10.yaml
        └── 003_G6_3x12of18.yaml

File Naming Convention

Arena files must follow this pattern:

NNN_arena_name.yaml

Where:

• NNN = zero-padded 3-digit ID (e.g., 001, 012, 254)
• arena_name = lowercase with underscores, matching the name field in the file

Examples:

• 001_G4_4x12.yaml (ID 1, name: G4_4x12)
• 012_custom_arena.yaml (ID 12, name: custom_arena)

Relationship to configs/arenas/

The main arena config files live in configs/arenas/*.yaml. This registry simply assigns IDs to those configs.

Naming must match exactly:

• Registry name: G6_2x10
• Config file: configs/arenas/G6_2x10.yaml

Usage in Code

Get arena ID from name

arena_id = get_arena_id('G6', 'G6_2x10');
% Returns: 1 (first G6 arena in registry)

Get arena name from ID

arena_name = get_arena_name('G6', 1);
% Returns: 'G6_2x10'

Load full arena config

arena_config = load_arena_config('G6_2x10');
% Loads from configs/arenas/G6_2x10.yaml

Version History

• v1.0 (2026-02-07): Initial registry
  • G4: 2 arenas (full 4×12, partial 3×12of18)
  • G4.1: 1 arena (treadmill 2×12)
  • G6: 3 arenas (full 2×10, partial 2×8of10, partial 3×12of18)

Future Considerations

Observer Position Registry

Future versions may add an observer position registry to record:

• Observer pitch angle
• Observer translation (x, y, z)
• Eye height

This would use the 6-bit observer_position_id field in the G6 header (currently set to 0 = unspecified).