Re: computer-go: A problem with understanding lookahead

[Don Dailey <drd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

   From: "Vlad Dumitrescu" <vladdu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

   > The random algorithm plays very badly, but the point  is that is still
   > plays MUCH BETTER than totally random moves.

   Just a wondering: the "random evaluation function" must be deterministic in order for that to be true, isn't it? Deterministic in the meaning that for a given position it will return the same value every time, otherwise if the values change every time a position is evaluated (assuming no caching for the game tree) it doesn't seem to be possible to get something else than a random play...

   regards, Vlad




No, determinism isn't the issue.  You could actually call the random number
generator each time and it works.   Of course hash tables might be flaky
with this.

Don