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Re: computer-go: Most simple Go rules

At 11:29 AM 6/25/2001 -0400, you wrote:


I agree, that maintaining the illusion that computers play grown-up Go,
is only causing problems. Humans can use an agreement phase because of
their comprehensive communication protocols.
Since computers lack these, avoiding an agreement phase seems essential
to well defined outcomes in CG tournaments.
Computers can have an agreement phase as well. Many tournaments required that
programs be able to show which groups they think are dead at the end of the game.


Nick also said implementing superko is difficult. On the contrary, it is
next to trivial, especially when compared with all the other things that
need to go into a go program. (maintain a table of 64bit hashes of previous
positions).
You don't want to deal with the headache of 2 programs playing infinitely
in a triple ko. If a programmer thinks triple kos are too rare to bother
with, then (s)he is free not to implement superko and risk a loss.
How many different rule-sets do you think the programmers should implement? I'd rather
make the program stronger than implement another rule-set. Most people just implement
one. If it is Japanese, it won't allow suicide. I've had to implement Chinese, Ing, Japanese, AGA
already. Now you want me to add superko, and tromp-taylor? It seems a little much.


I think forfeiting programs that don't accept a suicide may also be a good
idea, since it fosters an mentality of making go programs more robust and
able to cope easily with slight rule changes.
Accepting suicide doesn't make a Japanese program more robust. It makes it less robust since
it will accept an illegal move. Any programmer that hopes to sell his program will implement
Japanese rules first, since that's what most people play in the west, and Japan is where you
can sell your software. For this programmer, accepting suicide would be a bad idea.

David


regards,

%!PS                       %  -John Tromp (http://www.cwi.nl/~tromp/)
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David Fotland