RE: [computer-go] Computer Go Server

[Ben Shoemaker <planetb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> > > You would like the server to start the match and invite both players.

> > Would there be a mechanism for programs stating their game preferences
> > (board size, time settings) ?

> > Then the server would know which groups of programs should be paired
> > together.

> The way for a program (or human player) to "state" their game
> preferences is by means of their "match" request. If the request does
> not fit your needs, you can refuse it by "decline". A game is only begun
> if the two players agree, which sounds perfectly sane to me.
> [ Note: please refer to NNGS/IGS or some other server's manuals. This is
> very basic stuff. Or download the source and play with it ]
> 
> WRT to the various time-settings and their corresponding ladders: No.
> As previously stated, there are only *two* ladders: one for 19*19 and
> one for 9*9.
> So, having multiple ladders for various time-settings would require
> installing multiple instances of the software.
> [which only costs a few Megabytes of diskspace plus a portnumber (and a
> few filedescriptors). And a lot of administration.]
> 
> HTH,
> AvK

I understand that the match command supports size/time settings and is how
one "user" initiates a game request to another user.  What we are trying to
figure out are methods for the server to initiate games between random
pairs of participating programs.

I only suggested creating more "ladders" as a means of grouping programs
for automatic play.  Once joining a "ladder", the program would just wait
for the server to initiate games.

Currently I don't see how the server would know which programs are availble
for a match, and under what settings.

Running multiple versions of the server to increase the number of ladders
available seems like a much worse "solution" than modifying the code, IMO.

Another way to approach this problem would be to leave the server as is,
and build "opponent search and match request" functionality into something
like gnugoclient (for gtp engines) which would manage finding opponents and
issuing match requests with reasonable size/time settings.  This would
leave it up to each program to randomize it's opponent selection.  It may
also generate lots of match request overhead on the server for all the
mismatch game requests, but that may not be too much of a problem.

Ben Shoemaker.


		
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