FIBS Board backgammon forum

Since not many people have said whether or not they are interested in this - I thought it might be easier to gauge the interest via a poll. Please vote - and then we can see if the work required is worth it.

Finally - 6.5 years on - we watched some bot games today!  

See attached file for true bot luck  ;)...

How fast are they playing?   :unsure:  Are they slow enough to learn something?   :)

socksey



The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well. - Elizabeth Kubler- Ross

Very fast..4 x 13 point matches played out at >2000 in under 30 minutes  ;)

That is the point of attaching the file - that you can load up and go slowly through. 

I missed two though - not knowing which bots to watch - and getting there so slowly as to miss almost a whole first game!!

Absurd idea. With GNUBG free at our avail, why would one be interested in watching two bots, which are based on GNUBG also, fighting each other at FIBS?!

Patti has shortened the allowed idle time for we humans in order to provide an opportunity for every fibster to enjoy the limited lots FIBS can provide at each time. Now letting the bots hang on by playing each other is a grave breach to that policy. Bots are created to please those fibsters who are in favor of fast and yet high-quality opponents. Also as one of the most frequent bot players, I don't want to wait for bots to finish playing with each other.

PL

This was done at 'off peak' time, when the bots are pretty much idling in the ready list, and I wasnt timing out in 15 minutes - which gives you an idea of how 'off peak' it is.

I can see your point of view...and we definitely should avoid peak times if this does become a 'feature'.

What has been speculated about btw, is having an 'exhibition match' in some regular spot...and of course, no one is forced to watch, or to be involved in any way.

This split of opinion was very much in evidence at the time the original thread was written [which inspired the poll], and it was clear frm the poll, that of those who cared at all, back in 2004, more of them would have enjoyed this, as a one off event...

I would hope you would be supportive of an event taking place in which plenty of fibsters were interested, assuming it didnt take bandwidth off humans who want to play...even if you are personally not interested.

if there was an occasional exhibition match, it would be important to 'delay' their plays by a few seconds a move, to allow assimilation & comment by watchers.

Maybe..but quite a lot of the appeal of watching them at all IS the speed..it is quite hypnotic...but no..you type 'wot a cheat'...and the moment is long past  :laugh: :laugh:

The novelty would wear off quite soon I think...it is mostly about seeing if absolutely perfect play made a difference to how a match 'looks'.

We saw two separate instances of 'dancing on a one point board'...several of getting out from behind a six prime [we are failry sure neither bot rolled 7-7, but is hard to see how else they did it  :laugh:], many more of winning by hitting a last checker in the bear off - all those 'joker' moments that get humans soooo strung out.

In each case, the play was perfect, and the luckiest bot won...

And no one whined, no one cursed..and no one threw anything  ;)

If the matches are played at 'off-peak' times, it is OK to me, even though I won't be interested in watching.

The only type of bot-vs-bot exhibition that would interest me is between bots which have been 'modified' by some fellow fibster developers/engineers. For instance, I'd like to see a battle between inim's ultimate bot vs Tom's.

PL

Quote from: PersianLord on January 20, 2011, 10:28:27 AM
The only type of bot-vs-bot exhibition that would interest me is between bots which have been 'modified' by some fellow fibster developers/engineers. For instance, I'd like to see a battle between inim's ultimate bot vs Tom's.

I might be wrong of course...but one of those today was an inim v Tom war...check with inim though, he might have something else up his sleeve that is even more super  ;)

I watched the bots play, and it was interesting. Seeing a bot lose to a bot 0/13 certainly brought home the luck factor in backgammon. Some of the moves was very interesting, also. I voted, no, for a tourney. A demonstration match at times is enough.

Two points. (1) Bot play is not perfect play. All bots make small mistakes and occasionally large ones that don't show up until you analyse the match closely with rollouts. Typically they have a Snowie error rate of about 1 when you examine their play in detail, still better than any human of course.
(2) As far as watching and learning is concerned, such matches have little value even for experts. You can't take it in at that speed. However, an expert commentating and rolling at a pace that allows time for a comment and elaboration if required would be tremendously useful.

I think I'd rather watch old people f**k.

Bob

Quote from: NIHILIST on January 20, 2011, 08:02:04 PM
I think I'd rather watch old people f**k.

TMI, dude.

Gotta be more exciting than watching bots play each other.

Bob

Quote from: NIHILIST on January 20, 2011, 08:02:04 PM
I think I'd rather watch old people f**k.

Bob

I agree with your creative, ingenius, breakthrough, heart-breaking, history-making, absurd idea; wholeheardtedly.

PL

 :sexe:

Spoiler

when i get a moment, i shall add some links you both may find agreeable  :nono:, together with a helpline number

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