| Author |
Message |
Mats W (Kålroten)
| | Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 9:11 am: | |
Bug in Blobs_hallowen, Hexxagon and probably other blobs games:
When a blob is cornered then the engine forces it to jump although there is an alternative move to an adjacent square. Near the end of the following game, the red blob is forced to jump.
Zillions Save Game File Version 0.02 HCC
RulesFile=C:\Program\Zillions Development\Zillions Demo\Solutions\hexxa\hexxagon.zrf
VariantName=VDH American Setup
1. Red Blob i2
1. Blue Blob a4
2. Blob i2 - i4 = Red on i5
2. Blob a4 - a2 = Blue on a1
3. Red Blob h6
3. Blue Blob d8
4. Red Blob g7
4. Blue Blob f8 = Blue on g7
5. Blob h6 - f7 = Red on f8 g7
5. Blue Blob e8 = Blue on f8 f7
6. Red Blob g6 = Red on f7
6. Blue Blob b3
7. Red Blob e7 = Red on e8
7. Blue Blob d7 = Blue on e8 e7
8. Red Blob f6 = Red on e7
8. Blob d7 - e6 = Blue on e7 f6
9. Red Blob g5 = Red on f6
9. Blue Blob f5 = Blue on f6 g5
10. Red Blob h5 = Red on g5
10. Blob f8 - h6 = Blue on i5 h5 g6 g7
11. Red Blob f8 = Red on g7 e8 e9
11. Blue Blob h4 = Blue on i4 g5
12. Blob i1 - i3 = Red on i4 h4
12. Blue Blob d7 = Blue on e8
13. Blob f7 - d6 = Red on d7 e7 e6
13. Blob d8 - f7 = Blue on f8 g7 e7
14. Blob d7 - b5 = Red on a5
14. Blob a2 - a4 = Blue on a5 b5
15. Red Blob d7 = Red on e8 e7
15. Blob b5 - d5 = Blue on d6 e6
16. Blob h4 - f4 = Red on f5
16. Blue Blob h4 = Blue on i4 i3
17. Blob f4 - d4 = Red on d5
17. Blob d6 - d8 = Blue on e9 e8 d7
18. Red Blob d6 = Red on d7 e6
18. Blue Blob c3 = Blue on d4
19. Blob d5 - b5 = Red on a4 a5
19. Blob d4 - f4 = Blue on f5
20. Red Blob a3 = Red on b3
20. Blob c3 - b4 = Blue on b5 b3 a3 a4
21. Blob a5 - c5 = Red on b4 b5
21. Blob b3 - d5 = Blue on d6 e6 c5
22. Blob d7 - b6
22. Blob c5 - d7 = Blue on e7
23. Blob b6 - c5 = Red on d6 d5
23. Blob e8 - c6 = Blue on d6 c5 b5 |
Keith Carter (Keithc)
| | Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 7:33 pm: | |
I have not recreated the game yet. Would the adjacent move have changed which side won the game? |
Keith Carter (Keithc)
| | Posted on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 7:59 pm: | |
What were your AI settings? |
Mats W (Kålroten)
| | Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 12:57 am: | |
The computer was set to 'expert' and 'low variety'. The thinking time was low, perhaps three seconds. It's the same thing with other variants of blobs/ataxx-games. I don't know if losing position has something to do with it, but the blob is cornered, beside the rank. I played lousy in these games as I didn't concentrate. So I don't know how serious the problem is. But it appears often.
I am very interested in this type of game so I would greatly appreciate if it was fixed. |
Mats W (Kålroten)
| | Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 1:12 am: | |
The red blob is on b6, near the end of above game. If 'smart moves' is set to off then the user is disallowed to move it to adjacent squares. He is forced to jump. If 'smart moves' is on then the jump is automatic. |
Keith Carter (Keithc)
| | Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 2:02 am: | |
I have recreated your posted game. I think everything is okay.
The rules for Blobs do not allow moves to adjacent spaces that evacuate the space moved from. For example you can't move a piece from b6 to c6 leaving b6 empty. In your game you can grow a piece on c6 by clicking on c6 or jump to a non-adjacent space by clicking on the jumping piece and then moving it. With smart moves on and c5 being the only jump option clicking on the piece executes the jump.
I would turn smart moves off. I find having to sometimes move a piece myself and other times having the piece move itself confusing. |
Mats W (Kålroten)
| | Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 11:35 am: | |
Yes, you're right. I have another Hexxagon program by Software Creations (DOS) where the movement technique is different: one must pick up the stone and then move it to an adjacent square. Then it becomes duplicate. However, you express the rules differently. In your version one drops a new stone. That's why I misunderstood it. By the way, your blobs engine is much much stronger than Software Creations'.
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Another problem is that I still cannot run the patch program and update to 2.01. It says:
"The following file does not match the file to be updated.....
........
The WinPatch process was aborted...."
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Furthermore, please think about my "opening book" idea. Many programs are useless because they start out so poorly. For instance, the quite wonderful program Descent Chess (8x8) is very weak. However with an opening book it would become quite strong. |
Keith Carter (Keithc)
| | Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 12:36 pm: | |
Alas, Zillions isn't mine. I was a playtester for version 2.0 but otherwise I have had no input into the program. Jeff Mallett, the brains behind Zillions, has not been heard from on this board for about 2.5 years.
I did script the games Blobs Deluxe (adds scoring and multiple graphics set) and Blobz (a seven direction board with scoring). Blobz is different enough that you might want to give it a try.
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About running the patch. The updater checks all the files of the original install to make sure they have not been changed. If it detects a change it aborts. I had trouble running the patch because I had edited some of game rules files and graphics of the games that came with Zillions. I ended up reinstalling then immediately patching. |
Mats W (Kålroten)
| | Posted on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 1:44 pm: | |
Thanx for the info. I will reinstall. I have recently bought this software. I am fascinated by the historical research that is being done on old games. Historians would be interested in this software.
About opening books: would it be possible to create an opening book using only the zrf file? |
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