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        Arimaa >> Site Discussion >> Time control.
        
(Message started by: Eltripas on Feb 14^th, 2010, 1:47pm)

Title: Time control.
Post by Eltripas on Feb 14^th, 2010, 1:47pm

Why there aren't time controls for games with 0 time for moves and a reserve of a relative big size?

For example a game where each player got 15 minutes to make all the moves.

Title: Re: Time control.
Post by tize on Feb 14^th, 2010, 2:18pm

I don't know why thoose kind of time controls aren't accessible for human games, but I know that when I tried to let Marwin play with this type of time control (although only 10min in reserve) then there wasn't a storm of joy spreading. :-)

See http://arimaa.com/arimaa/gameroom/comments.cgi?gid=110381

Title: Re: Time control.
Post by Sconibulus on Feb 14^th, 2010, 2:36pm

Aren't there time controls like that? I seem to recall seeing a Game in: setting, but I think the options were on the order of 90 minutes or so.

Title: Re: Time control.
Post by Eltripas on Feb 14^th, 2010, 2:53pm

Now, I see that there are game controls like this called "Game in x minutes" just thought that there weren't this kind of games because in the experimental I didn't found any, sorry about this post.

But I still don't find a way to play with a bot with this time controls.

Title: Re: Time control.
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 14^th, 2010, 3:58pm

on 02/14/10 at 14:53:28, Eltripas wrote:

But I still don't find a way to play with a bot with this time controls.

If you could dictate the time control to the bot, you could play BombLightning at two minutes per move. :o

To speak to your original point, "Game in X" time controls aren't very fun. Most people just expect them because they are used to it from live chess games played with mechanical clocks that don't increment. We played without increment, not because it was ideal, but because we didn't have a choice.

Time controls with an increment, like we have here, put the focus on who plays better moves rather than on who has better time management. I wouldn't shed a tear if I never saw a time scramble again in my life. In fact, my experience is that the only people who really miss sudden death time controls are people who want to win on time because they are good at playing fast, or because they are good at time management. I'd rather win on the board any day, as opposed to out-managing my opponent on the clock.

The clock is a necessary evil to keep the game fair and keep it moving along. I have no desire to elevate its importance beyond the necessary minimum.

Title: Re: Time control
Post by Eltripas on Feb 14^th, 2010, 6:10pm

I'm asking because if I want to play a game but only got like 15 minutes I can't now because I don't have the security that it will end in that time even a blitz game may take more time, and bomb lightning is very good for me, maybe another options is to put easier bots in lightning speed.

Title: Re: Time control.
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 15^th, 2010, 6:15am

I see. Yes, the certainty of game finishing time is another reason to like sudden death time controls.

Title: Re: Time control.
Post by 99of9 on Feb 15^th, 2010, 4:58pm

Most of the bots would not know what to do with that time control. Gnobot has a rudimentary general time management strategy which should work for those controls, but I haven't tested it.

Title: Re: Time control.
Post by Eltripas on Feb 15^th, 2010, 9:18pm

If other bots don't work at that speed it is not a good option maybe if I don't have time to play a blitz game I shouldn't play arimaa at all.

Title: Re: Time control.
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 16^th, 2010, 8:24am

Of course bots can be programmed to handle sudden death time controls quite well, much better than humans can handle them. It's just that this wasn't the standard type of time control for Arimaa, so programmers didn't bother with it.