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        Arimaa >> General Discussion >> Questions regarding game limit rule
        
(Message started by: Janzert on Jul 16^th, 2010, 10:05am)

Title: Questions regarding game limit rule
Post by Janzert on Jul 16^th, 2010, 10:05am

I'm working in implementing the game time or move limit in the AEI package and have a few questions about it. I actually thought some of this was discussed at the time the current rule was proposed and changed from the old score based rule but I haven't been able to find that discussion. In any case the current rule seems to leave some ambiguity. This is the current rule, "If a game is stopped due to reaching the time control limit, then the player who currently has or most recently had more pieces left wins. If no pieces have been removed from the board then the player to move second wins".

For illustration let's presume a game between two very bad bots made it to the following position with no captures.

120g
+-----------------+
8| r r r r r r r |
7| h . . c r . . h |
6| x m D C |
5| . c R M |
4| e D d |
3| x x |
2| H . . E d . . H |
1| R R R R R R R |
+-----------------+
a b c d e f g h

The game then continues:
120g df4s df3x Mf5s Mf4s Mf3x
120s md6w mc6x De6w Cf6x
121g de2n Ed2e de3e df3x Ee2n
121s Dc4s Dc3x Eb4e

The question is which side wins and why if the game is ended because of a length limit after 120g, 120s or 121s?

My thoughts are; after 120g or 120s Silver wins as neither side has been ahead in material in the game and after 121s Gold wins since it was ahead following 121g.

Also I have two other lesser questions about the game limit in the time control definition. When using a time based limit in the time control (e.g. 15s/30s/100/0/30m), is the game cut off immediately after the time limit is reached (not e.g. after the current player's turn or after the next silver turn)? When using a turn based limit (e.g. 15s/30s/100/0/120t), does the game end after (after 120s) or before (before 120g) the specified move? I assume the answers are immediately and after the move specified.

Janzert

Title: Re: Questions regarding game limit rule
Post by omar on Jul 21^st, 2010, 1:59pm

Quote:

The question is which side wins and why if the game is ended because of a length limit after 120g, 120s or 121s?

Interesting question. Captures have been made but neither side was ahead in material count after the completion of a turn.

Quote:

My thoughts are; after 120g or 120s Silver wins as neither side has been ahead in material in the game and after 121s Gold wins since it was ahead following 121g.

I agree. I've update the wording of the match rules page to say: "If a game is stopped due to reaching the time control limit, then the player who currently has or most recently had more pieces left after the completion of a turn wins. Otherwise the player to move second wins."

Quote:

Also I have two other lesser questions about the game limit in the time control definition. When using a time based limit in the time control (e.g. 15s/30s/100/0/30m), is the game cut off immediately after the time limit is reached (not e.g. after the current player's turn or after the next silver turn)? When using a turn based limit (e.g. 15s/30s/100/0/120t), does the game end after (after 120s) or before (before 120g) the specified move? I assume the answers are immediately and after the move specified.

Janzert

Yes, the game ends immediately after the game time runs out. And in the second example after 120s is submitted to the game server. However, I just looked at the code and see that I've never actually implemented the turn based game time limit on the server. I guess we've never actually used it before. Made a note to add it.

Title: Re: Questions regarding game limit rule
Post by Janzert on Jul 21^st, 2010, 10:52pm

Thanks Omar. I think I got it all correctly implemented then.

Janzert