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        Arimaa >> Bot Development >> OpFor2010 fixed depth search bug
        
(Message started by: Janzert on Jul 26^th, 2010, 5:44pm)

Title: OpFor2010 fixed depth search bug
Post by Janzert on Jul 26^th, 2010, 5:44pm

Late last year I realized because of the way time management and fixed depth search interacted in opfor the time management code would terminate a fixed depth search early if the search took longer than the bot would normally move in using the current time control. In practice this doesn't come into play on the arimaa server since the fixed depth P1 and P2 bots play with a long enough time control that a move is always played well before then. But I decided to change it since it would seem better to go ahead and have the bot search the full depth and possibly time out than to play at a lower depth than it was supposed to be.

The problem I discovered today is that in "fixing" it I actually managed to horribly break it, so that if OpFor2010 is given both a timecontrol and a fixed depth to search it will basically play instant random moves regardless of the timecontrol or depth given. Since the regular AEI gameroom interface always gives the engine the timecontrol being used this means any attempt to setup OpFor2010 as a fixed depth variant will be broken. If Omar wants I can supply a modified interface that would not send any timecontrol information to the engine when a fixed depth search is specified, this would keep the bug from being triggered. Otherwise it's probably best not to have any fixed depth variants of OpFor2010 available for play.

Janzert

Title: Re: OpFor2010 fixed depth search bug
Post by rbarreira on Jul 27^th, 2010, 3:29am

It's always fun when the cure ends up being worse than the poison :)