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XG settings for backgames

Posted By: Timothy Chow
Date: Tuesday, 2 September 2014, at 10:35 p.m.

In Response To: XG settings for backgames (Keene)

If you are using the computer to generate bragging rights, then the motivation for uniformity is clear. I don't want you to be able to undermine my claim that I'm superior to you by arguing that I'm comparing apples to oranges.

If you are using the computer to help you understand the game, then the motivation for uniformity is unclear. By your logic, shouldn't we analyze every match by doing a full rollout for all legal options for every single move, for the sake of "uniformity"? And during the rollout itself, shouldn't every legal option be evaluated to exactly the same ply-level, for "uniformity"? Otherwise you risk "cherry-picking."

To put it another way, rollouts themselves already apply filters that treat different options non-uniformly, in order to use computer time more effectively. If this is acceptable, then it should similarly be acceptable to apply filters at higher levels, e.g., deciding that some plays don't warrant a full rollout at all, while other plays warrant a weak rollout and still others warrant a strong rollout. In fact, I'm sure that you do this yourself. You don't submit every backgammon decision that you've ever faced to a full rollout, and even when you do perform a rollout, you usually don't roll out every legal option.

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