pulsar2009-9a release

[adams161]

It's at http://www.adam16mr.org/pulsar.html

Most of the work was done in crazyhouse. its a stronger crazyhouse engine. An issue with it flagging with time controls like 40 moves in x minutes should be fixed. Supports analysis mode in atomic, crazyhouse, 3checks, losers, giveaway, and regular chess. I had very few people testing that but it appeared to be working to me. New variants added, fischer random and shatranj. It has allready had ways to handicap its search depth to play like only 2 ply move or 3 ply move( pulsar page has info on the arguments to use for different wilds to limit depth), like in regular chess you can add the program argument mxO-2 to make it play a depth 2 search, ( supports mxO-1 through mxO-5 i think), that's O as in octupus, the new feature is it in addition to this can support sleep1 through sleep5, which means after it moves, it will delay or sleep that many seconds before making its move. For example with -fcp "pulsar2009-9a.exe mxO-3 sleep2" it would search up to ply 3 but would take 2 seconds a move. In losers and giveaway it should now move instantly if there is only one legal move ( a forced capture).

I figure there could be some bug reports. If they are not serious i may not release again. If there are some flaws i didnt notice ( typically stuff not broken in 2007 release ), i may consider a pulsar2007-9b release in a few weeks or month. Possibly sooner depending on how serious, i'm hoping its been tested enough.

Mike

[gerold]

It's at http://www.adam16mr.org/pulsar.html

Most of the work was done in crazyhouse. its a stronger crazyhouse engine. An issue with it flagging with time controls like 40 moves in x minutes should be fixed. Supports analysis mode in atomic, crazyhouse, 3checks, losers, giveaway, and regular chess. I had very few people testing that but it appeared to be working to me. New variants added, fischer random and shatranj. It has allready had ways to handicap its search depth to play like only 2 ply move or 3 ply move( pulsar page has info on the arguments to use for different wilds to limit depth), like in regular chess you can add the program argument mxO-2 to make it play a depth 2 search, ( supports mxO-1 through mxO-5 i think), that's O as in octupus, the new feature is it in addition to this can support sleep1 through sleep5, which means after it moves, it will delay or sleep that many seconds before making its move. For example with -fcp "pulsar2009-9a.exe mxO-3 sleep2" it would search up to ply 3 but would take 2 seconds a move. In losers and giveaway it should now move instantly if there is only one legal move ( a forced capture).

I figure there could be some bug reports. If they are not serious i may not release again. If there are some flaws i didnt notice ( typically stuff not broken in 2007 release ), i may consider a pulsar2007-9b release in a few weeks or month. Possibly sooner depending on how serious, i'm hoping its been tested enough.

Mike

Thanks Mike.
Best,
Gerold.

[hgm]

Before this thread completely degenerates into childish quibbling on off-topic subjects, I would like to point out that the upcoming WinBoard release implements full support for all the variants Pulsar plays.

Winning conditions of losers, suicide, giveaway, 3checks and atomic are recognized, so these games can be played with claim verification and mate-detection on (in engine-engine games).

In variantAtomic even the explosions that wipe out the neighboring squares are animated (when animate moving is on).

For people that want to beta-test this version, it is available from

http://home.hccnet.nl/h.g.muller/winboard.zip

[Edmund]

Before this thread completely degenerates into childish quibbling on off-topic subjects, I would like to point out that the upcoming WinBoard release implements full support for all the variants Pulsar plays.

Winning conditions of losers, suicide, giveaway, 3checks and atomic are recognized, so these games can be played with claim verification and mate-detection on (in engine-engine games).

In variantAtomic even the explosions that wipe out the neighboring squares are animated (when animate moving is on).

For people that want to beta-test this version, it is available from

http://home.hccnet.nl/h.g.muller/winboard.zip

well done hgm,

I am not an expert on atomic chess, but I think the following line should be adjudicated as a win for white.

[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Variant "atomic"]
[FEN "8/8/1Q6/p7/P7/2Kk4/8/8 w KQkq - 0 1"]
[SetUp "1"]

{--------------
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. Q . . . . . .
p . . . . . . .
P . . . . . . .
. . K k . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
white to play
--------------}
1. Kc4 Kd4 2. Kb5 Kc5 3. Ka6 Kb5 4. Ka7 Ka6 5. Qxa5
{Stalemate} 1/2-1/2

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

Before this thread completely degenerates into childish quibbling on off-topic subjects, I would like to point out that the upcoming WinBoard release implements full support for all the variants Pulsar plays.

Winning conditions of losers, suicide, giveaway, 3checks and atomic are recognized, so these games can be played with claim verification and mate-detection on (in engine-engine games).

In variantAtomic even the explosions that wipe out the neighboring squares are animated (when animate moving is on).

For people that want to beta-test this version, it is available from

http://home.hccnet.nl/h.g.muller/winboard.zip

Aside from your point of view,I think that spammers like the personality in question must be strictly monitored as he will cause a lot of trouble and he must know that we're not so naive here not to understand his true intentions and they are:
Spamming,trolling & insulting....

Anyway,thanks for the new release although I am not a Winboard fan....
Dr.D

[fern]

You are too fast to qualify posts that does not like you. Perhaps "childish stuff" has some more sense, at least from time to time, than the "serious" remarks about tech issues done here, sometimes, with such a solemn countenance.
I am sure that even you does not take computer chess trivia in a taliban, gloomy, right to the target kind of mood.

Hope you will not take this badly
fern

[slobo]

Before this thread completely degenerates into childish quibbling on off-topic subjects, I would like to point out that the upcoming WinBoard release implements full support for all the variants Pulsar plays.

Winning conditions of losers, suicide, giveaway, 3checks and atomic are recognized, so these games can be played with claim verification and mate-detection on (in engine-engine games).

In variantAtomic even the explosions that wipe out the neighboring squares are animated (when animate moving is on).

For people that want to beta-test this version, it is available from

http://home.hccnet.nl/h.g.muller/winboard.zip

Aside from your point of view,I think that spammers like the personality in question must be strictly monitored as he will cause a lot of trouble and he must know that we're not so naive here not to understand his true intentions and they are:
Spamming,trolling & insulting....

Anyway,thanks for the new release although I am not a Winboard fan....
Dr.D

I have impression it was you who insulted him but, of course, I may be wrong.

[hgm]

I am not an expert on atomic chess, but I think the following line should be adjudicated as a win for white.

[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Variant "atomic"]
[FEN "8/8/1Q6/p7/P7/2Kk4/8/8 w KQkq - 0 1"]
[SetUp "1"]

{--------------
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. Q . . . . . .
p . . . . . . .
P . . . . . . .
. . K k . . . .
. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
white to play
--------------}
1. Kc4 Kd4 2. Kb5 Kc5 3. Ka6 Kb5 4. Ka7 Ka6 5. Qxa5
{Stalemate} 1/2-1/2

Ah, you pointed out a fundamental problem. The whole adjudication business is only active in engine-engine mode. Not if you enter moves by hand. I will think about how this can be helped.

[Steve B]

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Moderation has removed some posts
if you see a post of yours that is missing then this is the reason
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Moderation Team

[adams161]

ok now that moderation has cleaned up a bit lets get back on the subject, pulsar. I can be a bear about accepting bug reports at times, figuring for example hell its allways done that and its not in the plan to change, but i also jump on stuff that surprises me, like its not suppose to do that, and programmers know we sometimes shudder when we find something critical isnt working. If anyone is downloading it, let me know what you think. analysis mode is a bit of a hack, it works best when you start winboard and go directly to analysis on move 1 no playing, but as long as you arent forcing it from game state to analysis or vice versa, how is it working, and yes i know my scores are in terms of the side to move, maybe in teh future i'll conform, but part of pulsar has allways been a non conforming program. Not all of you download every engine but i know some do so lets get back on track.

Mike