The Sanctuary

[Red ochre]

But you're looking younger!

[BoltBait]

The magic of hair dye.

Shhhh! Don't tell anyone!

[pyrochild]

Very cool, BB

[AGJM]

Forza Motorsports 4 is a lot of fun.

Here are some of my cars:

http://customize.org/thumbnails/larger/97186.jpg

http://customize.org/thumbnails/larger/100562.jpg

http://customize.org/thumbnails/larger/100565.jpg

http://customize.org/thumbnails/larger/100566.jpg

http://customize.org/thumbnails/larger/100567.jpg

http://customize.org/thumbnails/larger/100568.jpg

http://customize.org/thumbnails/larger/100569.jpg

It's stress-relieving, unlike some games.

[BoltBait]

Happy thought of the day:

I wrote a chess game: http://www.boltbait....ree/games/chess

It wasn't as hard to code as I expected.

If you beat it with a really short game (say, less than 10 moves) please post the game so I can fix it. Thanks.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

I beat it. It is still a fun game! I was playing 3 ply + Turbo mode (I have a little experience with the game mind you ).

Turk played well into the Queens Gambit Declined until it moved it's Q prematurely, allowing me to capture the Knight by Bxf6 and forcing the recapture gxf6 (ruins Blacks pawn structure).

Q: How do I copy the moves?

Why not Algebraic notation? Easier to program with d2d4 notation?

[BoltBait]

Q: How do I copy the moves?

Why not Algebraic notation? Easier to program with d2d4 notation?

Sorry, you can't copy the moves except one at a time. Click the wrench to expose the entire moves list, then you can highlight each item in the list individually.

Yes, the D2D4 notation is MUCH easier to program. The next item on my list is to fix it so that it uses the more modern notation.

Glad you had fun though.

BTW, did you enjoy the history lesson? Had you heard of The Turk before?

[Red ochre]

Very clever!

One slight problem though, I checkmated it and then it ignored that and took my castle! - mind you I've played real people like that.

Well done though. Must go back and explore. Is there a midget in my computer now?

[BoltBait]

The game ends when one king is captured. I wrote it that way on purpose. It is more of a throwback to an earlier time in the history of the game.

[Red ochre]

Ah - that makes sense.

Although there are/have been some astounding players I'm always amazed at how clever the game itself is. I suppose mainly down to evolution. I read somewhere that it started as a 4 player game - but even I'm not old enough to remember that!

[pyrochild]

I wrote it that way on purpose.

"It's not a bug, it's a feature."

[BoltBait]

Busted!

[Ego Eram Reputo]

The next item on my list is to fix it so that it uses the more modern notation.

A very fine idea! It would be great if we could highlight & copy the move list too.

BTW, did you enjoy the history lesson? Had you heard of The Turk before?

I've been a competitive chess player (read: strong club player) for years, so the story of the Turk is well known to me. Once upon a time I was ranked 115th in New Zealand, but I haven't competed at that level for a few years.

I didn't get a lot of time to fiddle with the game. Is there a way to swap colors so the Turk plays white?

[BoltBait]

It would be great if we could highlight & copy the move list too.

I'm afraid that isn't possible. It is a limitation of the language I'm using.

Is there a way to swap colors so the Turk plays white?

P-QR4?

[Ego Eram Reputo]

What and get blasted with the Obelonskovinsky variation??

[Kemaru]

Going to Lisbon for a week in November for a school art project My artwork will be displayed internationally as well. :--)

[barbieq25]

Well done! Lucky you. I hope you have a fantastic time when you go.

[BoltBait]

Why not Algebraic notation? Easier to program with d2d4 notation?

I changed to Algebraic notation. It's not perfect, but should suit most situations.

Check it out here:

http://www.boltbait.com/free/games/chess/

[AhmedElyamani]

Happy thought of the day: I wrote a chess game: http://www.boltbait....ree/games/chess It wasn't as hard to code as I expected. If you beat it with a really short game (say, less than 10 moves) please post the game so I can fix it. Thanks.

the real challenge in writing a chess algorithm is to make it think as fast as possible and as intelligent as possible .

your algorithm is nice but could of been faster ?

[BoltBait]

True.

In this case, I am limited by the language I'm using to implement the chess game. Scratch is an interpreted language so speed is a problem.

This was the challenge I set for myself. I could have written it in C# or C++ and it would have been significantly faster. However, others have already done so. There is only one other chess engine written in Scratch and it is a 2-ply engine with no opening book.

Since I love to write games in Scratch (see the games in my sig) I wasn't sure Scratch could even handle a 3-ply engine. The Scratch Flash player with its Turbo Mode is a somewhat new development. I thought that it might be able to handle it. That's why I challenged myself to write it. And, I thought it turned out rather well.

While it is true that a 3-ply (or even a 4-ply) engine does not present the player with much of a challenge, I'm rather proud of what I was able to accomplish given the limitations I was working under.

[Red ochre]

I think it's brilliant - certainly challenging after being used to a 'takeback' feature.

I did beat it - but I'm a notoriously lucky player!

The speed is fine on 'turbo' mode - I don't have patience with slow players - human or computer - perhaps you should add a chess-clock!

The Vista built-in chess game isn't that fast on high ply and your 3D view is clearer than their's too.

All that in 30 hours work - very impressive!

[Ego Eram Reputo]

I tried a 'soft' opening move to get it to play it's own opening. I didn't feel it was as strong as the other way around.

On the simplest settings I'm winning hands down. When I have time I'll challenge it on the higher settings.

Nice Job BoltBait!

[NinjaManDan21]

Why when I click on the latest post for The Sanctuary (or any number of other threads) does it take me to the page preceeding the latest page?? Bug or what but it's annoying.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

New posts? Should take you to the post following the last one you have read. I.e. the first post you have not seen.

If the thread is active another page might have been started since.

[AhmedElyamani]

(see the games in my sig)

just saw them and wow !

i find them good , i really loved that adventure game where you order the computer.

good job

also if you want a better way to write your chess algorithm you can write it in Javascript (which has a very similar syntax to c# and c++) , i know that you want to challenge your self by writing it in scratch , but why not challenge yourself by making it more awesome?

cheers . Ahmed.