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GNU 4-ply analysis too slow!

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07-08-2013 , 08:05 PM

Wazzle

journeyman

Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 349

I can't afford XG or snowie, so i use GNU. I play with it on tutor mode all the time, but i've noticed that the only setting at which the program will play quickly enough is grandmaster. The next level is 4-ply, but when i set the program on it it takes several minutes to make one move. Why is this?

I was thinking it might be my computer? I use a macbook which I bought brand new in early 2010. It still runs pretty much like brand new.

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07-08-2013 , 10:40 PM

Robertie

old hand

Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 1,954

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wazzle

XG is a bargain at less than $100 for the full-featured version. It's much better than GNU. Save your money and switch as soon as you can.

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07-09-2013 , 02:47 PM

Wazzle

journeyman

Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 349

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robertie

XG is a bargain at less than $100 for the full-featured version. It's much better than GNU. Save your money and switch as soon as you can.

does it support mac?

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07-11-2013 , 04:09 PM

plm

newbie

Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wazzle

...I use GNU. I play with it on tutor mode all the time, but i've noticed that the only setting at which the program will play quickly enough is grandmaster. The next level is 4-ply, but when i set the program on it it takes several minutes to make one move. Why is this?

That's the way these evaluation levels work. Each is about 20 times slower than the preceding one. 4-ply is fine for analyzing whole matches, where you let it run overnight, not for actual play.

For tutor mode, the best choice is probably the supremo level. It should be instantaneous, and the grandmaster level you use is only marginally stronger, if any.

Note that if you use XG, you'll have the same quandary : it is indeed stronger and faster than GNU but its highest levels will be too slow for tutoring as well and you will again have to settle for the strongest level that is fast enough.

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07-18-2013 , 10:02 AM

Tore

stranger

Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 9

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wazzle

does it support mac?

Not directly, but it is reported that it runs fine in vmware (virtualization software running on mac which you install windows on).

For the record, I think gnubg is a fine product which does a lot to promote backgammon to new players because it is completely free, but XG is currently a better product and easily worth the price for serious players.

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07-18-2013 , 01:56 PM

Taper_Mike

adept

Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,030

This won't speed up your 4-ply, but it does give you a good pair of truncated rollouts that run relatively fast. I generally use these instead of 4-ply.

Simulating XG Roller++ in GNU Backgammon
http://www.bgonline.org/forums/webbb...pl?read=134413

I have been using this setup ever since my original post. It works great for me. You need to develop an intuition, however, for those times when you cannot trust the results of a trunc. That’s the time to do a full rollout.

Mike

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