Boardgame GO? - Page 2

Dauphin · December 18, 2002, 06:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

Or just grab them yourself.

You can't take the corners without your opponent's 'help'.

Drake Tungsten · December 18, 2002, 13:32

Quote:

You can't take the corners without your opponent's 'help'.

You can in Go. While similar to Othello in play mechanics, the games are substantially different.

Thanks for the advice, UR. I beat the computer for the first time last night. Of course, I did need a two stone handicap and a .5 komi to win on a 9x9 board, but it's a start.

Dauphin · December 18, 2002, 14:38

I was talking about Othello though.

DrSpike · December 18, 2002, 14:54

It looks like my othello analogy is causing confusion..........there are some similarities, but key differences as well.

Urban Ranger · December 18, 2002, 22:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Thanks for the advice, UR. I beat the computer for the first time last night. Of course, I did need a two stone handicap and a .5 komi to win on a 9x9 board, but it's a start.

No sweat. Enjoy the game.

War4ever · December 19, 2002, 00:09

where can i get this game ....sounds promising, though i am a bit confused..... its free right, i don't want anyone getting ming in an uproar about warez, so if its warez, nm......i love strategy games, i am just a bit too young to have played as many of the great boardgames like you all did, other than the usual ones of course

DrSpike · December 19, 2002, 07:16

http://www.smart-games.com/igowin.html

For 9*9, check this out.

Dauphin · December 19, 2002, 09:36

Quote:

Originally posted by DrSpike
It looks like my othello analogy is causing confusion..........there are some similarities, but key differences as well.

I thought it was Father Beast's in the first post.

Father Beast · December 19, 2002, 10:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

I downloaded a Go computer game last night and am learning the game right now, so any advice would be appreciated. The computer is destroying me on the easiest setting.

Glad to know I'm not the only one

Oh, wait, you said you have now beaten the computer once, at least. I guess you're ahead of me.

DrSpike · December 19, 2002, 10:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Sagacious Dolphin

I thought it was Father Beast's in the first post.

Crap......upon rereading the first post I see what you mean! I called go othello on steroids completely independently of FB.........perhaps it is a common analogy I'm not sure........I was just trying to explain what the game was like, and I knew everyone knows othello/reversi.

Sorry FB......you got there first.

Dauphin · December 19, 2002, 11:54

Great minds think alike..... but fools seldom differ.

DrSpike · December 19, 2002, 12:29

Since I am a great mind I am forced to conclude that FB must also be one.

Drake Tungsten · December 19, 2002, 15:04

Quote:

Glad to know I'm not the only one

Oh, wait, you said you have now beaten the computer once, at least. I guess you're ahead of me.

I've actually beat the computer a couple of times now, but I've always needed a two stone handicap to do it. I'm hoping I can beat the computer in a straight up game here pretty soon, but I doubt I'll be able to. This game is sooo hard!

It's a lot of fun though...

Urban Ranger · December 19, 2002, 23:31

If you want to build up territories around a corner, the best place is "3-3" (the intersection of the third horizonal line and vertical line). You can go both ways on a star point, and "4-3" is giving up the corner for building up influences to grab the edge.

War4ever · December 20, 2002, 01:18

its all so confusing

Urban Ranger · December 20, 2002, 08:14

Just allow me to gloat a bit - yeah I know it is at the lowest setting, I can't seem to move it up. :/

Drake Tungsten · December 20, 2002, 11:50

Nice job, UR.

32 to 3? Am I scoring it right? I would need to know the number of captured stones, of course, but all the groups on the board look alive...

War4ever · December 20, 2002, 17:18

ok i have played this before, but its all confusing, i don't understand the scorring from that picture?????

Urban Ranger · December 21, 2002, 08:14

Quote:

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
Nice job, UR.

32 to 3? Am I scoring it right? I would need to know the number of captured stones, of course, but all the groups on the board look alive...

Something like that. Of course it's on a 9x9 grid and a 4 stone handicap in favour of me, so that's nothing to be proud of

. I have played a couple of games and I am up to 15 Kyu - that's how it adjusts the rating, by wins and loses.

The funnest one (I didn't capture the screen) was one where it surrendered after a couple of moves, leaving me with the entire board.

Urban Ranger · December 21, 2002, 08:18

Quote:

Originally posted by War4ever
ok i have played this before, but its all confusing, i don't understand the scorring from that picture?????

First, you count number of cross intersections each side has. In the picture, all groups are "live," so you just count the intersections within each group. Then you count the number of stones you have captured. These are used to fill in territories, i.e., subtract from what each player has.

That's it. Nothing to it.

Urban Ranger · December 22, 2002, 06:59

The computer player has nothing

Mark_Everson · December 22, 2002, 10:56

Hi All:

I played a fair amount of go about 15 years ago, and have recently returned to the game. So I have handy some Go resources for those who are interested. First there's

Sensei's Go Library of which this is the keywords page. So for info on openings you can follow the link up top, and then follow the link therein for info on the 3,3 point and its use in the opening. Its for securing the corner, as has been said above. Another really good set of references, though expensive, is the "Elementary Go Series" from ishi press. Its like 8 volumes and covers openings, attack and defese strategy, living shapes (how to ensure you can guarantee two eyes if attacked) and lots more. I expect you can get the volumes separately. The first volume on the opening is particularly good. I'm not certain its still in print, but its likely it is. Addr. for Ishi is in the screen igowin puts up at the end asking you to buy the full version.

There's also a fairly good go room at the MS zone here. Though when you don't know what you're doing, I think igowin is pretty good for simple tactics. Some people there don't know english, so if you want to learn, explain that, and make sure you get someone who's willing to give you pointers. It may take a bit of hanging around to find someone that fits the bill. . .

I'm not particularly good, but I'm not a novice either. Maybe 7 or 8 kyu. Don't believe the rankings from igowin, I can sometimes get it to say I'm about 10 levels better (about 10 stones worth of handicap on a 19x19 board) with that! Is anyone around here about 7K? Maybe we could put together a game sometime.

Cya,

Mark

Urban Ranger · December 22, 2002, 12:46

Long long time ago when I had human opponents to play against, I was somewhere around 7k or a bit higher. Now I am pretty rusty though I don't mind setting up a game some time. Just let me wash my arse first

Yeah igowin is pretty good at tactics (but not all the time, see above

) but completely suck at strategy. You can keep beating it by avoiding "knife fights" and just surround territory.

Kc7mxo · December 22, 2002, 13:45

Heh, my old roomate and I used to play Go in our neural networks class.

Mark_Everson · December 22, 2002, 23:07

Hey UR, happy to play sometime. Why don't we wait till you can get up to about 3K on igowin though, so you're not too rusty. Just let me know when you're ready!

Cya,

Mark

Urban Ranger · December 23, 2002, 06:37

Got cha.

Mark_Everson · December 24, 2002, 08:11

Lookin' forward to it! See you in a week or whatever.

self biased · December 24, 2002, 12:52

i've been told that the corners are less important on the smaller boards, as there isn't enough territory to capture as the center of the board.

i've been playing go for a few years now, but only sporadically. at my best i was only about 15k. i've probably backslid alot since then.

Urban Ranger · December 24, 2002, 23:44

Just like chess, you really do need to hit the books (or websites in this day and age) to keep going. Smaller boards are harder in some ways, since if you goof up once it is a lot tougher to recover.