Author: Michael Cummings
Date: 15:09:57 03/10/00
Go up one level in this thread
On March 10, 2000 at 13:46:38, John Merlino wrote: >On March 10, 2000 at 13:37:34, John Merlino wrote: > >>On March 10, 2000 at 02:08:02, Michael Cummings wrote: >> >>>On March 07, 2000 at 13:06:38, John Merlino wrote: >>> >>>>On March 07, 2000 at 04:22:43, Harald Faber wrote: >>>> >>>>>Hi John, >>>>> >>>>>Is there a way to increase the hash size in CM7000? It is said that FreeMem and >>>>>other software show no difference in memory access, no matter if the ttable_size >>>>>in the .ini's are set to 20, 25 or other values. >>>> >>>>Harald, >>>> >>>>I am very sorry to report that the development team has looked into this and it >>>>appears to be a bug. They have no explanation for it, as the code that >>>>initializes the engine SUPPOSEDLY did not change during the rewrite from CM6000 >>>>to CM7000 (since the engine itself did not change). However, what you report >>>>appears to be true. >>>> >>>>Unfortunately, because CM7000 has been officially put to bed, there will almost >>>>certainly not be a patch. Officially, since there isn't a way using the GUI to >>>>change the hash table size, then this ability is considered one of those >>>>"unsupported features". Therefore it doesn't warrant the time to create, test >>>>and put up a patch. >>>> >>>>Also, considering the recent layoffs here at Mattel Interactive (the new boss in >>>>town), no one is willing to stick their heads above their respective trenches. >>>> >>>>The development team tells me, however, that in the next version there WILL be a >>>>way in the GUI to change the hash table to be anything you want, from 8K to >>>>64MB. >>>> >>>>jm >>> >>>Hi John >>> >>>Good work keeping us informed >>> >>>Most know my dislike of CM7K, but CM6K is still a superior program in my eyes, I >>>wonder if you know what the sales have been like, and out of interest which >>>Chessmaster version has sold the most. >>> >>>And have they realised something that they did or missed in CM7K that they will >>>not make the same mistake again in CM8K. >>> >>>That said, even being a mass market program, there are features regarding the >>>engine, like setting hash tables, thatt have been around in freeware and old >>>chess programs for years. And features that when people learn, and start to play >>>better and grow with the program and thus use some of the more serious options >>>that have not been in CM programs of the past and would be of use. >>> >>>Most people have not wanted this to be a professional program, as it is for the >>>mass market. But some features would not be hard. They should by now have at >>>least some idea how to satify both sections of their selling (mass and serious) >> >>Hi Michael, >> >>Given that the development team is looking at Winboard, the ability to set the >>hash table size within the GUI, "infinite analysis" and the ability to log onto >>an internet connection as a computer player, I believe that they are now tending >>to lean towards features that can be considered to be for the "serious" player. >> >>CM7K was slanted towards getting young people to play, and towards cleaning up >>complaints that were made about the supposedly confusing interface. I think that >>CM8K is going to be more of the same, but with most of the new stuff geared to >>intermediate and advanced players. Apparently there is going to be a pretty >>advanced annotated endgame tutorial from Josh Waitzkin and the "rate my play" >>feature is going to come back, but it will be in a slightly different form >>(although it will be written by Bruce Pandolfini, who was responsible for the >>well-known "Solitaire Chess" columns -- which is pretty much the same thing). >> >>jm > >Oh, you asked about sales figures. From what I gather, the Chessmaster series >(all versions on all platforms) was the only one in Mindscape's entertainment >group (includes SSI and Red Orb and Petz/Babies/Creatures titles) that "made its >numbers". The CM series holds something on the order of 85% of the market share >(from the PC Data archives which tallies only retail titles). I don't have >actual dollar figures, but I can get them if you're interested. > >In other words, it did about as well as CM6K, which did very well. One fact is >always amazing to me is that (according to registration forms sent in) close to >75% of people who buy the latest version of CM for the PC are FIRST TIME BUYERS! >You would think that after 12 years just about every "typical user" who was >going to buy a chess program would have bought a copy of CM. It seems that >there's always a new crop of folks who have never bought a chess program and >keep CM's numbers strong. > >jm If you can get the actual sale numbers of units sold for each version, or for what you can, I would be interested in that. Just send them to my email, I doubt many people would be interested here.
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