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Subject: Re: new autoplayer interface standard

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 14:51:39 09/15/98

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On September 15, 1998 at 16:05:08, Dan Homan wrote:

>Bob,
>
>Did you add to the Xboard protocol some?  Some of the commands are
>things I didn't recognize, like
>
>(To the engine)
>>level MOVES1 TIME1 MOVES2 TIME2
>>  Set time controls.  This is a more traditional type of time control with
>>  a first time control (MOVES1 in TIME1 minutes, then MOVES2 in TIME2 minutes
>>  repeated until the game ends.
>
>and

yes...  current protocol doesn't allow primary / secondary time controls.
This simply addition allows it and doesn't need a new command since the
overloaded "level" operator can be interpreted based on the number of
parameters supplied..




>
>(From the engine)
>>time N
>>  This is used to tell the interface how much time your engine has left
>>  on its clock, typically right after making a move.  This will be turned
>>  into an "otim N" command and sent to the other engine  so that it can
>>  adjust its value for your remaining time.


this is a first thought, so that the engine can tell the other player how
much time he has left.  An alternative would be to have the two interface
programs manage the clocks.  But it is easier for the engines, which are
"in the game" since clocks have to be adjusted at time control boundaries...

this is a debatable solution..




>
>All in all, I like this protocol very much.  I was thinking for some time
>that perhaps the ICS interface protocol might be the best solution as
>this naturally gives us access to a 'judge' - a FICS server running on
>third machine.  But that would require TCP/IP to work and would demand the
>use of a third machine.  Your solution seems simpler and provides upward
>compatibility with ICS servers though the xboard/winboard/robofics interface.
>


exactly.  If this is implemented, then any of the above can be used to also play
on the server, and then the server can be the ultimate arbiter between the two
programs...

and since the ICS code is free, we *could* grab that, scale it back, and make
an automated test program that would do just this for us...




> - Dan



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