Re: gnomine solver

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

> Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 17:43:30 -0800
> From: David Bellot <bellot stat berkeley edu>
> To: games-list gnome org
> Subject: Re: gnomine solver
>
>
> >In principle we could replace the current hint function with one of
> >these algorithms, but keep in mind that the current hint function is not
> >designed to give the best move, it is designed to reveal a square that
> >gives a lot of information to the player. Having said that, it doesn't
> >give the most possible information to the player.

Kmines has a really easy practice mode or magic I think it is called where
scores are not counted but it automatically clears away a lot of the game
for you.  What has been described sounds similar but I'm not entirely
sure.

> Why don't you turn this function into a 2-player gnomine.

I've never seen a two player mine-sweeper before but if you can point out
a free/freeware/shareware version somewhere I'd be interested to try it
out.

The last intersting variant on mine-sweeper I saw had flowers instead of
mines and included messsages about the horrors that antipersonnel mines
inflicted on civilians.

> The two players (one is a human, the other is a computer) starts with
> different games. The window is splitted into two parts, one part with

split

> the board for each player. The computer is slowed down in order not to
> win too quickly and the winner is the first to solve the game. As the
> human player can see the progress of the computer, his/her stress
> increases during the game.

I always a little sceptical of games i haven't seen before and I'm not
sure how this kind of competition would be all that much fun (games like
"Four in a row" or "tic tac toe" (noughts and crosses) aren't much fun
against a computer).

It there was a way to make mines work as a continuous game it might be
fun.  I'm reaching for ideas but there are certain types of competitions
and challenges that are simply a whole lot more fun.

> Another kind of game would be to play on the same board against the
> computer.
> At each turn, a player chooses a square. Depending on the number of
> squares which are erased, the player can play one or more turn after. If
> at the next try, the player discover less squares than the previous try,
> then his/her number of tries is decreased so that to avoid a cumulating
> effect. Then you must be lucky to continue otherwise it's computer's
> turn and so on...

Sounds a bit like battle ships now that i think of it.
I'm probably too skeptical, maybe it could be fun.

- Alan