[2968] in Central_America
Re: New quotes for Mon Dec 3
sethf@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (sethf@ATHENA.MIT.EDU)
Mon Dec 3 19:12:42 1990
Rogue-o-matic is an expert system for playing rogue. It was
Michael Mauldin's thesis, I believe. It's also been mentioned in a
Scientific American Computer Recreations column.
Redeeming social value? As jh put it, it's the program that
punts FOR you. People have dreamed of programs that would write their
papers or process their data. But r-o-m is a breakthrough, it plays your
games. Some Tibetan sects have a very sensible system of worship, where
they manufacture a wheel and every revolution of that wheel is a prayer
to their gods. Analogously, in this manner, many more games can be
played to the glory of the Punt God.
Seriously, besides its great amusement value, r-o-m is
particularly noteworthy for its effective combination of several
techniques. Rather than being completely rule-driven, it employs a
knowledge base, long-term memory and a genetic algorithm. Watching it
play and examining the evolution of the gene pool can actually be very
educational.
I maintain Athena's version. It's in the games locker,
vaxbin/rogomatic. The version here is actually pitted against
rogue_parties - rogue 5.3 + a party room (a room full of monsters +
treasure) on each level.
