BGBlitz

What is new in this release:

• Finally: a match analyzer. As always I try to make BGBlitz very convenient to use. You can use the analyzer after a game, drag & drop a match on BGBlitz, from the menu, from a DailyGammon-URL or during match conversion to BGBlitz or HTML-format.
• A new AI, with more specialized nets. Not the one that won at the 2016 Computer Olympiad but a slightly improved one.
• BGBlitz scales better on many core CPUs. With 12 cores, depending on the CPU, it might be up to 80% more positions evaluated per second.
• I added a dialog box that shows "Early/Late-Doubling" values and the "Doubling Strategy Dialog" supports now cubeful values and adjustable cube liveness values.

What is new in version 2.8.4:

• Some new features. Most important
  • The cube liveness heuristic was optimized.
  • The AI got some speed improvements.
  • For the techies: BGBlitz now supports AVX and FMA3 CPU-Instructions, but from now on native code is only supported for 64-Bit CPUs.
  • It has always been difficult to develop an AI that plays weaker, so less experienced players are not frustrated. Adding random to the evaluation leads to sometimes ridiculous moves followed by excellent ones, but it doesn't feel like playing against a human. From now on for the lower settings a weaker AI is used. It doesn't understand more advanced concepts so less random noise has to be added. I hope this feels more like playing a human and feedback is highly appreciated.
  • For the skeptics about the randomness of the dice rolls I created 8 files with one million pre calculated rolls each. They are calculated with a device that produces true random Infinite Noise TRNG. The files are plain text files so anyone can easily analyze them or check the sequence of rolls. I have done some statistical tests (mostly some simple Chi-square-tests) but feel free to do a more advanced analysis like DieHard or NIST.
• Several usability improvements. Most notably
  • At the first start a wizard adapts the initial settings to the user preferences and playing strength
  • Setting the playing strength of the AI is easier now.
• Further three serious and a couple of minor issues was fixed (Most notable: the access to random.org works again) and some internal improvements to increase long term maintainability.

  What is new in version 2.8.2:

  • Some new features. Most important
    • you can save a picture of the current board to a file. Width and type are freely configurable. Comes handy for your blog etc...
    • bulk import of positions from a directory into the position database
    • better support for sgf-files, especially files containing only a single position
  • More than a dozen usability improvements. Most notably
    • the support of multi monitor environments and resolution changes (e.g. change of orientation on a tablet).
    • the toolbar could be on the left and right side, saving precious vertical space on 16:9 screens
  • For the Mac I have for the first time two versions: for Mac OSX 10.8+ there is a version of BGBlitz based on Oracle Java. The other version (mandatory for versions 10.6 and 10.7, but works on newer versions too) needs Apple Java 1.6 installed, which is the last official version from Apple. My tests showed that Oracle Java is now mature enough to be used on the Mac; feedback appreciated.
  • Further two serious and a couple of minor issues fixed and some internal improvements to increase long term maintainability.

  Requirements:

  Mac OS 9.x

  Limitations:

  Some features-disabled

  4 May 20 in Games, Strategy Games