Conquer Club

wondering how smart our bots are, any idea ?
have any of you put new bots in test and how do you feel if any smart they are ?
which bot do you prefer you play against ? female or male both ? does it matter ?

I believe any chess programmer could develop a strong bot that plays risk type maps. And though he would probably have to limit the bot to one specific map to really achieve top results I believe it would generate great interest especially if others were allowed to submit bots for testing.

Not a chance, left Land Grab because of Bots fucking up a good game. I can't believe CC would put this in place against so many other good ideas. Fail as there are so many maps with varieties of play, no bot can be programmed to be competitive on such a diverse playing field. Will not have any bot in my games ruining real games.

86

Agent 86 wrote:Not a chance, left Land Grab because of Bots fucking up a good game. I can't believe CC would put this in place against so many other good ideas. Fail as there are so many maps with varieties of play, no bot can be programmed to be competitive on such a diverse playing field. Will not have any bot in my games ruining real games.

86

It would be strictly voluntary as to whether you played a bot or not. I have played chess and backgammon programs and really enjoy them. To each his own though.

Agent 86 wrote:Not a chance, left Land Grab because of Bots fucking up a good game. I can't believe CC would put this in place against so many other good ideas. Fail as there are so many maps with varieties of play, no bot can be programmed to be competitive on such a diverse playing field. Will not have any bot in my games ruining real games.

86

Don't worry, the bots can't join games of their own accord, and they can't be invited to games. They are strictly a 1v1 thing that you play if and only if you choose to.

CC put in the bots for a very good reason. Our Number 1 problem has always been new user retention. People hear about the site, they come and check it out, sign up for a few games, and nothing happens. The game they joined doesn't start until maybe days later, and meanwhile they've moved an and are playing some other game on some other site. Even if the game does start, their turn doesn't come up right away, and if it does, it's probably because they are playing some farmer who has been waiting to ambush them.

We've tried various strategies to improve new player retention, but without much success. The most recent major push was to have some free speed games for new members. That did more harm then good. It increased the creation of multies, it increased farming, and it didn't do much to improve the retention rate.

This is a new attempt to achieve that goal. New players can come, get some instant gratification by having a few games that begin right away. The bots aren't very good as players, but they are just good enough to give a new player a bit of a challenge, as well as an introduction to how the game plays out and the basic mechanics. With a bit of luck, the new player will develop a taste for the game and be much more likely to stick around.

A lot of veterans have tried some games against the bots now, mainly out of curiosity. There is even a nice official tournament involving those games. However, you and I are not the target audience, and the bots are not intended to be serious competition for a veteran. They are a new player hook, we hope, and that is all they are meant to be.

So is it cheating to use the bots to boost ones win percentage stats? Could be a cheap way to get a leg up on cross map!

I think the existing CC bots are good for 3 important reasons, regardless of their low IQ:

1) Recruiting new players -- although the option should be more prominent, instead of only on the "Start A Game" page.
2) Trying out new maps never played before.
3) Trying out fog and spoils options on maps.

I would suggest the option of playing against multiple bots -- i.e. one Human vs. 2 to 5 bots. Then the bots will fight each other, and there will be fewer neutrals on any given map. I play occasionally at [ http://www.victorsunited.com ] where they have that capability. I don't know about the AI programming of their bots, but they are pretty tough sometimes.

P.S. Is there really any difference between the two levels of CC's bots?

Vlasov wrote:
P.S. Is there really any difference between the two levels of CC's bots?

Yes, one is a shitty player that says dorky things and asks existential questions that appear to have gone through Google translate.

and the other is a shitty player that acts like a major whore.

Crazyirishman wrote:and the other is a shitty player that acts like a major whore.

It'll attract prospective customers in male teenage years

CC botz -- narrow contributions to silly chat... How about saying NOTHING since everyone knows it's a BOT !

Vlasov wrote:CC botz -- narrow contributions to silly chat... How about saying NOTHING since everyone knows it's a BOT !

Siri can talk!

Can we get Siri to take some turns? I kind of like his/her voice. =)

Gilligan wrote:

Vlasov wrote:CC botz -- narrow contributions to silly chat... How about saying NOTHING since everyone knows it's a BOT !

Siri can talk!

macbone wrote:Can we get Siri to take some turns? I kind of like his/her voice. =)

I guess a bigger question is.. will Siri buy premium?

Dukasaur wrote:

Gilligan wrote:

Vlasov wrote:CC botz -- narrow contributions to silly chat... How about saying NOTHING since everyone knows it's a BOT !

Siri can talk!

macbone wrote:Can we get Siri to take some turns? I kind of like his/her voice. =)

I guess a bigger question is.. will Siri buy premium?

I feel like Siri would be an even worse bot option tham whammy and sassy, especially if Siri is guided my apple maps to make decisions.

Dukasaur wrote:

Agent 86 wrote:Not a chance, left Land Grab because of Bots fucking up a good game. I can't believe CC would put this in place against so many other good ideas. Fail as there are so many maps with varieties of play, no bot can be programmed to be competitive on such a diverse playing field. Will not have any bot in my games ruining real games.

86

Don't worry, the bots can't join games of their own accord, and they can't be invited to games. They are strictly a 1v1 thing that you play if and only if you choose to.

CC put in the bots for a very good reason. Our Number 1 problem has always been new user retention. People hear about the site, they come and check it out, sign up for a few games, and nothing happens. The game they joined doesn't start until maybe days later, and meanwhile they've moved an and are playing some other game on some other site. Even if the game does start, their turn doesn't come up right away, and if it does, it's probably because they are playing some farmer who has been waiting to ambush them.

We've tried various strategies to improve new player retention, but without much success. The most recent major push was to have some free speed games for new members. That did more harm then good. It increased the creation of multies, it increased farming, and it didn't do much to improve the retention rate.

This is a new attempt to achieve that goal. New players can come, get some instant gratification by having a few games that begin right away. The bots aren't very good as players, but they are just good enough to give a new player a bit of a challenge, as well as an introduction to how the game plays out and the basic mechanics. With a bit of luck, the new player will develop a taste for the game and be much more likely to stick around.

A lot of veterans have tried some games against the bots now, mainly out of curiosity. There is even a nice official tournament involving those games. However, you and I are not the target audience, and the bots are not intended to be serious competition for a veteran. They are a new player hook, we hope, and that is all they are meant to be.

Hmm, about the user retention thing, would it be possible to still let them play basic level bot games even when their 4 slots are full? It's not like they'll want to play against those cooktastic bots forever, but if they are fool enough to fill all 4 slots right away with with human games, they'll still have something to do in the meantime.