1002: Game AIs - Revision history

208.59.176.206: /* Computers cannot compete */

2026-01-05T00:33:08Z

‎Computers cannot compete

DollarStoreBa'al: Arimaa has been updated. It was only a rewording, but conveys the same information. You're welcome.

2025-08-14T22:43:23Z

Arimaa has been updated. It was only a rewording, but conveys the same information. You're welcome.

DollarStoreBa'al at 22:41, 14 August 2025

2025-08-14T22:41:28Z

FaviFake: /* Computers cannot compete */

2025-06-21T11:30:52Z

‎Computers cannot compete

FaviFake at 11:25, 21 June 2025

2025-06-21T11:25:14Z

FaviFake: /* Explanation */ use list instead of bullet points

2025-06-21T11:23:02Z

‎Explanation: use list instead of bullet points

Show changes

172.70.58.5: /* Humans Beat Computers */

2025-05-21T22:24:16Z

‎Humans Beat Computers

Cheesesentience: /* Humans Beat Computers */

2025-05-21T15:17:02Z

‎Humans Beat Computers

162.158.146.110: /* Humans Beat Computers */ indentation

2025-01-15T08:45:51Z

‎Humans Beat Computers: indentation

108.162.245.18: /* Humans Beat Computers */

2024-11-29T19:57:36Z

‎Humans Beat Computers

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 : This is a reference to the comic strip {{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} by {{w|Bill Watterson}}. Calvinball is a game played by {{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} as a rebellion against organized team sports; according to Hobbes, "No sport is less organized than Calvinball!" Calvinball was first introduced to the readers at the end of a 1990 storyline involving Calvin reluctantly joining recess baseball. It quickly became a staple of the comic afterwards. The only hint at the true creation of the game ironically comes from the last Calvinball strip, in which a game of football quickly devolves into a game of Calvinball. Calvin remarks that "sooner or later, all our games turn into Calvinball," suggesting a similar scenario that directly led to the creation of the sport. Calvin and Hobbes usually play by themselves, although in one storyline Rosalyn (Calvin's baby-sitter) plays in return for Calvin doing his homework, and plays very well once she realizes that the rules are made up on the spot.
-:The only consistent rules state that Calvinball may never be played with the same rules twice, and you need to wear a mask, no questions asked. Scoring is also arbitrary, with Hobbes at times reporting scores of "Q to 12" and "oogy to boogy." The only recognizable sports Calvinball resembles are the ones it emulates (i.e., a cross between croquet, polo, badminton, capture the flag, and volleyball.) The game is a manifestation of chaos and the human imagination, far beyond the meager capabilities of silicon and circuitry, at least so far. The closest thing you could possibly get is having an AI automatically generate rules on the fly, similar to something like the currently-existent {{w|AI Dungeon}} or a similarly robust text algorithm; but even still, the computer would be unable to ''act'' upon these new rules in that state.
+:The only consistent rules state that Calvinball may never be played with the same rules twice, and you need to wear a mask, no questions asked. Scoring is also arbitrary, with Hobbes at times reporting scores of "Q to 12" and "oogy to boogy." The only recognizable sports Calvinball resembles are the ones it emulates (i.e., a cross between croquet, polo, badminton, capture the flag, and volleyball). The game is a manifestation of chaos and the human imagination, far beyond the meager capabilities of silicon and circuitry, at least so far. The closest thing you could possibly get is having an AI automatically generate rules on the fly, similar to something like the currently-existent {{w|AI Dungeon}} or a similarly robust text algorithm; but even still, the computer would be unable to ''act'' upon these new rules in that state.
 ==Transcript==

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:43, 14 August 2025
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	===Humans Beat Computers===		===Humans Beat Computers===
−	~~{{incomplete\|The explanation for Arimaa is simply copy-pasted from Wikipedia, please fix it.}}~~

	These games are incredibly difficult to "solve" due to the near-infinite number of possible positions. Computers built in the early 21st century would take years to calculate a single "ideal" move. Worse, the human opponent has the ability to "bluff"; that is, to make a bad move, thus baiting the computer into a trap. Complex algorithms have been devised to make moves in a reasonable timeframe, but so far they are all highly vulnerable to bluffing. As mentioned in the comic, focused research and development is working on refining these algorithms to play the games better.		These games are incredibly difficult to "solve" due to the near-infinite number of possible positions. Computers built in the early 21st century would take years to calculate a single "ideal" move. Worse, the human opponent has the ability to "bluff"; that is, to make a bad move, thus baiting the computer into a trap. Complex algorithms have been devised to make moves in a reasonable timeframe, but so far they are all highly vulnerable to bluffing. As mentioned in the comic, focused research and development is working on refining these algorithms to play the games better.

@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 ; {{w|Arimaa}}
-: This is a two-player abstract strategy board game that can be played using the same equipment as chess. Arimaa was designed to be more difficult for artificial intelligences to play than chess. Arimaa was invented by Omar Syed, an Indian American computer engineer trained in artificial intelligence. Syed was inspired by Garry Kasparov's defeat at the hands of the chess computer Deep Blue to design a new game which could be played with a standard chess set, would be difficult for computers to play well, but would have rules simple enough for his then four-year-old son Aamir to understand. '''Update:''' on April 18, 2015, a computer won [https://arimaa.com/arimaa/challenge/ the "Arimaa Challenge"], so this comic is now out of date with respect to Arimaa; it should move above ''Starcraft'' or ''Jeopardy!''.
+: Arimaa is a game which can be played with traditional chess pieces. It was invented by Omar Syed, with the explicit goal of being more difficult to AIs than regular chess while still being able to be learned by his 4-year-old son Aamir. He was motivated to create the game by the famous chess match between {{w|Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov|Deep Blue and Gary Kasparov}}. '''Update:''' on April 18, 2015, a computer won [https://arimaa.com/arimaa/challenge/ the "Arimaa Challenge"], so this comic is now out of date with respect to Arimaa.
 ; {{w|Go (game)|Go}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:30, 21 June 2025
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	===Computers cannot compete===		===Computers cannot compete===
		+	These are the games Randall believes computers will never be able to beat, mainly because they depend on elements that go beyond logic and calculation. Unlike traditional games where a clear strategy or set of rules can be mastered by AI, these ones often involve unpredictable human choices, creative thinking, or social interactions.

	; {{w\|Snakes and Ladders}}		; {{w\|Snakes and Ladders}}

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
 ===Solved===
 These games are considered "solved" by [[Randall Munroe|Randall]], meaning the ideal maneuver for each game state (Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four) or each of the limited starting positions (Checkers) has already been calculated. Computers aren't so much playing as they are recalculating the list of ideal maneuvers. The same could be said for the computer's human opponent, just at a slower pace.

@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 ===Humans Beat Computers===
-{{incomplete|The explanation for Arimaa is simply copy-pasted from Wikipedia, please fix it.}}
+{{incomplete|The explanation for Arimaa is simply copy-pasted from Wikipedia, please fix it. <!-- Is it wrong? Can you say it better? Fix it yourself. -->}}
 :The below games are incredibly difficult to "solve" due to the near-infinite number of possible positions. Computers built in the early 21st century would take years to calculate a single "ideal" move. Worse, the human opponent has the ability to "bluff"; that is, to make a bad move, thus baiting the computer into a trap. Complex algorithms have been devised to make moves in a reasonable timeframe, but so far they are all highly vulnerable to bluffing. As mentioned in the comic, focused research and development is working on refining these algorithms to play the games better.

@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 *'''{{w|Poker}}''' is a family of card games involving betting and individualistic play whereby the winner is determined by the ranks and combinations of their cards, some of which remain hidden until the end of the game. It is also, however, a game of deception and intimidation, the ubiquitous "poker face" being considered the most important part of the game.<br>
-'''Update:''' In a 20-day poker tournament from January 11 to 31, 2017, the poker AI {{w|Libratus}} [https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/31/14451616/ai-libratus-beat-humans-poker-cmu-tournament won against four top-class human poker players]. Libratus only works for the Heads-Up (two-player) variant of poker, which is not the most commonly played variant, so humans are still ahead of computers for now.
+:*'''Update:''' In a 20-day poker tournament from January 11 to 31, 2017, the poker AI {{w|Libratus}} [https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/31/14451616/ai-libratus-beat-humans-poker-cmu-tournament won against four top-class human poker players]. Libratus only works for the Heads-Up (two-player) variant of poker, which is not the most commonly played variant, so humans are still ahead of computers for now.
 *'''{{w|Arimaa}}''' is a two-player abstract strategy board game that can be played using the same equipment as chess. Arimaa was designed to be more difficult for artificial intelligences to play than chess. Arimaa was invented by Omar Syed, an Indian American computer engineer trained in artificial intelligence. Syed was inspired by Garry Kasparov's defeat at the hands of the chess computer Deep Blue to design a new game which could be played with a standard chess set, would be difficult for computers to play well, but would have rules simple enough for his then four-year-old son Aamir to understand.<br>
-'''Update:''' on April 18, 2015, a computer won [http://arimaa.com/arimaa/challenge/ the "Arimaa Challenge"], so this comic is now out of date with respect to Arimaa; it should move above ''Starcraft'' or ''Jeopardy!''.
+:*'''Update:''' on April 18, 2015, a computer won [http://arimaa.com/arimaa/challenge/ the "Arimaa Challenge"], so this comic is now out of date with respect to Arimaa; it should move above ''Starcraft'' or ''Jeopardy!''.
 *'''{{w|Go (game)|Go}}''' is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. The game is noted for being rich in strategy despite its relatively simple rules. The game is played by two players who alternately place black and white stones on the vacant intersections (called "points") of a grid of 19×19 lines (beginners often play on smaller 9×9 and 13×13 boards). The object of the game is to use one's stones to control a larger amount of territory of the board than the opponent. That computers would soon beat humans was the subject in [[1263: Reassuring]].<br>