AI Gets a Brain Upgrade! (Smarter Playouts)

Hey everyone!

We've been hard at work under the hood, giving our Go AI a significant boost in strategic thinking! While you might not see any new buttons or visual changes on the surface, this update fundamentally improves how the AI evaluates moves and makes decisions.

What's Changed?

Previously, when our AI was "thinking ahead" (using its Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithm), a core part of its process involved simulating many possible random game continuations (called "playouts") to see which initial moves led to better outcomes. The keyword here is random. While this can work, purely random playouts often miss obvious tactical opportunities or blunders, leading to a less-than-ideal understanding of the game state.

The Big Upgrade: Heuristic Playouts!

We've now replaced those purely random playouts with a much smarter, heuristic-driven playout policy. This means that during its internal simulations, the AI now:

• Prioritizes Critical Moves: It's much more likely to "see" and play moves that:
  • Capture opponent stones.
  • Save its own groups from being captured (escaping atari).
  • Put opponent groups into atari.
• Responds Locally: It pays more attention to the opponent's last move and considers responses in that area.
• Avoids Obvious Blunders: It's less likely to make simple mistakes like unnecessarily filling its own eyes or walking into self-atari without a good reason.

What Does This Mean for You?

• Stronger AI Opponent: Expect the AI to play more sensibly and make fewer unforced errors. It should be better at recognizing threats and opportunities.
• More Realistic Game Flow: The AI's simulated games (which inform its decisions) will look more like how a human might play, leading to more robust evaluations.
• Fewer "Huh?" Moments: Hopefully, this reduces instances where the AI makes a perplexing move (like passing prematurely when the game is still on!).

The Nitty-Gritty (Without Getting Too Nitty-Gritty):

This change involved teaching the AI a set of "rules of thumb" (heuristics) for quickly evaluating how good a potential move is during its rapid simulations. It now scores moves based on immediate tactical advantages and tries to play the "best" available option according to these scores, rather than just picking any valid move at random.

Let us know what you think of the AI's play! Your feedback is invaluable.

Happy Gaming!