On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 08:23:31 -0400, Paige Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Jeroen Donkers wrote: >> -- CALL FOR PARTICIPATION --- ><...snip...> >> What is RoShamBo? >> ----------------- >> >> RoShamBo is a game played all over the world. In Japan, where it is very >> popular, it is called Jan Ken and in the USA and England they call it >> Rock-Paper-Scissors. The game is quite simple. Two players sit facing each >> other and on a sign they first stamp three times with the right fist in the >> open left hand and then they simultaneously make a gesture with their right >> hand. ><...snip...> >> Computer-RoShamBo! >> ------------------ >> The purpose of the competition is to write a Java program that can play >> RoShamBo. Your program will play against all other participating programs >> and the program winning the most games is the champion. > >Forgive me for being skeptical, but enlighten me, please ... won't the >wins be based purely on random luck rather than any outstanding >mathematical logic, or rather than any outstanding computer programming? > If so, what is the point of declaring a champion? If everyone plays according to a uniform distribution of plays then who wins is just based on random luck. But, if one person deviates from that uniform distirubtion than someone may be able to exploit that and gain an edge in expected value. > >So, if you had an infinite number of turns, the best strategy is to use >equal probability on each outcome. No problem, I understand that. But, it's not correct unless everybody plays that way. If one person deviates from the uniform play then you won't be harmed by it, but your failure to exploit it might cause you to now do as well as someone who does attempt to exploit the one player who deviated from uniform. . . ================================================================= Instructions for joining and leaving this list, remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES, and archives are available at: . http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ . =================================================================
