Guest posts by KeeperofDreams

49

General Discussion / Re: Help aquiring a card?

« on: December 30, 2011, 08:53:06 pm »

Sounds like the partial upped deck on the wiki featuring quantums/utyogs,etc...
And yeah, that's out dated for FG farming, but it makes a great AI4 farmer with a pulvy, sanctuary, instead of the steal and gratitude, a just a bit more past the minimum upgrades that were posted,
I've also had success with a slightly further modified version, fully upgraded, against platinum...  when you win it's usually an EM win and that's 400+ electrum... 

50

General Discussion / Re: Game Coding Q&A

« on: December 30, 2011, 04:56:23 am »

Xeno,
I see the methods here are pretty straight forward variable fixed code set...
I don't know much about what systems and tool sets additional languages outside of flash are being used nor budget matters, etc;
But,  I have some AI experience behind me in different application, but I was wondering if zanz or anyone else deeply involved in development of this site is interested in some different approaches to the AI to make it much more dynamic?

51

General Discussion / What's your,"I should have won that game, if only I didn't..." story

« on: December 29, 2011, 08:26:59 pm »

So I have figured out I am a really sloppy player.  I had pride when I first started playing and I figured out a deck that was a great AI3 grind, I was proud when I made my first couple AI4 unupped or mostly unupped grind decks.  I was proud that despite having few upgraded cards in the beginning, I maintained a 70% win rate in pvp1 and pvp2 and AI4.  I thought I was a smart player, tricking the AI, developing gimmick decks to keep others on guard...   and now...  now I know I'm just a run of the mill player with sloppy playing habits, here is my story:

After a month of being absolutely frustrated with the special spin in Arena never giving me a much needed new shard or two, I finally got my 4th upgraded SoR, and I said cool, I can finally try that Instaosis that's on the wiki I've been meaning to try for FG farming...  So, I put the deck together, and start FG farming.  I like the deck a lot, except...  you have to pay attention to your last two or three turns closely, to get that final kill you need all the electrum in place, no last sundial, and your hand just about right.  You then need to play the card's in the proper order...  I've won many of games...  but I've come off atleast the 12th lost because of my own damn fault...

This last time I decked myself out, clicking on one too many electrum hourglasses against Miracle that should have been an EM win.
Then the game right before that was another going to be an EM win, except as I was clicking through the SoR's, I accidently clicked on my Chimera too early again not paying attention to what I was doing...
I've click on a sundial on my last turn by accident...
I've over spent by one time electrum by accident...
I've forced myself to have to discard a needed card...

Oh the pain at realizing, damn I am playing to hasty and sloppy, and frankly I suck...

Well misery loves company, so what's the most painful loss because you messed up story you have?

52

General Discussion / Re: AI stupidiy

« on: December 29, 2011, 06:16:04 am »

 I've also done script AI programming for custom maps for games, I've done class one brains (learning machines) for games and business purposes, I've done fuzzy logic systems mainly for industrial purposes, I've toyed but no serious use of organic algorithms but I might get to soon for a healthcare company...

I am no AI expert, perhaps a journey man of sorts, and I don't know completely how elements is designed and programmed; however, I am pretty certain it uses a client/server like function where flash is the client side...  this does not lend it to learning systems.  The game itself does not lend itself to fuzzy logic either.  Scripting each deck is both tedious, requires additional knowledge outside the game, and takes away time from playing the game for the player and a lot of time away to update and re update the AI decks for each update, only the algorithm method would work here outside of hard fast rules programming, this requires the most knowledge of which not every developer has.

Again I am but a journey man, but something like HTML5/JavaScript front end with a Java/C# backend recode job, might lend this game to be able to make use of a database backed learning system that organically build's it's schema and relationships, and bind to a series to three algorithms, a planning algorithm that makes awareness of it's deck calculating things out like highest damage rate and what combinations in the past based on the learning portion result in good use.  A second algorithm to track possible events based on what the opponent plays, so the opponent has a aether mark, phase shield is a possibility, based off of previous games it was best to hold defrags,  Then as an overall a field control algorithm that takes these two into account but makes the final decision based off of a third set of rules, that handles the field,   ahhh a sundial, is in play, don't spend the sky blitz yet.

Just my two cents

53

General Discussion / Re: Is there a hard limit on quantum gained?

« on: December 29, 2011, 02:44:29 am »

Good point,  I agree it does hurt it's easiest counters as much or more making firestall come out about the same in the end against pvp and lesser arena leagues if not ahead... 

However, it still stands that it hurts against the false gods and many platinum arena decks...  No more building up to 200 damage firebolts...  max is 144 now.

So the non-upgraded FG farmer here:
http://elementscommunity.org/wiki/decks/duo-and-trio-decks/deck_aether-fire/
Is no longer viable... 

54

General Discussion / Re: AI stupidiy

« on: December 28, 2011, 09:58:37 pm »

As far as AI goes it's stupid, it's not even really AI, it's hard coded rules...
No algorithms and No learning capabilities... 
So it's fair to say it's stupid, what's worse is it's programmed 'stupid'... 
But not being flash programmer, I'm not to say it was stupidly programmed as I have no idea what type of overhead is involved with doing those types of calculations would have inside flash, it's flash not C++, it's kind of clunky for things like that.

55

General Discussion / Re: Is there a hard limit on quantum gained?

« on: December 28, 2011, 09:26:39 pm »

Yes darkness is one of the most 'complete' power decks that can stand alone.

I think the cap was for more than just fire stall, it was for some types of fractals, and yes to weaken darkness.

When I started playing, before I even viewed the forums or wiki and was just figuring out the game, after a trial run at the game I thought darkness was the best starter element and reset, then built my first AI3 grind deck.   I maintained a 100% win rate with this against AI3 with around a 70% EM rate  (knowing what to steal is important as some elements were close games if you started stealing pillars when you should of held for a phase shield, or knowing they didn't have a powerful perm and just steal to add to denial/stall effect:

by KeeperofDreams

Hover over cards for details, click for permalink

Deck import code : [Select]

5uk 5uk 5uk 5uk 5uk 5uk 5uk 5uk 5uk 5uk 5uk 5ul 5ul 5ul 5ul 5um 5um 5um 5um 5uo 5up 5up 5up 5up 5uq 5uq 5ur 5us 5us 5us 5us 8pt

and I used another mono unupped darkness which at the time had a 50% win rate against AI4 and is what I submitted in the unofficial competition on this forum.

I think that's a bit overpowered, the nerf, has taken about 10% off each of those deck's win rate, to around 90 and 40%, which makes more sense for such cheap decks.
So Firestalls and Darkness...  I've never played much water, but water has a lot of power in it...  but some fractal oriented deck's are also slightly hurt too, as some someone said, gone are 8 dragons at once, a slight shift, but one that at times can mean a win or loss...

So I think it was intended for more than just firestall. 

56

General Discussion / Re: How do you view the Arena?

« on: December 19, 2011, 03:37:07 am »

Build - I did not have a large variety of cards and focused on getting certain decks upgraded when the arena came out.   I found most of the time I couldn't build a deck that would have a chance of winning.  I felt a sort of pressure to to support the game so to speak, and make sure some variety and decks that at least make some sense get posted.  I since then have spent my money on obtaining all the unupped cards to a full set of 6 (which I have minus some rares now).  Part of me wishes I did not do this as I feel I should have spent time toward a couple of decks I wanted, but I feel its a way of supporting the game, because the money of course is not worth the time.

Grade/Thumbs - 1 of probably 8 games gets a thumbs up from me, when I lose to a deck that is rarely played or has a little twist compared to the standard build that is the twist that caught me.  However, most of the time, it's standard fire rush, titan/accelerate, or speedbow that knocks me out and so they get thumbs down always.

Grind/Against - I like to play against the Arena in bronze and platinum, bronze to test and mess around, platinum for gold and a chance for a new upped rare.

Overall I like the Arena over the old Top decks system; however, I really think there is additional room for improvement. 
Like have an additional ladder the adds up all the wins and losses in each grouping and a chance to win custom art cards or rare cards that cycles every 4 months or so on submitted decks.
and/or
Specialized events.

The biggest thing though, is I think it exposes how really few combinations of decks are out there to play.  Of the  4 hundred or so cards out there, only about 20 truly distinctive decks are played, and perhaps 100 total that are mostly variations based on those initial 20.  To play the same 20 or so decks over and over and over again becomes tedious.  The greatest thing to this game I think should happen would be doubling or tripling the cards out there with additional capabilities.  For game balance, a couple of servers that go through the all combinations and seek out statistical abnormalities could prevent any one card from being too powerful.

57

Philosophy / Re: is abortion correct when it saves the mother?

« on: December 16, 2011, 07:24:24 am »

Do you mind me asking what ailment she was suffering?

58

Science / Re: Determinism

« on: December 15, 2011, 03:36:14 am »

Because, if you knew the location, speed, etc of all the particles, then you could predict exactly what someone were to do, and does that not get you thinking that Free Will, at least how it is commonly thought of, does not truly exist?

My point exactly.  The thing is can we know the location of everything at once, (I termed it snapshot.)  According to the schoedinger's cat paradox, we can't get that snapshot without changing it's property.

Each x input correlates with one and exactly one y output. We can only experience one coordinate (x, y) at a time, but how do you know that there's not another coordinate (x, z) that can be produced with the input of the same x value?

The snapshot so to speak, would have to be of (x,y,z,t) not just (x,y); however, correct that if you had another dimension you could.  Hence a 5th dimension, if we could operate at that level...  see time travel thread

59

General Discussion / Re: [Unofficial] Competition : AI4 Slaughterfest

« on: December 15, 2011, 02:56:02 am »

BUMP

60

Philosophy / Re: is abortion correct when it saves the mother?

« on: December 14, 2011, 05:47:14 pm »

Although not quite first hand experience, my sisters friend was told she had a 0% chance of survival. She went on with the pregnancy anyways. She survived it. Medicine is an art more than a science at times. There are too many different factors for everything to be known.  (for the record, I do agree that in this type of situation, abortion would be what should be done, however, Im just playing devils advocate)

Sadly, there is a political set of terminology that is used that is never restated in stories like this.  Their is 0% of survival and near 0% chance of survival.  0% of survival, the heartbeat stopped, severe ectopic pregnancy, certain genetic diseases.  In these cases a doctor not looking to get sued will say, I'm sorry to inform you....  these are your options, (DNC only or a choice of DNC and natural miscarriage depending on what is going on). 

Now there are other near 0% chance of survival, such as if the cysts on the ovaries don't stop growing and they are are filling rapidly.  In this case, the mother most likely will die from internal bleeding if the cysts are compound cysts and rupture poorly, or the womb will be turn or ripped, etc,  If the pregnancy get's even near the third trimester, the baby if still alive if not crushed to death or cut off from oxygen, will likely be severely deformed and brought into the world to live a miserable life of pain and suffering.  So a doctor not looking to get sued will say, you have a choice to keep going with this pregnancy, it's very very risky and either you and/or the baby have a next to nothing chance of survival; however, it is still possible and so you have a choice here. 

It's likely a case like this where their was a severe risk that is a personal choice to make, she chose to go forward, in your story we have no idea the state of the child, lets hope healthy and well, we have no current knowledge of the status of the mother, lets hope healthy and well, and so a choice was made, and in the statistic risk side, she defied the odds.  It's that, that falls in my number 2.) catagory.  It's the grey area, which when one thinks, educates, and makes the best decision, results in catagory 1.) or catagory 3.),  She found this fall into category 3.) and then said do I want to keep it, absolutely, and proceeded.