Integration of Freecell Solver into FC-Pro (which Adrian Ettlinger and I
discuss off this list) has been non-smooth in the case of displaying the
solution to the user. Sometimes, the GUI reports that the solver is trying
to make an invalid move.
The reason is that Freecell Pro requests a solver to return the moves in
the so-called standard notation. (Refer to
http://home.earthlink.net/~fomalhaut/freecell.html) This notation,
however, does not specify how many cards are moved (in the case of moving
a sequence of cards from a stack to a stack), and assumes that in the case
of moving a sequence or a part of it to an empty stack, than the number of
cards should be deduced from what MS Freecell would do in that case.
Freecell Solver, on the other hand, allows itself to make moves of
arbitrary cards' number and instead reports the number of cards that it
moved to the calling layer. And Freecell Pro does not make use of that, so
it cannot consistently move sequences, according to what Freecell Solver
tells it to.
The way I see it restricting FCS to adhere to the Microsoft Freecell
standard is not worth my time. FOA, it will require a major re-vamp of the
code and may make some more boards unusable. Moreover, the MS Freecell
implementation is considered by some broken in the way it treats
supermoves, and the last thing I want is that a move I make will be a
MSish move instead of what the number of free freecells and stacks allow.
I am grateful to MS Freecell for introducing me to the game, but I still
believe Freecell exists independently of MS Freecell.
IMO, FC-Pro should be modified to make use of a third field that will
denote the number of cards moved. It can be set to "Auto" to indicate that
FC-Pro should decide it for itself, based on the MS Freecell rules or
whatever it wishes. That way it can still make use of the Don Wood's
solver.
Regards,
Shlomi Fish
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shlomi Fish shlomif_at_vipe.technion.ac.il
Home Page: http://t2.technion.ac.il/~shlomif/
Home E-mail: shlomif_at_techie.com
If:
1. A is A
2. A is not not-A
does it imply that
1. B is B
2. B is not not-B
Received on Fri Dec 07 2001 - 15:21:48 IST