Jesse Chilcott’s Journal

Bagh Chal is a traditional Nepalese game involving tigers and goats. This is my computer implementation of the game. For instructions on how to play click here.

Downloads:
Download PC version pre-alpha 1 (Free, naturally) 76 kb *

System requirements:
Microsoft Windows (95 or higher)
Mouse or other pointing device

Installation instructions
Once the program has downloaded just run it. There is no need to install it at its current version.

If you would like to see more developement of this game, then don’t hesitate to contact me.

Bagh Chal FAQ and Known Issues:

How do I play Bagh Chal?

A good place to start is to read the instructions available here. There are also instructions available on other web pages a quick search in Google finds several.

Why do goats always start in the middle of the board, when the only safe place for goats to start the game is on the side of the board?

This is a problem with the AI and the scoring method, and has the highest priority in the next release.

Why do goats sometimes get locked into repetition or act suicidal?

I believe this is a side effect of a bad scoring algorithm as well. I’m hoping it will fix its self with the next release.

What are the features should I expect soon?

Some of the features that I would hope to implement next are:

• An improved scoring algorithm. This will increase the power of the game, while draining fewer computer resources.

• An opening book. This will give AI a better understanding of opening moves that we take for granted but are still not obvious at a first glance.

• No more move repetitious or suicidal play. I am aware of this issue and I consider it a priority to fix.

• An improved user interface. The current one is ugly; I have plans for a really nice one.

How does it work?

My implementation uses a tree search with apha-beta trimming. This method is commonly used by chess programs. When I have time I will publish a page on this technique, however a summary is that it looks at available moves, evaluates the best moves, and then looks inside them for the best moves. The heart of this program is the scoring function which helps identify how good a move is.

Each bored is represented by two numbers (one for goats and one for tigers). I’ve described bit-boards on my site; it is a way to be able to perform tasks on the board with only a few CPU clicks.

Why are you taking so long to program a few crappy functions?

I have university studies and a girlfriend which both require some effort from me. I am also planning to rewrite many of the functions from C to OO C++. When this is presentable I will most likely release the source code.

* Legal disclaimer for software offered on my site
While it is my intention to release good quality software, it is possible that this software may contain viruses or bugs that may disrupt your computer system. The software is provided ‘AS IS’ with out any warranty, implied or otherwise.
In no advent will I, Jesse Chilcott be liable for any damages, loss of profit, or revenue, whether direct or indirect as a result of using this software.