The Game of Hex - An Interim Report Dissertation

The Game of Hex - An Interim Report - Dissertation Example Project Aims/Objectives The aim of the project is to implement a Hex game using NxN board, where N depicts the number of hexes in a side. The player would be able to specify the number of hexagons on a side i.e. size of board that will be used in the game. The board would be diamond shaped. The gaming mode could also be selected i.e. the two players could be two humans, a human against the system or two systems against each other with opposite sides. The player will select a side. If white is selected, then the player himself begins, else the opponent (player or system) plays the first move. Project Requirements The requirements of this project are divided into three parts: 1. Essential requirements The development language for the project would be Java (oracle JDeveloper 11). All functionalities will be developed using JDeveloper 11. AI algorithm called MCTS algorithm shall be used to support the high level of knowledge required by the Hex game. MCTS shall be implemented on the Hex game board whereon the data structures would be transferred. The game would have playing options. These options will be implemented though MCTS. The game will be played by two human players, or one human against the system. 2. Recommended requirements A new playing mode option can be added. In this playing mode, the game would be played between two systems. Adobe flash player can be used for designing a helper application to guide computer players as to how to play the Hex game. The guide would be simple enough to assist anyone in learning the game rules and playing. 3. Optional requirement: The MCTS algorithm which is used for building this game shall be compared with another... The board is rhombus shaped consisting of an array of hexagons. The optimal suggested size for rhombuses is 14x14. However, the size could vary. After choosing a one of the two colors (e.g. black or white), each player takes turn to place a piece on any one of the unoccupied hex. The goal of the game is that a player has to connect the two opposite sides of the board with an unbroken chain of his/her colored pieces. For a player that selected white, a chain of white pieces has to run from one edge to the other. Similarly, for the player with black pieces, a connected chain of pieces has to run across the other two edges (Figure 1-a). There is no predefined path for the chain. It can freely twist and turn on its path between the two edges. The player with white pieces always makes the beginning move. The strategy of Hex is such that the winning moves may be different for every player and the game never ends in a draw. One player always wins. This is due to Brouwer fixed-point theorem for 2D squares. Computer programs where a game of two players is solved generally comprise of exploration of a hierarchy of positions on the board. This hierarchy (called game tree) is a tree with a root, where its nodes represents the valid position on the board and the edges represent the valid moves. The extensive techniques for game-tree search developed over the last 3 to 4 decades are mostly aimed at programming Chess.

Homicide Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Homicide - Case Study Example This paper cover what happens in a typical homicide case, the people involved in the homicide case and the duties they carry out. The court of law also plays a major role in a homicide case as discussed in this paper. This paper emphasizes on the fact that in every homicide case what is very essential is the evidence as this will lead the investigators to track out the suspect. If an evidence sample is contaminated or destroyed by bad weather conditions, for example, sunlight and rainfall; then the evidence will be destroyed, and no case can be carried out. It is crucial in every homicide case for the evidence to be protected at all costs. Homicide is the unlawful killing or murder of a living human being committed by another human being with intent to cause major harm or to kill. Depending on the case it may or may not be a criminal action. For example in the case of a defense strategy, after a comprehensive investigation the homicide may not be ruled out as a criminal act. After ev ery homicide incident, a methodical investigation should be executed so as to know the core cause of the demise as this is also in accordance with the protocol. A crime scene is a place set aside by the police force because an illegitimate action or activity took place there. A crime scene provides evidence of the events that took place in that area, the sequence of events, the time the crime took place, evidence from the suspect in the form of personal effects of the suspect and the evidence from the scene on the suspect. The main principle of a crime scene is to find the key evidence so as to provide investigative and interpretive leads. The crime scene in this homicide case study is a major parking zone next to an isolated forest. The forest where the body was discovered also acts as a crime scene. Blood is at the parking area, and a trail leads to the forest where the body was disposed off. The blood on the described areas acts as crime scenes; they give a definite proof that th e crime took place there. From the photographic evidence; the victim was murdered at the major parking zone and later on dragged in the forest zone. Evidence that the victim was murdered in the parking area is the blood deposit as it seems some time passed before the victim was dragged in the forest; this is based on the photographs one can notice two blood stains from it. One blood stain has dried up while the other one is still fresh as compared to the first stain. From the crime scene, there is also blood splatter, seems the victim was trying to resist whatever was going on. The crime scene is as well near the victim’s residence as seen on the crime scene sketch map (Hess & Orthmann, 2010). The management for the synchronization of a homicide investigation depends on the Criminal Investigation Department/ Division. This is an agency that deals with the major crimes section. It is a division of the law enforcement force. The conclusions concerning a homicide case together w ith the proper presentation of the evidence gathered is a communal duty of the complete police force department. The investigative steps and strategies involved in this homicide investigation so as to obtain the correct evidence are described below; the people involved in the crime scene as well as the duties they perform so as to protect the crime scene are also explained in a precise manner as follows: The first person to arrive at a homicide scene is a responding police officer. The initial responding officer must be very swift in arriving at the crime scene as delays may result to fundamental observations, witnesses, evidence going unnoticed. The duties and responsibilities of the first officer at