A bit of help please

I hope you don't mind a few questions from a non-tech person.

I have Droidfish 1.84. My phone is not the newest, so for uci engines I use arm7 files. I understand the basics of the old non-neural network engines.

But I am a bit confused about nnue files. I downloaded two files here (20mb and 44mb) and my questions are:

1. Where do I put these nnue files? In the Droidfish uci folder with the engine, or can I just create a new folder in Droidfish and make a path to them in the Engines Options menu?

2. Can any neural network engine use any nnue file, or are they specific to an engine? How do I know that an engine is using the nnue file as it should?

3. I downloaded Maia 1900 for Android here. It works fine. Is there anywhere to download Maia for Android at the other elo ratings?

4. I dowloaded the apk file for Leela Zero 0.2.8.2. It works, but it is very weak and slow. Typically, it only evaluates about 15nps. I heard that neural networks don't search as many nodes as the old-style engines, but this is surely too slow.

I haven't tweaked any of the default parameters for Leela, mainly because I don't understand them. I can see that the default uses 2 threads. I have an octa-core phone. So is it that my phone's cpu is underpowered?

Any advice and info appreciated. Thanks very much.

Just put ur NNUE file in the LOGS folder inside droidfosh and then copy it's name into NNUE column inside engine menu option, if it's doesn't work then change it between 20mb and 44mb NNUE

Thanks for your reply. I see the Logs folder is a subfolder of uci, so I'll put them there.

I just checked the Maia engine again, and in fact it isn't working so well. Like Leela, it chugs along at about 20nps. The engine options show that it needs a network called "weights/maia-1900.pb" but I don't think I have it.

I also downloaded Rodent NNUE, but the problem there is that there is no path option for the nnue file, so I don't know how to tell the engine where to find it.

Lotus wrote:

I just checked the Maia engine again, and in fact it isn't working so well. Like Leela, it chugs along at about 20nps. The engine options show that it needs a network called "weights/maia-1900.pb" but I don't think I have it.

Hi Lotus,
Maia IS Leela with specific weights & settings. So it is normal to get rather similar technical performance. But the low nps is not a concern, Maia is designed to get close to the announced Elo without any search involved (1-node mode). I personally think Maia better reflects the target Elo with some enabled search & throttled speed (using the NodesPerSecondLimit parameter), but that is another story.
You can find the Maia weights here.

Have fun!

@tibono

Thanks for your helpful reply.

I downloaded the Maia weights files and put them into a Droidfish folder. It works with the Leela apk file.

This morning I've been reading up on neural networks at the Leela site, and my confusion is clearing up a bit. There are a lot of new concepts to take in, and new vocabulary like blocks and filters, and for someone like me who is used to the old-style engines there's a learning curve.

But one thing I take away is that for my oldish phone, small nets are probably better, especially if I want to use an engine as a sparring partner. So as well as the Maia nets, I've downloaded Good Gyal, Tiny Gyal and Evil Gyal in their various versions. I hope they will give me a good game too.

I surely appreciate the helpful attitude of people on this site.

Modern engines seem be more like IKEA furniture - they come in bits and you've got to assemble them yourself, modular style.

That's an advantage in flexibility of course, but it does presuppose some basic knowledge of how all the parts fit together. Without that, I was rather clueless, but I think I'll improve over time.

Unlike IKEA furniture, at least there are no screws, bolts, etc. to roll under the sofa.

Another useful site I found explained the various types of chipsets and Android versions. Before I came across this, I wasted time and bandwidth downloading files which didn't work on my phone.

In the article, there is also a link to the app "Droid Info", which scans a phone for its technical specifications. I got it, and now I know exactly what to look for when downloading.

It's a good, clear article for a non-tech like me.

https://www.howtogeek.com/339665/how-to-find-your-android-devices-info-for-correct-apk-downloads/

Good info i like this thread

And there's one other little matter to clear up, about where these nnue files have to go.

I've found that such files can be put in a folder of any name of choice. As long as the folder is in Droidfish, and the paths are clearly established in the engine options, the engines will work with them.

In other words, the nnue files don't have to be in the uci folder or in a subfolder of it. That's my conclusion after a bit of trial and error, but if I'm not correct please inform me.

You are right .. and also sometimes copy paste nnue name in droidfish doesnt work .. you have to put full path of nnue in nnue option in droidfish to work .. copy the full path from properties of file and paste it in nnue option set engine option section of droidfish

Yes. I'm glad there is this flexibility with folders, because I expect to collect more network files in the future and I want them clearly organised into separate folders, rather than being all jumbled up in the uci folder.

For example I now have a folder called Maia Nets, and anothe called Gyal Nets, and so on.

If Marie Kondo ever checks my Droidfish folder and subfolders, she will find them to be neat and tidy even to her standards.

Apparently, it's possible to become a Certified Tidying Consultant. Hey ho, the modern world!

https://konmari.com/about-the-konmari-method/

Some parts of the Vox article read like they're from a Monty Python script:

//The two-and-a-half-day seminars cost about $2,200 and teach consultants how to master Kondo’s ideology.

“The course is a mix of teaching them how to run a business, lectures on how to walk someone through the KonMari process, and then focusing on advancing their skills, like how they can hone in on their folding techniques,” Christine Diaz, who helps run KonMari’s consultant program, told me. //

Yeah, now I want to get a black belt in Japanese clothes folding techniques.

But a consultant who charges $100 per hour to help people clear up their crap is certainly on to something. The words "rope for old money" come to mind. Please rearrange in a suitable way.