Comments/Ratings for a Single Item

Hi Fergus

My laptop is a Toshiba Satellite, which is WIN10 (my techie father may have converted it from a WIN7, as there is a sticker for that on the machine).

I have OpenOffice a friend gave me (MicroSoft Office is not free). Not sure if that would work, if I can figure out how to use it. According to a Google blurb I can use a Special Edit feature of OpenOffice to get unformatted text (if Haru's had formatted text since it's on a webpage of CVP).

I have no idea how to use a text editor, if I have one on my laptop.

A text editor is a very common piece of software that normally comes with various operating systems. Windows has one called Notepad. The basic idea behind a text editor is that you write text in it and save it to a file. Unlike a word processor, a text editor works with plain, unformatted text. So, text editors are more commonly used by programmers than by writers. I use a third party text editor called Notepad++. It includes a bunch of extra features to make things easier for programmers and power users, but you can still use it to just write and save plain text.

These days, text editors tend to have standardized controls, particularly for common stuff they all support. Some of the main things to remember are Ctrl-c for copying text, Ctrl-x for cutting text, Ctrl-v for pasting text, Ctrl-s for saving a file, and Ctrl-o for opening a file. Ctrl is the control key, which is marked Ctrl on Windows keyboards, and like a shift key, you hold it down while pressing another key. On an Apple, you might use the Option key instead, but since I don't have one, I can't say for sure.

I have no idea how to use a text editor, if I have one on my laptop. I'm a dinosaur when it comes to modern day computers.

Try copying the text into a text editor, and then copying from there into the Applet.

@ H.G.:

I cannot seem to put that info into the Play-Test Applet without it expecting more information, it seems. Even before I press the Game Code button, after pasting in the diagram info Haru gave me, there is an error message saying it has 'seen' zero pieces on the board.

Thanks!

<script type="text/javascript" src="/membergraphics/MSinteractive-diagrams/betza.js?nocache=false"></script>

<div class="idiagram">

files=10

ranks=10

promoZone=1

promoChoice=BRAFC

graphicsDir=/graphics.dir/alfaeriePNG/

squareSize=50

graphicsType=png

rimColor=#12111e

darkShade=#243065

lightShade=#32a0d1

coordColor=#9eedfa

firstRank=1

borders=0

pawn:P:fmWfceFifmW*:pawn:a2,b2,c2,d2,e2,f2,g2,h2,i2,j2,,a9,b9,c9,d9,e9,f9,g9,h9,i9,j9

bishop:B:B:bishop:c1,h1,,c10,h10

rook:R:R:rook:a1,j1,,a10,j10

advancer:A:[Q-fomcK-bK][Q-fdK-buK]:ram:e1,,e10

butterfly:F:bFfbsNfsC:butterfly:b1,i1,,b10,i10

camelbishop:C:CB:camelbishop:d1,g1,,d10,g10

king:K:KisO3:king:f1,,f10

</div>

@ Haru (or anyone, especially editor[s]):

Is there any way for someone to use an Interactive Diagram posted in a public Comment like yours, so that they can copy relevant detail(s) into the Play-Test Applet (I guess that's the term for it[?]), ultimately for making a preset (e.g. for Butterfly Chess, again using the relevant Interactive Diagram info from this Comment of yours I'm replying to)?

You can tell I'm a bit lacking in the lingo, but I hope you get my drift.

Kevin

I forgot to ask, if Play-Test Applet [preset] can handle pawns that behave as in Butterfly Chess (i.e. like in Omega Chess, advancing 2 or 3 steps initially if chosen, with en passant possible in either case).

That should be no problem. The Omega Pawn can even be selected from the table.

There does seem to be a bug in the Diagram itself, though; it does not seem to generate e.p. rights for the W* move, as it should. This used to work before. I will check that later today. I don't expect it to affect GAME code generated from it.

I forgot to ask, if Play-Test Applet [preset] can handle pawns that behave as in Butterfly Chess (i.e. like in Omega Chess, advancing 2 or 3 steps initially if chosen, with en passant possible in either case).

AI seems to undervalue Advancer sometimes.

Ah, I misread the diagram, and thought it was something other than the usual Butterfly. Good catch.

No, you missed the Camel part. Butterfly is fsCbFffbsN.

And the Butterfly is easy enough: fhsbNbF.

I think that should be possible. The Advancer move is mQ[Q-fcK-bK].

I've seen that Play Tester was somehow able to make a preset for my Frog Chess CV, using the Play-Test Applet (thanks). Would such a preset be possible for Butterfly Chess, given the unusual movements of the butterfly and advancer piece types that are used?

Butterfly Chess is the last CV not to have a rules enforcing preset, of my apparently (to date) most played and liked CVs on Game Courier, one that also made it to Greg's Chess V site.

I've increased my estimates for the values of the Butterfly and Flying Dragon piece types used on this variant's 10x10 board, as I had underestimated the value of a camel piece type (not used in this game, but it's used for component parts of the just mentioned compound pieces). I initially had a camel on 8x8 or 10x10 pegged at just 1/2 the value of a knight on 8x8 or 10x10, as it is colour-bound, but I didn't appreciate that the camel's slightly longer reach than a knight gave it slightly, but significantly, greater value than I first thought, namely it's actually worth about 2 pawns (as noted elsewhere by others) if used on such board sizes. As a result, I've slightly edited parts of the Introduction and Notes sections to this game's submission.

I've edited my previous post somewhat.

I've revised my estimate of the value of a flying dragon on a 10x10 board to a full six pawns, making it just slightly worth more than a rook on average. I also revised my estimate of the value of a butterfly, making it worth 3 pawns, slightly less than a bishop on average.

I've corrected my Notes section slightly, in regard to handling a couple of early primitive threats White can make early, from the setup position.

Note to Fergus:

I've now dealt with refining the various preset submissions I've made that are pending further editorial review (perhaps as best as I can in a couple of cases, for now at least, though I think I did as you requested). That's with the occasional [edited] comment added, too.

I've (hopefully) slightly corrected the prose description of the Butterfly's move that was added in earlier by Fergus, in that I think I spotted that there's a Camel move (i.e. 1,3) component to the Butterfly's 2 forward-sideways moves move, too, rather than a Knight move (i.e. 1,2) component to those 2 forward-sideways moves. Again hopefully, my wording of that part is sufficiently clear in the submission, at least to those who visit this website.

For those interested in this variant, I'd note that I also very recently submitted a preset for this game, for editorial review.

I modified the first line and added a written description of how the Butterfly moves.