Comments by DavidCannon
Here may not be the place to discuss it, but I would like to propose raising the daily file size limit to 1MB. I think it would make work a lot easier for many of us.
You could also consider downloading the Zillions of Games file I made, and trying out the various pieces for yourself.
Hi Graeme, You mentioned having made a ZRF for this game. Is there any chance of publishing it here? Thanks. David.
However, I can't get this page to link to it! Can somebody please help me?
The "See Also" links appear automagically after the pages are made visible. --DH
Is the problem the same one that I had with the graphics yesterday - the umlaut? If so, I'll avoid it in future submissions. [David, yes, same problem. Sorry you see the system as being full of bugs. I know it must be frustrating. I will fix this up later today or tomorrow. --DH]
By the way, can anybody please explain the purpose of the 500KB limit rule? I find it rather inconvenient.
I've just uploaded a couple of images for this game, but they're refusing to display. Can anybody tell me what I'm doing wrong? [It was the u with the umlaut (dicritic mark) over it. To store the images, we create a folder with the same name as the name of the variant. Unfortunately, such a folder becomes difficult to access because of this character. I've created a page that should work. You'll just have to reupload the images. The page is at: http://chessvariants.org/index/msdisplay.php?itemid=MSdurerschess Sorry about that... --DH]
I've just had a look at your Tai Shogi link - wow! That'll take me a while to master. Yes, I am considering a number of 'mini' variants of Diamond Chess (I deliberately included the number 306 in the name, denoting the number of cells, to allow for variants with different numbers of cells).
The question you have just asked turned out to be my single most difficult programming problem when writing the Zillions file. I solved the problem by dividing the Pawns into four 'classes', depending on what quadrant of the board they originate from. White has 'southwest' and 'northwest' pawns; Black has 'southeast' and 'northeast' pawns.
If a Pawn makes a capture, and in doing so, ends up back in its own territory in the way you described, it simply turns around. A southwest pawn thereby converts to a northwest pawn, and thereafter behaves as such.
Thanks for raising the issue as it is not merely hypothetical - in playtesting with Zillions, I found that it really happens!
Cheers, David.
The bottom line is that I made the game for myself. If others like it, that's good, but the basic reason I made it is because I enjoy it. I play the game myself (yes, I really do!) against the zillions program, and have been mastering strategy by observing what zillions and remembering it.
Contrary to your assertions, the pieces do not have 'difficult' moves - they are all either sliders or knight-like leapers, apart from two pieces with crooked moves, analogous to the Griphon in some other variants. I have no trouble remembering their moves and anybody interested enough could master it quite easily. But that's the key: if you're not interested, of course I don't expect you to make the effort:-)
You mention the huge board and the huge number of pieces. Well, I think Chu Shogi has more, as have some of Lynn Smith's 3-D variants which I love. I have a preference for 'large' variants, and have made a point of downloading and studying the ZRF for every large variant I can find.
Finally, I made this game in order to teach myself Zillions programming. I knew nothing about it when I started. I deliberately created difficult problems, and spent thousands of hours crafting solutions to them. For me, learning to make a program to play the game was - and is - one of the greatest pleasures.
By the way, I'm about three quarters of the way through this update. I will upload the revised zillions file either today or tomorrow.
I will spend the next few hours or days updating this page; new graphics and a new Zillions file will be uploaded, so please bear with me.
1. Mark Colebank's INFINITE CHESS website has the original game.
2. I don't think I fully understand the movement of the pawns in your Fivequarters game. If I may summarize the pawn movement in a nutshell, each pawn moves in the direction indicated by its positioning - i.e. those shown 'right side up' move 'north' while those 'upside down' move 'south.' On reaching the so-called 'enemy zone' (the first rank reached beyond the diamond where the two circles intersect), a Pawn morphs into a Steward and can move passively in any orthogonal direction, and can capture in any diagonal direction. But to answer your question, no. No matter where on the board a Pawn may be, it may capture on either of the diagonals adjacent to the cell on which it would move orthogonally.
3. I would suggest downloading the link to the zillions file I programmed and play one or two games with it. You'll see the Pawn movement very clearly.
Cheers!
David Cannon.
Charles, have you considered including a reference to the KAIFENG in your game? KAIFENG is a city in China with a long Jewish history - it goes back many hundreds of years. There is still a small Jewish community in the city, I believe. Kaifeng Jews look Chinese, and differ from occidental Jews in that they trace descent through the father's line, rather than the mother's. I think some reference to Kaifeng would help to cement the connection I think you are making between China and Judaism. Just a thought:-) David.
I'll add graphics later on. I've exceeded my upload limit (on another game) for today:-( A Zillions of Games file is in the pipeline and will be available soon.
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