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I'm excited to see a 3D-game programmer working on something like this.
Thank you for doing so. Computer graphics allow chesslike games to finally
escape the restrictions placed on them by equipment. I would like to offer
suggestions for innovation, since this is a product I'd like to see.
<p>3D Chess is so complicated that players should be given a menu to select
the number of squares to a side, and place their own pieces in the
starting arrangement of their preference. Some people think 8x8 is too
much. Some people would want triagonal movers, which you don't have.
Others would not choose it.
<p>Since a computer simulation has no gravity, we do not need surfaces on
which to rest pieces. Put each piece on an intersection of three
translucent lines, one for each dimension. This has better visibility. The
view of the board should rotate freely with no up or down. It would be
great if the user can also change to the size of the pieces, or position
his view inside the cube when desired.
<p>Without gravity, there is no reason for pieces to be stable pedestals with
radial symmetry along only one axis as they are in 2-D chess. The shapes
that represent one-dimensional ranged movers (rook, bishop, queen) could
be 3-D stars. The piece is formed of arms extending from the intersection
it occupies, and dwindling to tips before reaching adjacent intersections.
Each arm points out toward an intersection to which the piece could move if
it weren't obstructed. So, a rook looks like a thickening of bright, bold
opacity along the three translucent board-lines of its intersection. Arms
of bishops and triagonal movers (you should add triagonal movers to this
game) do not lie along the board lines; they reach across the gap toward
adjacent line segments and intersections respectively. Pawns are
half-spheres. Kings are large spheres. Leaper pieces (there could be four
kinds like in Prince) have thinner, threadlike arms, that fork into Y's
tipped with spheres.
<p>I think you should put in as much graphical computer assistance as
possible. For a game this complex, no one should complain that the
graphics are playing the game for you or cheating, because really 3D chess
is difficult enough as it is. For instance: All pieces glow when under
threat. A large crown symbol appears outside the cube when check is given.
When a piece is grasped and dragged, the intersections to which it can
legally move light up. Moving the mouse onto a piece, without clicking,
causes its name and animated graphic description to display in the space
on the screen outside the cube. The piece on the board grows without
thickening its arms: the arms stretch as far as they can without being
blocked, to show all the intersections to which it can legally move.
<p>Also, here is an idea for the user to be able to get a quick glance at all
the influence extended on the board. At the option of the user, all pieces
on the board simultaneously extend their arms/spheres/surfaces as ghostly
fogs of color. Since the sides are red and blue, they blend into purple
where they cross. This represents threat from the red and blue sides, and
varies with intensity based on how many pieces have a line of sight to the
intersection.
<p>Only computer graphics let us finally do these things and set chess free.