Comments by wolff
Spartan Chess. A game with unequal armies. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I see a lot of work has been put into this game and it has been favorited by several people. However, I don't see a Game Courier preset. Is there one of these currently and if not, would it be violating any copyright policies to impliment one? Seems odd to have one of the top favorited games on the site without a preset.
Heck yeah!
Then let's play! It looks like a CWA theme game.
Chess with Different Armies. Betza's classic variant where white and black play with different sets of pieces. (Recognized!)[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]155 comments and most of them extensive. I do apologize if I'm asking material that has already been covered, but there's not a lot of time in my day as of late. I've recently started looking at (haven't played) variants with different armies - this is notably one of the most popular variants on this site.
I'm in no regards an expert (or anywhere close) to determining piece/army values and I have several questions surrounding it.
- How even are the armies used in this variant?
- How are piece/army values determined and are they static based on board position, what pieces are currently in play, the army of the opponent, etc?
- How does one test and determine equality of different armies?
- If I ever became ambitious and maybe decided to come up with my own army (loosely translated to "if I ever have to time"), what are the processes to do this.
I've seen this variant around for many years, I've come across recently Spartan Chess, I'm familiar with the Maharaja Chess where it's one piece vs an army (which I think is always a win for white if played right). Does anyone have experience with this and have tips? What if I wanted to do something on a 10x10 board?
I'm sorry if this has already been covered. Thanks!
Nick
About Game Courier. Web-based system for playing many different variants by email or in real-time.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I have a couple of hopefully quick questions. First, I hope I am not blind. I have been searching high and low and trying to avoid embarrasing myself by asking - but what is the proper way to create a preset. I don't see any links for a blank one. What I have been doing is canabalizing existing ones (which may indeed be the source of all my frustrations to begin with).
Second, I am trying to learn how to code presets. I'm not doing anything totally difficult to start out with (adding pieces, emptying squares, the say and echo commands, etc.). I've done some work on a preset, but now whenever I try to update/save/run/test, it loads for 3-5 minutes and then comes up with a page that states this:
A 500 error has occured
500 errors are generally caused by one of the following two problems.
1) A bad entry in the site .htaccess file, if you are the webmaster try logging into your cPanel, and use the file manager to rename your .htaccess file if this fixes the error you should then check the contents of the .htaccess file / roll back any recent changes.
2) A php error / code error also causes a 500 error, you can try enabling 'PHP display_errors' by following this guide Enable Display errors
If after trying both of the above solutions and you are still seeing the 500 error please do contact support"
I don't understand a word of it lol. The rest of the site works fine so I'm wondering what if that is becuase my coding is bad, if the site is experiencing technical trouble on that side of it, or if it is because I'm canabalizing a preset. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Nick
Greg - I'm not using any code to change the initial placement of pieces. I'm trying to facilitate action similar to that of the Muskateer Chess preset at the beginning of the game (adding pieces, saying instructions, removing pieces, etc.).
Fergus - It isn't allowing me to get back to review my preset. I can't see the board nor the code. I added some code under the pregame section that added some pieces to the board and gave instructions. It worked fine. When I started adding code to the pre-move 2 section, that is when it all started happening. I'm not entirely sure if that is the case or not.
I wasn't very far into it, so I'm thinking about trying again and keeping the form data on hand if it screws up. I'd like to start from scratch.
I don't have the knowledge to add rule enforcing code to a preset, but I know enough to create a preset. I also dabble in ZoG, so that may be a possibility, as well. Maybe when the rules pages are published, I'll take a look and see if I am good enough to do it.
Royal Rumble. A 6 board all-out melee with random pieces, royals and starting positions.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Thank you very much! I'll update it with that information!
Mimic Chess. Chess on a larger board with 3 new pieces with constantly changing movement capabilities.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Hi Jeffrey and thank you for your comments!
I'll answer your questions here and then clarify in the rules. The Mimics are all independant of each other - only the capturing Mimic changes after it captures, the other one does not, nor the Mimics in the other army. The transformation is immediate after that capture, so it ends the turn transformed.
For example, if each side has 2 Mimic Kings and black uses one to capture a Knight, then White still has 2 Mimic Kings and black has 1 Mimic King and 1 Mimic Knight. These transformations are mandatory.
I hope you enjoy the game and if you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
-Nick
Thank you for the rating! The Zillions file doesn't play poorly if you have the program. I also have a GC preset available in case you are interested in a game vs a player.
Great idea, Greg! Count me in with lower time controls until I get into a good routine withe the new baby
I do have one small question about the 8th category. Will each participant submit, or be allowed to submit, a variant they invented or will it be a list of user created variants that is preselected? Regardless, I suggest a consideration that the matches played from that category are not with variants invented by those players. For instance, if one of my variants (let's say Mimic Chess) is in that category, in order to avoid any unfair advantages during the tournament, that variant cannot be played by myself in the tournament. Not sure how the reception on that idea will be, since I know I'd love to play some of my variants in a tournament and I bet that sentiment is shared amongst other inventors - especially those with more prestigious reputations than my own.
I'm impartial. I just like competitive play, so I'll be in no matter what format the tournament takes.
I've been away from my computer all day - rankings to come when I wake up!
Sorry for the delay - house renovations. Here are my rankings from highest to lowest, by category:
Switching, FRC, Berolina, Marseillais, Extinction
Shogi, Jangii, Makruk, Xiangqi
Victorian Capablanca, Embassy, Grotesque, Janus
Eurasian, Opulant, Omega, Unicorn, Grand
Cylindrical, Glinski, McCooey, Circular, Diamond
Courier, Chu, Grand Acedrex, Shatranj, Los Alamos
Wildebeest, Alice, CWDA, Pocket, Ultima
Game Courier Tournament 2017. Chess Variant Tournament played on Game Courier in 2017.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]I know we are looking to finalize the tournament games and roster, but Vitya has finally made some moves in our games and I let him know about the tournament. I'll see if he is interested and maybe we can get a 9th player.
About Game Courier. Web-based system for playing many different variants by email or in real-time.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]When it is asking for the address, it is asking for the URL. The easiest way that I've found to locate it is to right click a piece and copy the address from there. Let me know if you have any other questions!
-Nick
Figured I'd try to program something VERY easy to learn how to do this. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I'm trying to 10-Directional Chess, which only replaces two pieces. I've canabilized a ton of Fergus's code, looked through many other variants as examples (Sac Chess, Shogi, Opulant Chess, and Chess). A few questions have come up that I can't locate the answers for.
First, I'm having a lot of issues defining a new function for piece movement involving a piece with a designator more than one character long. Every include file that I look into has single character designators, but they also have their own piece sets or just a few pieces in the set. If I were to declare a function for (lets say) _NW_EH in the Alfaerie: Many set, it doesn't let recognize the piece, even if I alias it. If I were to just simply replace _NW_EH for E, it works perfectly. Do I have to have a new piece set created to avoid this issue or is there a simpler fix that does not involve alerting an editor every time I try to code from Alfaerie: Many?
Second, in those functions are several parts. Using the Sac Chess Rook/Ferz compound as an example:
def G checkride #0 #1 1 0 or checkleap #0 #1 1 1;
def GL merge rays #0 1 0 leaps #0 1 1;
I understand that the #0 and #1 stand for the initial square moved and final square moved, but I don't understand how the 1's and 0's after those work exactly, though I have been able to fudge the results I want with those. I also understand the functions with the L at the end is for finding revealed checks, but I don't know how to associate rays and leaps how they are supposed to. I get that rays are for the checkrides and leaps for checkleaps. Does it essentially match the previous function?
Thank you for any help provided!
-Nick
Further investigation pinpoints the problem in the underscore. I've tested pieces with underscores at the beginning, end, and middle of the designator - other pieces with multi characters but no underscore seem to work. Is there a way around this without having to rename pieces?
10-directional Chess. 10-directional pieces: an augmented Knight and a restricted Chancellor. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]Hi Jorg!
I'm still cranking away several years later lol. I'm about to release 3 presets for this game that all enforce rules, so this game will officially have every avenue of play out there. Since 2009 when I programmed the Zillions file, I believe Fergus enhanced the site. Now, when you access the Play tab, it gives an option for FRC, but does not actually link to the correct presets page. I can't modify that one since you are the writer of the rules page. Figured that I'd give you the heads up in case you wanted to modify that. Hope all is well!
-Nick
Fergus,
I finally finished my first presets that enforce rules. The game was for one that I created presets for before, so modifying that page with the updated presets wasn't a problem for me. If I wanted to, though, code a rule enforcing preset for a game that I did not do the preset page for, what is the process for that? Do I have to submit a brand new preset page, notify the person who did the preset originally, notify an editor, or obtain permissions to edit the page?
I was thinking about upping the challenge to "Chess on a Really Big Board" since I am playing a game of it already. Jeremy Good originally did the first preset and settings file and is no longer active on the site. Are you wanting the original settings file altered or a new one created? Thanks!
-Nick
Ok, so I've been on a good venture trying to figure out how to code a Rose. With the help of Fergus, I have learned about the logride function and after lots of experimenting on format, I discovered how to do it! I successfully did one leg (out of 16) of the Rose's pathways, but when I tried to add a second leg, the code stops functioning as if the piece had no moves at all. I'll copy the partial code used.
def RO logride #0 #1 (ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6) or logride #0 #1 (ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7);
def ROL merge lograys #0 (ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 stop) lograys #0 (ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 stop);
The ro#'s are previously defined and mapped to each individual knight moves so I can use the logride command. I believe the problem lies in the ROL function, but I can't find any mispellings, errors in the merge command, etc. It all worked fine until I added the second logride and logray. Any assistance would be appreciated!
Also, any suggestions on code condensing on this point? Am I able to create a function for each leg without having a piece on the board to name the function after?
Rose. Can make consecutive knightmoves in a circle.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]For anyone interested (because it took me quite a while to figure out and then code), below is GAME Code for a rule enforcing Rose piece that is designated RO (white) and ro (black). These can probably be condensed to an easier to read code, but it should function perfectly.
//define each move a knight can make as a direction
map ro1 1 2;
map ro2 -1 2;
map ro3 1 -2;
map ro4 -1 -2;
map ro5 2 1;
map ro6 -2 1;
map ro7 2 -1;
map ro8 -2 -1;
//Create a function for each of the 16 moves a Rose can make
def ROA1 logride #0 #1 (ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6);
def ROA2 logride #0 #1 (ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7);
def ROB1 logride #0 #1 (ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2);
def ROB2 logride #0 #1 (ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3);
def ROC1 logride #0 #1 (ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1);
def ROC2 logride #0 #1 (ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4);
def ROD1 logride #0 #1 (ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5);
def ROD2 logride #0 #1 (ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8);
def ROE1 logride #0 #1 (ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7);
def ROE2 logride #0 #1 (ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6);
def ROF1 logride #0 #1 (ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3);
def ROF2 logride #0 #1 (ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2);
def ROG1 logride #0 #1 (ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4);
def ROG2 logride #0 #1 (ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1);
def ROH1 logride #0 #1 (ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8);
def ROH2 logride #0 #1 (ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5);
//Assign Rose moves to the Rose functions
def RO fn ROA1 #0 #1 or fn ROA2 #0 #1 or fn ROB1 #0 #1 or fn ROB2 #0 #1 or fn ROC1 #0 #1 or fn ROC2 #0 #1 or fn ROD1 #0 #1 or fn ROD2 #0 #1 or fn ROE1 #0 #1 or fn ROE2 #0 #1 or fn ROF1 #0 #1 or fn ROF2 #0 #1 or fn ROG1 #0 #1 or fn ROG2 #0 #1 or fn ROH1 #0 #1 or fn ROH2 #0 #1;
def ROL lograys #0 (ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 stop) (ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 stop) (ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 stop) (ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 stop) (ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 stop) (ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 stop) (ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 stop) (ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 stop) (ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 stop) (ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 stop) (ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 stop) (ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 stop) (ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 stop) (ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 stop) (ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 stop) (ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 stop);
def ro fn RO #0 #1;
def roL lograys #0 (ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 stop) (ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 stop) (ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 stop) (ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 stop) (ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 stop) (ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 stop) (ro3 ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 stop) (ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 ro8 stop) (ro4 ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 stop) (ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 ro6 stop) (ro8 ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 stop) (ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 ro2 stop) (ro6 ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 stop) (ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 ro1 stop) (ro2 ro1 ro5 ro7 ro3 ro4 ro8 stop) (ro2 ro6 ro8 ro4 ro3 ro7 ro5 stop);
As I understand it, the Ninja can only move like a King if it is not making 2+ captures. Is that correct?
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Daniil, I haven't heard from Fergus in some time (I have a few questions sitting in his email) so he may be on vacation. I'll ping Joe Joyce and see if he can fix the problem you are having. Edit: Joe has sent you an email right after your first post with a new password. Try that and post back if you are still having issues.