Gauging interest in chess among the Na'vi

[AquaAnalogue]

I am interested in how many of us (besides myself) enjoy a nice game of chess and, by extension, abstract strategy games of any kind.


This is relevant because I am interested in programming games, and although chess games have been done, done, and so done that the cow's skeleton is rolling in its grave, I'd still be interested in programming a nice Pandora-themed chess game (or a chess-themed Pandora game; this is where the variant question comes in).


If a sizeable portion of people are interested, I'll seriously consider the idea.


If a sizeable portion of people are not interested, I'll seriously consider the idea anyway as an exercise. I probably won't say much more about it though.


Anything I would do would be copyleft open-source with CC-by-nc licensing for the artwork (as utterly terrible as it would be).


I was going to post this in the Pandora general forums, but then I figured it was not all that on-topic. (Addressing moderators If this topic would be better off in the main forum, please move it there, because it would probably be seen more.


EDIT: If you choose "there are one or a few I like...", please post with which one(s) you prefer. I love abstract strategy games in general and, if there isn't enough interest in chess, maybe i could adapt something else eventually as well

 

[Gerix]

I like to play hexxagon. Does that count?

 

[AquaAnalogue]

^ It counts as abstract strategy. The (loosely-defined) marks of an abstract strategy game are the absence of luck (id est, with perfect play, both opponents are on equal terms) and obviously that it entails some sort of strategy. Essentially, by general consensus, if the only advantages/disadvantages are caused by strategy or the lack thereof, it is abstract.


Another way to think of this is that no non-balanced random events occur.


Fun little game, by the way. Thanks for introducing me.

 

[Klaue]

>How about a nice game of chess?


I thought about wargames before I even read the answers. What do I win?

 

[bzar]

I mostly like abstract strategy games, but chess isn't one of my favorites. It's not abstract enough and feels so... done. Something like pentago, ataxx, or something more quirky like polarity are more my cup of tea.

 

[AquaAnalogue]

I mostly like abstract strategy games, but chess isn't one of my favorites. It's not abstract enough and feels so... done.

I agree with you to some extent on orthodox chess, but what is great about the great game of Chess is that infinite variants are possible. Even if chess is someday solved (the ultimate definition of "done"-- poor, poor draughts ), this is easily fixed in chess; new variants are always immediately "unsolved".


Plus, chess has an amazing international following and community, consisting of tournaments, clubs, puzzles, variants, books, theories, scholars, and ultimate man-vs-machine challenges. As great of a game as it may be, you simply can't say that about any other game.


(I think it's pretty plain that I love chess, though you'd be surprised at how bad I am at it. )

 

[AquaAnalogue]

Are people just voting for "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play." for the reference? Two of those voters have also said they love -all- abstract strategy games, including chess... what a puzzlement...


I may have to avoid such not-so-clever references in future polls

 

[GamesMaster]

Or everyone is picking them because they are the closest to "I don't care, don't waste your time, stop making annoying posts." Add that as an option and watch the crowd go wild! Might love the abstract games, just not yours and your attempt to get ideas to make one. If you already had ideas you wouldn't need this thread. Could have spent this wasted time programming, but no, this was a good use.

 

[bzar]

^ Hey, what's with the hostility?

 

[lulzfish]

Are people just voting for "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play." for the reference?

No, no. Not at all, no.


I voted for it because I'm shit at chess, and the best I can do is to not play it or waste time thinking about it.


If the option had said "Shut the hell up" that would have also been good, maybe better unless you had included an actual "No fucking chess" option.

 

[Asiyura]

^for exactly the same reasons…


My father was pretty good at chess (and I mean he was in a club at school and won against everybody easily), so he tried to teach me.


It must be one of his most epic failure

When I play, I loose systematically, even against a total newbie.


So I don't waste my time on that game

 

[AquaAnalogue]

Or everyone is picking them because they are the closest to "I don't care, don't waste your time, stop making annoying posts." Add that as an option and watch the crowd go wild! Might love the abstract games, just not yours and your attempt to get ideas to make one. If you already had ideas you wouldn't need this thread. Could have spent this wasted time programming, but no, this was a good use.

I think I am correct here in saying, "Dude-- what the fuck?!".


Annoying?! I have started two topics recently. Two. If my attempts to be slightly more active on the boards have come across as an insult to thy person, I feel rightly sorry for you. You must get angered easily.


I mean, you joined the forums to attack me and my topic-- in off-topic-- which was a legitimate outreach for opinions. Or perhaps you are a regular, posting under an alias. Either way, you're pretty pathetic, as I see it.


I don't know if you are familiar with the open-source community and what it does, but things are often a collaborative effort. Do you, with your small brain, comprehend such a big word? It means people work together and help each other out, including occasionally fishing for ideas. I'm sorry if this comes as a shock to thee, thou globby bottle of cheap, stinking chip-oil. Come and get one in the yarbles, et cetera.

If the option had said "Shut the hell up" that would have also been good, maybe better unless you had included an actual "No fucking chess" option.

And what the hell did I do to piss you off?! Unless you're joking; then I didn't catch it-- sorry.

 

[Gerix]

My dad worked on the student newspaper when he was in college. He used to play chess against the editor. My dad would be sitting at the board and the editor would be working on something else, calling out his moves. My dad said the editor still beat him regularly.


Anyway, I don't see the problem with discussing a potential project on these boards. For every programmer looking for a project, there must be three projects looking for a programmer. I actually joined this community in the hopes of finding people who enjoyed discussing these things and assisting new programmers. Unfortunately, there's a lot of negativity here.

 

[- Theo -]

Go is the master game.

 

[Blue Protoman]

Can you add an option that says, "Ask me again after you stop likening the Pandora community to that mediocre movie"?

 

[Austin25]

Can you add an option that says, "Ask me again after you stop likening the Pandora community to that mediocre movie"?

You know its messed up when I give BlueProtoman a +1


Sure, chess is decent game; you would not be wasting your time writing a Pandora chess game. Yes, we like strategy games. No, I don't want to come off as rude to a relatively new board member, but, well :unsure: , there are so many things wrong with Avatar, it left me steaming. <_<

 

[Asiyura]

You know its messed up when I give BlueProtoman a +1


Sure, chess is decent game; you would not be wasting your time writing a Pandora chess game. Yes, we like strategy games. No, I don't want to come off as rude to a relatively new board member, but, well :unsure: , there are so many things wrong with Avatar, it left me steaming. <_<

And the first one is that you can switch the title "Avatar" with "Pocahontas in Space"…

 

[WizardStan]

And the first one is that you can switch the title "Avatar" with "Pocahontas in Space"…

It was really more "Dances with Wolves" than Pocahontas, don't you think?

 

[AquaAnalogue]

You can all sod off, Avatar was the best movie EVER.


Seriously, though-- I get that it was essentially Pocahontas in Space and/or Dances with Na'vi. One might even reach a bit, and say that it has elements of The Lion King.


What I don't understand is why that makes it any less of a movie. I may get flames for this, but I really, honestly enjoyed it.


I came out of the theatre into the bleak wintry night and sighed as I thought, "Wow. The earth is so ugly".

 

[gadgetoid]

Avatar was pretty. But it was too long. And the 3D made my brain hurt.


Does Fire Emblem: Gaiden count as an abstract strategy?