Download and Play Mini Chess!
by Chris Jorgensen · 03/10/2008 (1:33 pm) · 2 comments
Mini chess is here!
Features:
* Plays three different mini chess variants: western chess, makruk, and shatranj
* Challenging AI that has 5 difficulty settings
* Capacity to handle multiple themes/skins: beta has two
* Undo button
* Hint button
* Play as black, white, or two players
* How-To-Play Tutorial section
* Full screen toggle; music toggle
* Chess fact ticker
Download here: www.xenoclone.com/downloads/minichessbeta.zip
Please try it out and let me know what you think!
Some questions I'd like answered:
* Is the AI too hard? Too easy? Does it take too long to think?
* Do the art and music appeal to you?
* Is there a feature you think is missing? Or one that is there but you find useless?
Options if you don't want to post here:
* Email me: chris@xenoclone.com
* Yahoo Group: games.groups.yahoo.com/group/minichess/
* TGB Forum thread: www.garagegames.com/mg/forums/result.thread.php?qt=72926
Note: The beta will expire on the 16th of March, 2008. I will also pull the zip off the site (xenoclone.com) at that time.
Features:
* Plays three different mini chess variants: western chess, makruk, and shatranj
* Challenging AI that has 5 difficulty settings
* Capacity to handle multiple themes/skins: beta has two
* Undo button
* Hint button
* Play as black, white, or two players
* How-To-Play Tutorial section
* Full screen toggle; music toggle
* Chess fact ticker
Download here: www.xenoclone.com/downloads/minichessbeta.zip
Please try it out and let me know what you think!
Some questions I'd like answered:
* Is the AI too hard? Too easy? Does it take too long to think?
* Do the art and music appeal to you?
* Is there a feature you think is missing? Or one that is there but you find useless?
Options if you don't want to post here:
* Email me: chris@xenoclone.com
* Yahoo Group: games.groups.yahoo.com/group/minichess/
* TGB Forum thread: www.garagegames.com/mg/forums/result.thread.php?qt=72926
Note: The beta will expire on the 16th of March, 2008. I will also pull the zip off the site (xenoclone.com) at that time.
About the author
Owner of Cascadia Games LLC
#2
Cool! You are correct in that the AI is the same across all three rule modes and is almost the same across the difficulty settings. I can increase the difference between extra easy and extra hard. The difference lies in the number of moves it can see ahead. In extra hard, it's 7.
Predictability is a little trickier. If the AI controls white, it will open the game differently each time. I used to have some random tie-breakers -- that is, when it thinks two moves are even, it randomly decides between the two. I also used a bayesian classifier to break ties... but in the end, the AI seemed to play a little dumber!
As for networking.... I've toyed with it some. I'll can take another look. I'll keep your comments in mind.... I might be able to tweak it some here. :)
03/13/2008 (11:14 am)
Aun:Cool! You are correct in that the AI is the same across all three rule modes and is almost the same across the difficulty settings. I can increase the difference between extra easy and extra hard. The difference lies in the number of moves it can see ahead. In extra hard, it's 7.
Predictability is a little trickier. If the AI controls white, it will open the game differently each time. I used to have some random tie-breakers -- that is, when it thinks two moves are even, it randomly decides between the two. I also used a bayesian classifier to break ties... but in the end, the AI seemed to play a little dumber!
As for networking.... I've toyed with it some. I'll can take another look. I'll keep your comments in mind.... I might be able to tweak it some here. :)
Torque 3D Owner Aun Taraseina
- The Ai are almost the same in every mode. All 5 modes of the Ais are almost the at the same difficulty.
- The Ai are predictable. Each turn they will response in the same move if you use the same move. So after playing it 3 - 4 times, I was able to predict what moves the Ai will make ahead 3 - 4 moves. Thus, I was able to beat the extra hard mode in 10 moves.
- network multi-player Please :D
Aun.