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STRATEGY CHESS
Gameplay Instructions
For Google Desktop
By Jeremy Glassenberg
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Table of Contents
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1. Introduction
2. Main Menu
3. Single Player Gameplay
4. Multi-Player Gameplay
5. Setup Board
6. Game Board
7. Playing the Game!
8. Rules of Strategy Chess
9. Links
10. Planned Improvements
11. Credits
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1
Introduction
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Welcome to Strategy Chess for Google Desktop! With this widget, you can play against the computer, or against other friends through Google's Instant Messenger client, Google Talk.
In order to play this game, you need Google Desktop, along with the Strategy Chess plug-in. If you want to play multi-player games, you will also need Google Talk.
This is written to help you understand the interface of this widget. I tried to make this interface as simple as possible, but a board game with a 10x10 board and 80 customized pieces can only be kept so simple. If you need more help, check out the links in section 9. This will include a page of mine with more images to follow. This site will also contain information regarding product updates, and possibly some surveys to help decide what future improvements are most desired.
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2
Main Menu
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Whenever you first startup the Strategy Chess plug-in, finish a game round, or cancel a game in progress, you will find yourself at the Main Menu.
The menu is fairly simple, as Strategy Chess only provides two types of game play - Single Player and Multi-Player.
Select Single Player if you want to play against the computer. See section 3 for more information.
Select Multi-Player if you want to play against another person. Note that the Strategy Chess plug-in can only play if you have Google Talk running. See Section 4 for more information.
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3
Single Player Gameplay
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Single Player mode is where you get to challenge the computer. The computer may not be as interesting as Multi Player, where you may face a variety of different strategies and experiences. However, the computer still has a few tricks up its sleeve. It has a wide variety of well-researched board setups, and excellent memory! (I can proudly say that my computer player does not cheat, however. It will not know what your units are before they fight other units and become visible to it) I hope my AI will be able to put up a decent fight against your human skills!
In order to start the Single Player Gameplay, you have to click on the single player button on the Main Menu (see section 2).
When you start a single player game, you will first be asked to select the difficulty level.
Simply click on one of thee options, and you will then be directed into setup. Here, you must place your units on the board where you want them to be located at the start of the game (see section 5 for more information on how the Setup Board works).
Click on "Cancel" if you decide not to continue playing the game. This will bring you back to the main menu
Click on "Play" when your board is set up to your liking, and you are ready to play.
NOTE: you cannot start the game unless all your units are placed on the board. See setup (section 5) for more information.
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4
Multi-Player Gameplay
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Multi-Player mode is where you get to challenge other friends! Remember, in order for your friends to play Strategy Chess with you, they must have Google Desktop as well, along with the Strategy Chess plug-in, and Google Talk.
In order to start the Multi-Player Gameplay, you have to click on the multi-player button on the Main Menu (see section 2).
Once you choose multi-player mode, the plug-in will load a list of your friends in Google Talk, who also have the Google Desktop sidebar. Each name will be displayed, along with an icon indicating his/her status (online, idle, etc.).
Click on "Back to Main Menu" if you want to go back to the main menu.
Click on a friend's name in order to initiate a game with your friend. Once you do, your friend will be asked if he/she wants to play a round of Strategy Chess with you. If your friend doesn't have the Strategy Chess plug-in, he/she will be prompted to install it (that's how Google handles communication in their Desktop Widgets at the moment). Otherwise, your friend will just be asked whether or not to play. If your friend agrees, you will go into Setup mode (see section 5). Otherwise, you will be returned to your list of friends.
Once you click on a friend, you cannot click on another friend immediately afterwards. Instead, you will go into a waiting menu, until your friend decides whether or not to play. If your friend is taking too long too reply (perhaps your buddy is away from the computer), you may cancel the offer to play, and return to your list of friends.
Once you both agree to play each other, you will both enter the setup screen. You cannot start playing until both of you have set up your units, so please be courteous and set up your units quickly. The first to complete setup will have to wait for the other (who will be notified that the other player is ready to play). Don't annoy your buddy by sitting around during setup! If someone takes too long to setup, the other player is free to click "cancel" while waiting, returning both players to the main menu.
Once both players complete their setup positions, it is time to play!
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5
Setup Board
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You reach the setup board by either choosing to play a single player game, or choosing a multiplayer game and getting a friend to accept your challenge. You must complete the setup before you can actually play the game.
At the setup screen, you will see a 10x10 board. The top part of the board represents one end of the actual play board (if you are unfamiliar with the appearance, you may want to go to section 7, links, to see pictures of the Strategy Chess board). The yellow blocks represent the locations where you are to place your units. The bottom blocks are filled with your units, which you are to move onto the yellow blocks to setup your starting position.
In order to move units, simply click on a unit that you wish to move. The selected unit will appear highlighted. Once you have a unit selected, click on the yellow block of which you want to place your unit, and that unit will be moved.
You may move units to any empty block, and move units around after placement, if you decide to move a unit to a different location. Just remember that the game cannot start until ALL units are placed in a valid starting location. That means that all yellow blocks must be filled, or you will not be allowed to start the game.
Setting up 40 units may take a while, and might not be worth just one round of Strategy Chess to many people. Although it is customary to create your own unique strategy, this game has a special button to set up the board for you. Just click the "1-Click Setup" button, and the board will automatically set up your units to a randomly selected, pre-created board setup (there are currently about 2 dozen board setups). You can click the button as many times as you'd like, until you find a board setup that you like. Futhermore, you may modify one of these setups after clicking the button.
Once you are done setting up your units to your liking, click play, and get ready to play!
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6
Game Board
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You will reach the game board after setting up your units (and in the case of a multi-player game, after you and your opponent both set up your units).
At the game board, you will see a 10x10 board, with blue and red units. The blue units are your units - you will see that they are set up the way you chose, on the setup board. The red units will all be "?" symbols. These are your opponent's units, which you cannot see unless you attack them.
You will also see some information displayed on the right of the board. At the top, is a "T: number". This indicates how many turns have passed. The other information tells you how many of each unit your opponent still has. For example, "S: 1" means the opponent still has a spy, and "8: 4" means that your opponent still has 4 units of rank 8 on the board.
When it is your turn, you will be able to move a unit. When playing single player, you should always be able to move a unit. After each move you make, the computer will move almost instantaneously. When playing multiplayer, however, you will have to wait for your friend to make his/her moves. The side-panel will let you know when you are able to move by dislpaying "Go!" to move, and "Wait" when it is your opponents turn.
You may move a unit by selecting it, then clicking on the location of which you want to move your unit (the same way you move units in the setup board). However, keep in mind that you can only move a unit to an adjacent block. Furthermore, you cannot move your mines, or your flag.
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7
Playing the Game!
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You've finally found your friends (or didn't have internet, and decided to play the computer), set up your 40 units, and got familiar with the board. Now, you can learn to play!
If you are not familiar with the rules of this game, you may want to read section 8 for more details on the rules of the game.
This game is turn-based. You move one unit at a time, and after every move, your opponent moves a unit. When you are playing the computer, the computer will decide its move very quickly. Thus, after you make your move, watch what move the computer plays, as it will be fast! (I may add a delay time, so that it will be easier to see what the computer does.) When you play another person, after you make a turn, you will have to wait for your friend to make his/her move.
Moving a unit during play is the same as during setup. However, you can only move units to adjacent blocks, as a unit is only allowed to move one block per turn. Furthermore, you cannot move your flag or your mines (so protect your flag in the back, because you can't move it away when the enemy is near!). Click on a unit that you want to move, and it will be highlighted. Then click on an adjacent block where you want to move it.
When you move one of your units onto an opponent's unit, they will fight. Depending on the outcome (see section 8 to learn the outcomes), the loser unit will be removed from the board, and the winner will move to the other location (note: there is an exception to this rule. Whenever a mine is attacked, the mine always stays in its location). If the winner is your opponent's unit, you will be able to see the rank of that unit for one turn. Be observant, and try to remember what that unit is! After the next turn, that unit will become a mystery again, so you'll have to rely on your memory to know which units your fighting in later turns. This game requires some good memory to have the advantage over your opponent.
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8
Rules of Strategy Chess
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Strategy Chess can have different rules of gameplay. Especially on a regular board, 2 players can agree to their own rules of play. The following are the specific rules of play for this Strategy Chess game. In the future, I may set options for users to decide on certain rules.
8.1 Player movement
The game is turn-based, so at each turn, one player will get to move one unit, to one adjacent block. That spot must be either an empty spot, or an opponent's block. The unit cannot be moved to a block with another friendly unit, and cannot be moved to any of the 8 invalid spots on the board (marked by Xs on the board).
8.2 Unit fights
When a unit moves onto the block of an opposing unit, the two units will fight. The outcome is determined by the following rules:
* Whenever numerical units (1-9) fight each other, the unit of lower value is the winner (so 2 beats 4, 5 beats 7, etc.).
* Whenever a Spy (S) attacks a General (unit 1), the spy wins. However, if the 1 attacks the Spy, the 1 wins.
* Whenever a unit that is not a Spy fights a Spy, the other unit wins. There are two exceptions: a Spy attacking 1, and a Spy capturing the flag.
* Whenever a unit runs into a mine (M), the mine wins. The only exception is an 8, which can destroy mines.
* Whenever units of the same value attack each other, both unitsare destroyed.
* Whenever two units fight, if there is a distinct winner, that unit moves to the opposing unit's location. The only exception is for Mines, which always stay in their starting location.
8.3 End Game
A game can end in 2 ways. The first, a units flag is attacked (captured), in which case the player that captures the flag is the winner. The second scenario is when one player cannot move any units, in which case he/she automatically loses.
Players may also forfeit the game by clicking on the "Quit Game" button before the game is over.
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9
Links
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The following site is probably the best site for information, including rules, alternative rules, and strategies.
http://www.edcollins.com/stratego/stratego-piece-setups.htm
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10
Planned Improvements
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Here are a few improvements I plan to implement shortly.
-A means of expanding the board. It was currently designed to be as small as possible, in order to be a reasonable size for a widget, but I'm sure many of you would want to have a larger board to play.
-Options to play different variations of the game. Many are modifiable for more interesting gameplay, such as mines being destroyed upon first attack, or different number of units.
-Various improvements to the graphical interface (images, buttons, etc.)
-An option to let user's switch the angle of the board (completed).
-Additions to the computer's AI algorithm. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve for the AI, so get ready!
-Removal of certain Dialog boxes that pop up. I will try to replace some of these with update options on the main widget. (completed)
-Improved Animation (currently, there is a serious tradeoff between animation and CPU usage. I am trying to figure out a decent workaround at the moment.). (CPU issue has been fixed)
-A 3-4 player version of the game.
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11
Credits
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I would first like to express my gratitude to Google, for its sample gadget, Tic Tac Toe. Some of my code for the graphical interface as well as handling the multi-player game was based on code in the Tic Tac Toe gadget.
I would also like to give credit to Ed Collins, creator of "Ed's Stratego Site" (http://www.edcollins.com/stratego/stratego-piece-setups.htm), which provided a list of player setups that are used for the AI in Single Player mode.
