Much easier said than done. Yet if you look back through this post. You will see I already tried. I'm not looking for them, to post it again. I am too busy right now. It is before page 9 & I think after page 3.
New chess variant. Looking for players to play with.
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I tested and only 22 new icons can be brought into a game. So if using 26 pieces like me. 4 of them must use the in game graphics. Just letting you know. I'm soooo happy I can use what I want for graphics. Everything looks so nicer, to me.
You can also replace the built-in images. But you would need to give them other names than pieceN_49o/s/w.bmp. E.g. to replace the image of the King you would need k49o/s/w.bmp.
This is the system that existed before, and each of the 22 pieces had their own ID letter. Some even have 2-letter ID (like 'cv'), you can see those from the filenames in the winboard/bitmaps directory of the on-line source repository.
I could have extended the system by also defining specific one- or two-letter names for the 22 new pieces, but the numbering system seemed more convenient, because it requires no learning of arbitrary info, and is infinitely extendible.
Thank you. I love that I can add graphics. Plus that is good to know. I just do not know how to open Winboard to add or modd anything to it.
I have noticed a few things wrong with the new WB, you gave me tho. One that makes my game not playable, for new players. Who don't know what is legal play.
The black tiles can be both taken, as well as moved through. Like they are not even there. Would you be willing to give me anouther winboard like the last one. Just with the black tiles fixed?
Also my queens no longer castle, and nothing promotes(would like slaves-s, jacks-s, gambits-g & pawns-p too). Would also love a board larger than 16x16(24x16 would work and fits most screens)
If adding all that back in, is too much to ask. I understand. I have already asked so much of you. I do really need the black tiles fixed tho, or I'll have to use my old one, without the graphics. If you would prefer explaining what I need to do to fix things. That works too.
My upload in the first post. Still has my old Winboard. With working black tiles, queen castling & promotions. If it's easier to copy and paste the mods from the old WB to the new one, or vise-versa. Which would most likely be easier.
Here is a link to all the graphics for you to use as you please. I made sure anything I did not draw, that I used. Was not copyrighted.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/y1ae4euebsdbagz/New+folder.zip
I also like that by adding new graphics. When ever I make(if I do) new games with new & different pieces. I can always use the same graphics in every game, for the same piece. While always having a new graphic avialible for any new piece developed.
Making it so people how play my games. Can carry over their knowledge of how one piece moves/works. From one game to the next.
Without having to learn the whole thing again. Because they may move the same as a different game. Yet they look different. I did not want that.
I plan on making several small games that have only a handful of each of the pieces I made. Sort of like how you did in several game I see you made. To try and let a player get to use and learn a pieces without having to learn the other 20 at the same time.
Ah OK, I guess that these functionsyou are missing were only in the development version, not in the regular 4.8.0. When adding in the reading of external images for the new pieces, I started from the source code of 4.8.0. This was just a 4-line patch, however, I can easily add that to the development version too. Not sure if the latest development version is still fully operational, though. I might have added changes in the mean time that are wrecking things,as they are only partially finished, ornotsuficiently tested. I have for instance been adding pieces beyond 44 already, and also been working on extending the ID to letter plus exclamation point or single quote.
I have no problem waiting till you are done with what you are doing. I thank you hugely, for helping me achive my dream of being able to make these. After all the mods and upgrades you have made. Winboard is going to be very powerful, with what it can make and do.
If you could just give me a link to what ever version you make of WB. When done adding the things you want(plus what I'd like would be great!).When you feel they are ready enough to test/play. That would be great!
I'll do whatever beta testing you need too, to check to see if everything works as you intended it. To save you some time. Just toss me the file to look at. Also like I said before, if you want any graphic I have not provided. Just let me know & I will make or find it for you.
On that note, would you be able to give me an estimate, on how long that would take to do?
So the lions do no work right in this winboard. It will not show move highlights after the first capture. While allowing me to move to places I should not be allowed to move after. Example; after taking a piece. it will show one highlighted square I can go to. Yet I can still move away as a night. Which is two king moves again. When I should Only be getting one.
Hola HGMuller
So there is a ton of stuff that does not work in the winboard file you just gave me.
Would it just be easier to add the mod to add graphic changes to this Winboard, in the link, that everything works in. That I've been using from the beginning. Rather than the latest development version, that has other changes that you are not sure if they are wrecking things, or do you feel it is best to add it to your latest mod? You haven't replied in a bit. So I was just curious what you were plaining. http://www.mediafire.com/download/g3atoerpj7keybn/Alpha+Omega+Chess+V4.0.zip
Also Muller I was curious. I have been working with the Betza for a couple hours, just trying to see if I can make a certain movement for a piece. I am having no luck. Trying to make this Griffon from the link and the opposite.
http://www.chessvariants.org/piececlopedia.dir/griffon.html
Best I could do was FalfWalfFalfalfalfWalfalfalfF
Which only goes out 3. plus just does not move right. I've tryed so many different things. I just can not figure it out. Do you know what the Bezta code would be?
Edit figured it out. I truly do not get what "y" is doing. Yet alone how the bit of code is working. Yet these work.
WyafsW
FyafsF
Sorry I have been incommunicado for some time. First I was out of town for a few days, and then I was running out of time for making a decent opening book for my mini-Shogi program (Shokidoki), which had to compete in the 9th UEC Cup last Sunday. And I was only finding losing lines for white... But eventually I succeeded, and Shokidoki won the UEC Cup!
I prepared a new version of WinBoard, this time of the latest development version, which should have all the changes you mentioned, and I added the loading of external bitmaps for the extra piece types. It is at the same link as before ( http://hgm.nubati.net/winboard.zip ). Please test if it works. (I did not test it at all.) I implemented it slightly different this time: it now first tries to load the pieces for the first 22 with the regular one-letter names. After that, it tries to load every piece that did not get an image from a file with a name starting with pieceN_ . Also for pieces 0-21. So it should possible now to redefine all the pieces for any board size.
As to the Betza notation for griffon: 'y' is used on non-final legs to indicate a step to an empty square (according to the originally written atom), but with a 'range toggle' for the following leg. (Unlike 'm', which keeps the same range.) That means that if you started as a leaper (e.g. W or F), the next leg will be a slider, and vice versa. This is what the Griffon needs: it always starts with a single step, and if the square is empty, then continues with a slide in another direction. That other direction is 'forward-sideway' relative to the first step (actually two directions, as sideway = left or right, so the trajectory forks). So you would need yafsF: a diagonal (F) step to an empty square, continuing as an orthogonal slide (fs = 45-degree turn). This leaves out the single F step, so you have to add that by hand: Griffon = FyafsF.
Like you found in your previous post, slider moves can always be decomposed in a number of 'lame' leaper moves of ever increasing stride. You should not have mixed F and W, though; Griffon always starts diagonally, and the specified atom always refers to the first leg, and can get modified only on later legs. So it is always F. And the next would be afsF = mafsF, which starts as F, and then continues foreward-sideway, because you passed the 'deflection point'. From then on it continues in the same direction, so you need only 'f' continuations: mafsmafF etc. So in the end you would get FmafsFmafsmafFmafsmafmafF... But FyafsF is a lot less writing, just like R is much easier that WmafWmafmafW... But for lame leapers with a complex path you often have no alternative but spelling out the path in King steps this way. There is a piece called the Falcon that makes (3,1) or (3,2) moves, but only if one of the three shortest possible paths to the destination (measred in King steps) is completely unblocked. This could be written as mafmafsKmafsmafKmaflmafrKmafrmaflK, which is not very elegant.
It think I understand all that. The y bezta command still confuses me a little. Seem to turn a slider to a stepper. Sort of the oppisite of what n does. Kind of. I don't fully understand what you mean by
" 'y' is used on non-final legs to indicate a step to an empty square". I understand all the rest.
I testing everything now. So far I noticed the the graphics seem to be loading fine and the black tiles work as they should as well. I'll test everything else, I can think of, soon. Thank you again. I do not know what I would do, with out your help.
'y' turns slider to stepper, and stepper to slider. The idea for 'y' was inspired by the distinction between 'p' and 'g'. Both describe 'hopping' over an occupied square, i.e. a leg thus marked must end on an occupied square, and then the next leg will somehow step off it, according to its own description. With 'p' the range stays the same, like in the Xiangqi Cannon, which moves as Rook to the 'platform', and then continues as Rook in the same direction. A 'g' would swap slider for leaper motion, so gafQ would describe a Grasshopper, which must lend on the first square after the platform (but the platform can be arbitrary far away). While gafK would describe the 'Contra-Grasshopper', which can only hop over adjacent pieces, but continue arbitrary far beyond them before it has to land.
'm' and 'y' do for empty intermediate squares what 'p' and 'g' do for occupied squares. So masR describes a 'Hook Mover', which moves as Rook, but on any empty square then turns a 90-degree corner ('s'), to continue as Rook. It could reach the entire board in one move (if the board is empty). But yasR would describe a Rook that can side-step its original Rook path by only a single square (hitting the same destinations as the Griffon, but through another path). And yasW would do the opposite: step one, and turn a corner there to move arbitrary far. Finally masW would be a 'lame F', which can be blocked by blocking both paths on a W square.
Glad to hear you won your contest by the way! I forgot to mentian that in my last post. Becauase I was so happy you made the fixed winboard for me.
OK, I understand what you are saying now. Is there any updates on the Betza & an updated instruction link if there is?
So I tested most all the basic betza movements I understand well. They all work. Lion is working like it should again, too. So the 'a' command is working again. Pawn promotion works. As well as queen and king castling and all different distances.
The only thing that I am having not work right is the 'j' command I use to make a jumping rook/bishop example: jR (love that it is so easy.) Will not jump black tiles.
Plus I figured out how to make my jester the way I wanted way back in the beginning. A 1-3-5 leaper. Just the betza did not have leaper commands past 3 tiles out. I use KGHjjjjK5 or KjjK3jjjjK5. Just the 'j' jumps do not jump the black tiles.
Other than that. I can not think of much more to test, at the moment.Sure I'm not thinking of something. If you know of anything you want tested. Let me know.
Edit postion works a bit diferently. It seems a lot better this way. Also was curious, on the promotions there is a choice of archbishop. Is there any way to custom that to be a fairy piece choose through the customdat file some how? Instead of always being the crossed swords.
I was also wondering if you ever made it so you could go past 26 pieces(the alphabet)? Even if it is through promotion. I still do not get how they play shogi variants with 40+ pieces.
I tried using all sorts of symbles. As well as different alphabets from around the world. Not that I thought it would work. On that note the russian alphabet has a whole lot of new letters that are easy to see as well as easy to type with online keyboards. To use instead of symbles on the keyboard. About to see if you enlarged the board.
edit:
I did B' as a piece it allowed it. Thought it would be counted as two spaces. So I guess I can do extra pieces. Nevermind on that last part.
Found something else. Tho you can add pieces past 26 with '
anything added with it that is using a in game graphic. Uses the moves set to that graphic. Not the one set in the customdat. If the pieces added is not an in game graphic, but one I added. The piece does not move at all.
So that and j betza commands do not jump black tiles. Is mainly all that is wrong. Still would love to go to 24 wide.
I don't understand what you are saying at all. Have you defined IDs for the pieces you add in the pieceToCharTable (transmitted from the 'setup' line in the custom.dat file). Can you post the relevant lines (first line and definition of the added piece) here, so that I can see what you attempt to do?
I already checked the j-problem, and it can be easily fixed (by swapping the order of the sest for an empty square and the test for a square to skip).
[Edit] I put a new version of winboard.zip at the same link, which should allow 24x24 and fixes the j.
sweet thanks for that.
I'll try to explain the other part better sorry. So I added c', f' and b' to the game, like so. To add 3 new pieces beyond the 26 letter max.(made change red for easy viewing). Then defined there moves.
setup (PNBRQF'.U..B'..CTYE....LIOFAJGMWZDXVS.HC'Kpnbrqf'.u..b'..ctye....liofajgmwzdxvs.hc'k) 16x16+0_spartan
piece F'& FyafsF
piece B'& WyafsW
piece C'& WyafsW
So I used the graphic in winboard for b' & f'. While using one I added for c'.
The two pieces using the in game graphic. Move as that piece would move in it's normal game, I am guessing.
b' The one hat moves like a Ferz.
f' The other helmet looking one, moves as a king.
C' The graphic I added does not move at all. Because it has no base game to use for it's moves, like the other two do. I am guessing.
Hope that explains it better.
O and I always forget to tell you this bug. If you use spartan as your game type. Like I have above. Any time you move the window in any way (not enlage/shink, just moving it. But enlarge or shrink too will do it) It snaps to bulky view. Making you have to put it back with the view/colors tab. Also only while on spartan. It only always you to use three views. Any thing you pick, will just be one of the three. Which every one of those three view sizes is the closest to what you picked for a size. Not a big deal. Yet can get annoying sometimes. Only seems to do it on spartan tho, for some reason.
Please provide some general piece values :)