QWERTY Keyboard - Brand New Design [vacation]

[Herakilla]

big crumbs of food!

[Tieryn]

to be honest i'm not a fan of your current impassables because they are too arbitrary, too artificial.

i'd much rather see either a different gameplay where you get bonuses for spelling words

or if you want classic continents please use impassables like a chewing gum, an eraser, a pen, a cigarette, stuff you'd find on a jeyboard.

*nod* I've been thinking about that and will go about changing them.

I like the idea of changing the gameplay to make spelling words the goal, and removing the continents, although I still like the idea of splitting up the continents via typing fingers... Perhaps a compromise is possible?

Removing the impassables, adding in a few (such as suggested above) to create some more interesting game spots, reducing the continent bonuses so they only play a small roll in the gameplay, and adding in extra word bonuses?

Would something like that work? have you got any suggestions as to where I might aim to put the impassables to improve the gameplay? This is an honest request since I've not had as much experience designing maps, and any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Tieryn]

So I've taken off the continent glows, and brought it back to just a keyboard map as per DiM's suggestion, do people like this better? Mods - Could I please have the poll above removed so I can ask another question?

Obviously there's stuff that needs touching up, this is just a quick look. My opinion is on first glance, this looks a lot more realistic than the glowing borders. If we can change the gameplay completely and make it about spelling words, or holding certain key combinations, I think that would make it really interesting, but I'll need some feedback and ideas about how we could progress along that path.

Put in a couple of random, arbitraty (but realistic?) impassables. Obviously the cig shouldn't go where it is, but I like the way the smoke curls... but it probably won't stay there. Just there for the moment to get an idea of what it'll look like.

Comments please,

[zimmah]

So I've taken off the continent glows, and brought it back to just a keyboard map as per DiM's suggestion, do people like this better? Mods - Could I please have the poll above removed so I can ask another question?

Obviously there's stuff that needs touching up, this is just a quick look. My opinion is on first glance, this looks a lot more realistic than the glowing borders. If we can change the gameplay completely and make it about spelling words, or holding certain key combinations, I think that would make it really interesting, but I'll need some feedback and ideas about how we could progress along that path.

Put in a couple of random, arbitraty (but realistic?) impassables. Obviously the cig shouldn't go where it is, but I like the way the smoke curls... but it probably won't stay there. Just there for the moment to get an idea of what it'll look like.

Comments please,

might not even need to change the gameplay, just some powerful scripting, need help with it?

[Lone.prophet]

i dont think you need to divides it would be cool if it is all open IMO

[Tieryn]

might not even need to change the gameplay, just some powerful scripting, need help with it?

Uhm, I'll have a stab at it myself to begin with, I'm actually much more comfortable in notepad or vim than I am in photoshop so I think I'll be right, but definitely will need some help in checking the code, and also for funky gameplay ideas.

How is the map looking graphically? Is there anything major that I need to attend to? If so, can a cartographer please identify problem areas and I'll fix them as best I can.

I'd be happy with having it all open, I think that adds to it, and I've considered things such as the control keys (ctrl/shift/alt etc) being able to attack certain other keys, in particular common ones, like ctrl+n or alt+f, or maybe even all letters? (you can make key combo's however).

Perhaps we aim for complete openness, since in reality with a keyboard, any one key can come after any other one key... Why shouldn't you be able to attack from one to any other? Would this make the map entirely unplayable, or would it do the opposite? If everyone was aiming for different word bonuses, and you have to hold and defend the entire word to get the bonus.... then really it's not unfair on anyone.

We've gone big maps, we've gone small maps, but how about complete connectedness maps? Is this a stupid idea? It's got a certain appeal to me... and I think the keyboard would be on of the few concepts that it could actually fairly, or realistically, work in...

Consider:
Complete connectedness. Every territory borders every other territory (on the main key part - excluding F-keys, which have borders as shown? or not?)
A reasonable host of possible words are available, from two letter words from scrabble, through to longer and more complex words. (Preferably ones with no repeated letters, but in the case of that, just the constituant letters are required).

So - First drop, 6 player game, everyone gets 12 territories. Chances are some will have formed several words and get an unfair advantage...

Fix? - Perhaps everyone only starts with one character, but has a larger bonus - min 5, or 6 or something? to allow them to try and form words from turn one. (but not before).

At the outset, people will all be aiming for different words, unless a few overlap. If someone gets your letter, then chances are you could make another word anyway...

I'm just rambling at the moment.... how does this gameplay sound? anyone interested?

[InkL0sed]

I like the no borders idea.

I don't like the word bonus one. You know everyone will think it's too confusing. Plus, most of the time, to form a word, your territories would have to be completely separated. I think in most cases that is not a good plan.

[Tieryn]

... So, if there's no borders, is this purely a territory race? or a key combination race? (assigning particular importance to the ctrl+shift+alt keys)?

And if there's no borders, and anything can attack anything else, it's irrelevant if your territories are grouped... they're all touching....

Or by no borders do you just mean no impassables as opposed to the complete connectedness concept?

[InkL0sed]

I meant no impassables.

Complete connectedness, as in everbody can attack everybody else! This is madness!

[Tieryn]

Well no, madness is another map but it's certainly different...

I think it's got potential. Basically you would -have- to defend all of your letters, but so would everyone else... The potential to break opposition would be huge, but need to be balanced against everyone being able to break you.

Maybe we could group things based on hand.... so we'd have a left hand and a right hand of the keyboard, and they could attack each other within that, but only across connectd boundaries, to create some separation...?

This is just an idea.. it might be completely stupid... but it might, just might, be incredibly fun... I'm not sure that's why I want more comments

[whitestazn88]

i think you could do something like left hand letters are one group that can be totally open, right hand is totally open, and then maybe the space bar is a connector between the two, and so would the shift keys, as most typing teachers say you should use the opposite hand to shift a letter on the other hand.

[InkL0sed]

i think you could do something like left hand letters are one group that can be totally open, right hand is totally open, and then maybe the space bar is a connector between the two, and so would the shift keys, as most typing teachers say you should use the opposite hand to shift a letter on the other hand.

I agree with this. Also, maybe the function keys up top would be another way around.

[Tieryn]

i think you could do something like left hand letters are one group that can be totally open, right hand is totally open, and then maybe the space bar is a connector between the two, and so would the shift keys, as most typing teachers say you should use the opposite hand to shift a letter on the other hand.

I agree with this. Also, maybe the function keys up top would be another way around.

I like this idea, this is along what I was thinking of. I really like the opposite-shift idea, that makes a lot of sense. Also yes, space and functions would be the way around...

I still like the idea of connecting up words, but I need to find a set of words, some long, some short, that use all letters in the alphabet, and don't have -heaps- of crossovers with letters (tho of course, some of them). I'll work on that and see what I can come up with.

I'll try make them CC-relevant, but some other special typing ones might be worthwhile, like stewardesses (the longest word spellable with only the left hand!) or Typewriter (all on the top row).

Of course the obligatory "Conquer" and maybe some shorter words. three or four letters.

Of course you only need to have the constituent letters for each word... But I need to work on a list of good words.

[tenio]

the above ideas = amazing

They seem great... but hopefully they will be able to play okay also


also backspace has to be bombardmeant key like no forts but it can bombard any other letter

[Tieryn]

also backspace has to be bombardmeant key like no forts but it can bombard any other letter

Oooh I like that! great idea!

Also, in terms of ways around, I think we could make it just the letters that are co-connected, so the number line could be the way around. And perhaps we need to have some marks for proper punctuation? (words with apostrophes, hyphens, question marks - [Why?]) or at least bonuses for having punctuation... (defying the internet trend!)

With the function keys providing +1 deploy on them per turn (although, I haven't really justified this, it's just an easy way to make a continent worth 12 with 12 keys spread out and less overwhelming). Or perhaps, we could make function keys like Kings in KotM or planes in Pearl Harbour. +2 for holding 3, +4 for holding 6, +8 for holding 9, etc, Tho I think I prefer the +1 deploy on them each turn. Makes them less dominating to the gameplay.

I also think we could have any key can attack escape. But the armies on escape, escape. -1 per turn? Ctrl+Escape could be a good combo, worth some stuff, and also the Escape/Backspace/Space keys could work like capital cities..