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Abstract game using water

5 replies [Last post]
Mon, 10/11/2010 - 14:54
ichbin
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Joined: 09/21/2010

Hi everybody,

Is there any abstract game using water as component?
I have an idea based on some physical properties of water.
The rules of the game are easy if not very easy but the game design is very complex.
Playing will take minutes to know how to but playing well will take years because even the computer can not solve the explosive number of combinations.
Playing well take thousands of trials.
I will publish soon the skeleton of the game (in less than a week).

Thank you for any useful comment.

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Mon, 10/11/2010 - 15:06
#1
Dralius
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Joined: 07/26/2008
This sounds interesting but

This sounds interesting but im wondering if it is an abstract. If you’re using waters unique properties to make the game playable it may fall into some other category.

I’m looking forward to seeing the rules.

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Mon, 10/11/2010 - 15:42
#2
ichbin
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Joined: 09/21/2010
Dams and buildings

Dralius wrote:
This sounds interesting but im wondering if it is an abstract. If you’re using waters unique properties to make the game playable it may fall into some other category.

I’m looking forward to seeing the rules.

It is for sure an abstract game.
The game is built on the idea that players use a limited number of dams (dams of different levels) to protect their lands and their buildings (lands and building have different values).
When all the dams and the buildings are placed players pour water (using bottles fulled of some quantity of water) under some conditions in squares of their choice.
The winner is the one who has the biggest value unflooded.
I'm going to give more details about the set up, the rules and the end og the game.
I have to compute some values at least to put in place the skeleton of the game.

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Mon, 10/11/2010 - 16:36
#3
Dralius
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Joined: 07/26/2008
ichbin wrote:Dralius

ichbin wrote:
Dralius wrote:
This sounds interesting but im wondering if it is an abstract. If you’re using waters unique properties to make the game playable it may fall into some other category.

I’m looking forward to seeing the rules.

It is for sure an abstract game.
The game is built on the idea that players use a limited number of dams (dams of different levels) to protect their lands and their buildings (lands and building have different values).
When all the dams and the buildings are placed players pour water (using bottles fulled of some quantity of water) under some conditions in squares of their choice.
The winner is the one who has the biggest value unflooded.
I'm going to give more details about the set up, the rules and the end og the game.
I have to compute some values at least to put in place the skeleton of the game.

Given what you’re saying i think it is vitally important that the playing surface is level or it will never work. There should be a built in adjustment to level the board.

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Mon, 10/11/2010 - 16:45
#4
ichbin
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Joined: 09/21/2010
Almost all technical problem solved.

Dralius wrote:
ichbin wrote:
Dralius wrote:
This sounds interesting but im wondering if it is an abstract. If you’re using waters unique properties to make the game playable it may fall into some other category.

I’m looking forward to seeing the rules.

It is for sure an abstract game.
The game is built on the idea that players use a limited number of dams (dams of different levels) to protect their lands and their buildings (lands and building have different values).
When all the dams and the buildings are placed players pour water (using bottles fulled of some quantity of water) under some conditions in squares of their choice.
The winner is the one who has the biggest value unflooded.
I'm going to give more details about the set up, the rules and the end og the game.
I have to compute some values at least to put in place the skeleton of the game.

Given what you’re saying i think it is vitally important that the playing surface is level or it will never work. There should be a built in adjustment to level the board.

There is a trick.
Player place their dams and buildings and so on and when they finish the placement step they place like a "four walls" on the board. So the water will not leak outside the board.
Then they can pour the water.
Is is a special board.
I have solved al most all the technical problems.
I have to compute some values...
It will take time.
No I'm working on another game.

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Tue, 10/12/2010 - 14:06
#5
rcjames14
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Joined: 09/17/2010
Amsterdam

I'm quite intrigued to see what you have in mind. It sounds like even though it uses real physical properties, it's not really a physical dexterity game.

I assume you are supposed to strategically place dams, dikes, walls, buildings and whatnot throughout the board before the board is flood. What gets inundated doesn't count for points at the end. And, there may be different values assigned to different infrastructure which you wish to protect.

But, what I think would be really interesting is if the water level was constantly changing throughout the game. You would need empty reservoirs with different capacities that can be opened to relieve pressure coming in from the sea, river or dominant water source.

I can already see the game containing lots of separate interlocking compartments of water... where players (like in tiddlywinks) have to remove a barrier somewhere in order to place it somewhere else. If the system of irrigation is sophisticated enough, it could get pretty complex.

I can also see some potentially interesting issues involving planning if you are given a handful of barriers, but each barrier and each dam point has a hole through a different sector of it. If the sectors on both the barrier and the dam match up then the water would flow right through. Otherwise, it might be contained. Or, perhaps, when combined with directional piping (like in miniature golf), you would be determining which compartment or multiple compartments the water is directed to.

With varying heights/depths of compartments, different initial water levels, directional piping and removable barriers with holes in different locations, you end up with a very abstract game.

I look forward to seeing it.

PS... I know one dutch person personally who is quite proud of their history of detente involving the dam system. Apparently, no commander ever used scourged earth as a strategy to defeat his rivals.

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