   [ TBS ] Naughty Virus
Naughty VirusThis is an expanded reply that is a design in its own right. The topic was strategy/tactics and the mechanic was rotating hex cell. The following is the definition of the game. If you feel like it you could code it, although the game is designed to be playable as a table-top game, which you could physically create using some scrap paper. Story:Happy Birthday! Let's take over the world! <3Overview:In this multiplayer game, the players take turn to spread virus or anti-virus to everywhere by switching connections. The Board:A grid of your favorite size and shape (orthogonal, hex, etc).The players:First player plays the virus. Second player plays the anti-virus. Additional players can play additional virus and anti-virus.Tokens:A bucket-full of virus and anti-virus tokens. You may use your favorite breakfast cereal as tokens.Cards:Prepare a deck of cards that can fit inside a cell. You could make them out of other stuff such as plastic caps for example. Select a handful of cards to be special cards:For each special card, draw your favorite thing in the center and draw a circle around it. Draw a line from the circle to one edge of the card. Draw more lines until you are happy.For each normal card, draw a line that connects one edge to another.Draw more if you feel like it. The lines could represent separatepaths. These cards are called connection cards.Setup:1) Select a number of special cards you like and place them on the grid. 2) Shuffle the deck of connection cards and give each player some.3) Each player select a special card on the grid and place one token4) Setup is complete!Playing the game:In each turn, a player will first do one of the following:1) Draw one connection card from the deck, then either place a connection card to the grid or return a connection card to the deck2) Rotate one existing connection card or special card the player controls3) Spawn one new token at a special card that the player controls4) Move one token to a new location anywhere on the connected networkThen the player may remove all opponent tokens that are placed on cards under the player's control. Cards under the player's control are those that can be reached by a connections. A player loses when they have no token left on the board. The last playeror alliance that remains on the board takes over the world!~ fin ~[Edited by - Wai on May 30, 2009 7:09:02 PM]
  I'm not quite grasping the 'card' part of things. At least the special cards.The normal cars to me seem like the pieces of the board, with varying directions that you can spread your pieces through, correct? I.E. A card with a T shaped can spread virus/AV in three directions to connecting cards. The drawing part stems from being able to alter the paths available in the board, which is neat. Then I'm assuming that you can basically spread one 'card' or tile at a time, while you generate a new token each time you spread into a spot. At the same time, the opposing player can spread into and delete the tokens in a spot as well as the adjacent tiles, pushing you back. The concept is very intriguing. I'm positive I do not quote understand the entire set up, probably because I'm so tired and currently moving only by the power of caffeine. It also seems very simple, and should be easy to put into development.[Edited by - domhnall4h on June 21, 2009 12:14:30 PM];  Sounds like fun. I guess you're keeping a hand of connection cards, so you have options? I don't quite get how control is transferred, though. Can you explain that again?   ;Re: Let's play!In this slightly streamlined version, the Bunny Virus and Star Virus will fight for dominance. Whoever interested in participanting will start by playing as the Bunny Virus. ** You are the Bunny! **** Stars are enemies! **Now select one of the options:[Spawn] Spawn a new bunny at your computer[Place] Place a connection tile on an empty space in the orientation of your choice[None] Do nothingOnce your have made one of the choices, you can remove any enemy sitting on your network, and move 1 bunny to any location inside your network.If the bunny had place a tile, the missing tile will be replace by a new one. So that when it is star's turn, star will know what tiles bunny can use in the next turn.Who can play?Whoever posts the first COMMAND gets the move. And I will update the picture. In the meantime you can ask questions.Example command:BUNNY COMMAND:Select Left Tile; Rotate clockwise once;Place at G2.Move Bunny (the one at G3) to G2.Tile CreationLet me know if you want me to create your custom connection or host tile. This is independent to the game commands. I was just wondering what tiles you might want to see. Please describe the tile as best as you can. My current convention to label the edges is that the 1 o'clock is 1, then count clockwise. For example, the left bunny tile is called "145", the right title is called "12,45"; Star's left tile is called "125", and Star's right tile is called "25,34".Replies to questions:From now on I will call the cards 'tiles' instead. Since that is the correct term. Special tiles are now called "Host tiles".Q: What are the host tiles?The host tiles represent major targets. All of the tiles currently on the board are special tiles. They are the only places where a player could spawn additional virus. Host tiles cannot be rotated. In the game above, the bunny and the star both starts at a host tile that is a computer.Q: Can I place a tile next to enemy's tile or out in nowhere?You can place a tile anywhere in any orientation as long as it can extend a path and does not overlap with another tile.Q: When I place a tile, do I get an extra token?No, you only get a new token (the virus) by choosing to spawn at a host tile. By doing so, you forgo the options to place new tile or to rotate a tile in that turn. You can move the virus you have just spawned in the same turn. Q: How do I know which tile is under my control?Every tile that has a path that can be traced back to one of your token(s) is under your control. Some tiles allow control by multiple players. For example, in the game above, the 2nd tile of the Bunny player has two disjoint segments. If the left segment can be traced to a bunny while the right segment can be traced to a star, then both players could rotate that tile. Caution 1) The the host tile you start with is not under your control unless you can trace the connection back to your token. It is possible to move away from the host, rotate a few tiles, and discover that you got yourself disconnected from your original host. In that case you cannot spawn virus until you get reconnected. Caution 2) You could rotate a tile out of your own control. If you need control of that tile, you would need to find another path to reconnect with it. Q: Is that a satellite?Yes, the satellite (C7) is always connected to the two satellite dishes. The three tiles are permanently connected.[Edited by - Wai on May 18, 2009 3:17:01 PM];  Well, the move in your example seems to be the best one, so I'll do that one.BUNNY COMMAND:Select Left Card;Rotate clockwise once;Place at G2.Move Bunny (the one at G3) to G2.   ;[ NV002 (Image) ]Now it is Star's turn.The available options and sequences are the same as before.1) Pick one: [ Spawn | Place | None ]2) Then do this: [ Move | Stay ]Note that Bunny got a new randomly generated tile.[Edited by - Wai on May 19, 2009 12:47:44 PM];  OK, not sure if this is right, but I'll give it a shot :)Can I place the one on the left to position G6, rotating it one clockwise, finally, move my bunny on to it.Is that right? For future reference, can I rotate the host tile @ H5 or do I have to connect it some other way?   ;  What if I were to say Spawn Star? Will there then be two stars in Home Star Tile? What I am asking is how many tokens can a single tile contain?   ;  I believe I've grasped the concept now.The only things I could add is this:-First turn could be determined by coin toss, RPS, or random. I know it's first come on a forum game like this, but I mean in a final form; especially in RL. Avoids fights to have clear rules.-If you decide to code it for a computer, you may have each side's tiles coded to their color. I.E. The bunny's tiles would be blue, star's yellow, hermorphadite's red etc...-On a computer, though RL can do it too if the players have hex graph paper like I do, variable board sizes for larger games. -I have too many projects for one immortal as it is, much less a mortal. But someone should code it. I believe it'd be a fun time waster, though I doubt it'd be commercially viable save a as cell phone game. I can provide vaguely recognizable and possibly obscene tiles if you want though. -Game at handLooks like for star, if you rotated H5 to connect to G5, then it would lead nowhere, as G5 currently leads north to G6. I'm guessing both outbound lines have to point to each other. So in order to connect the two, G5 would rotate 2 clockwise, H5 2 counter clockwise. Then that player would be stuck with two Host tiles that lead to nowhere.Seems to me the most viable strategy would be to try and drive a connection to one of the satellite dishes to the satellite itself. Then attempt to use those to connect to the remaining host sites, and blockade bunny from spawning new bunnies (contraception).I'd place the right tile on G6, without turning it, and move the star there. Following turn, I'd either use the left tile to move to F7, or whatever the right one turns out to be to move to F5. Then on until I turn C7 1 counter clockwise, and connect my little empire to the corners. But others have posted before me, so it's their turn.   ;[ NV003 (Image) ]** Star virus moved to a new area **Now it is Bunny's turn.Bunny's options, now with rotate:1) Pick one: [ Spawn | Place | Rotate | Wait ]2) Then pick one: [ Move | Stay ]At this moment, the only tile that Bunny could rotate is G2, because that is the only Connection Tile under Bunny's control. You cannot rotate a Host Tile.Questions & Answers/*Q: How should the players select the order?Using their favorite method!Q: How about color-coding the controlled paths in a computer implementation?In the way I imagined it, the controlled paths will not be color-coded, but when the player attacks an enemy token, the connected path will flash to show that it is a valid attack. If the player attacks an invalid target, theplayer's turn ends. If you want to see the current game to in color-code, Icould post the new screenshots with color-coded paths.Q: How large should the board be? The players can use whatever size and shape they like, and place any number of initial tiles as they see fit.Q: What if you rotate the computer and the hospital so that they connect to each other?You can't rotate Host Tiles. But otherwise, it is possible for a player to form an invincible loop. But this shouldn't happen often. (See if you can form some invincible loops in this game.)Q: How many tokens can I put on a tile?Infinitely many or as many as you like.*/Board-less setup:If you play this without a board (for example, if you are playing it using plastic caps as the tiles), then you could start with this setup:The two players have a host tile that initially face the opposite way. Each player is trying to kill the other. The board is effectively infinitely large (or as large as the number of plastic caps you have).[Edited by - Wai on May 19, 2009 12:25:22 PM]