Wanted: Graphics for Wildebeest Chess

[jeep]

Hello all,

I have a set of graphics used by Zillions of Games for Chess. I have written a rules file for Wildebeest chess and would have published it long ago, except I don't have good graphics for the additional pieces. (I've been using an upside down knight and an upside down rook.)

The new pieces are a Camel and Wildebeest. (My E2 writeup will tell you the rules if you don't know them.)

If I provide the standard pieces, anyone willing to try to make a camel and wildebeest in the same style?

-JEEP

[the silent speaker]

I question the valuation of a camel as slightly less than a knight. The fact that it never changes square color would seem to reduce its value much more.

[jeep]

You mean can't change colors like Bishops can't change colors? The longer range is a BIG boon, esp. on the larger board. It's just that they have a smaller area of full effect.

How many games have you played? If you are interested, we can play sometime, I really enjoy the game.

-JEEP

[Stewie]

I could give it a try... Can I look at these graphics, and get a description (or a picture, if you can) of the new pieces, to see how they look like?

[jeep]

I'll e-mail them to you soon.

-JEEP

[Sketchwick]

Can you play Chu Shogi on zillions? Does the drunken elephat have a picture of jeep getting kicked out of BW3's?

sketchwick

[jeep]

Yes. No. And for clarification: I was never kicked out. I left of my own free will. I just wasn't allowed back in.

-JEEP

[Cadmium]

And again, what way to start another day!! That was hilarious, jeep !!

Resign? Yeah, that's nice to do when getting kicked out anyway !

[mith]

That looks like fun, jeep. I'd be up for trying a game sometime, when chess tags get written and you modify them for it.

[jeep]

Heh, I've been working on them today actually.

-JEEP

[Stewie]

Psst!

Can you send me a picture of the new pieces? Then, I can see what I can do.

[jeep]

I don't know. I can't find my copy of New Rules for Classic Games... it's driving me batty. It's probably in the garage with all the stuff we had to move when we had our ceiling replaced.

I'll send it ASAP, but if you have any thoughts, just go ahead.

-JEEP

[jeep]

Sent. -JEEP

[the silent speaker]

Thing is, camels don't have longer range than knights -- they have the same range, only spread out more. They cover the same eight squares. Yes, those are in a circle of larger radius, but they don't have the reach to get anything in a *smaller* circle.

[jeep]

?? How many jumps does it take for the camel to cross the board? Now how many for the knight. Clearly it has a longer range. It does not cover more squares, but it certainly can be deployed to another theatre more rapidly.

So it is indeed less valuable than a knight, but it's more valuable than a pawn. I feel my assessment is accurate.

-JEEP

[the silent speaker]

Camel, a1-j10: five moves -- a1-b4, b4-e3, e3-f6, f6-g9, g9-j10.
Knight, a1-j10: six moves -- a1-b3, b3-d4, d4-e6, e6-g7, g7-i8, i8-j10.
I never said a camel is worth less than a pawn. But I maintain that the circuitousness it needs to move to another square at close range, plus the inability to reach more than half the squares with a route of any length, plus that on any given turn it has no more squares available to it than a knight does, makes it worth considerably less than a knight.

[jeep]

OK, so based on your experience, how many pawns would you say it's worth?

-JEEP