5 ms·

Not sure I agree... give me the most basic computer chess program and 15 minutes, and I'll have (most of) the rules figured out. And that's assuming no tutoria

by alex_c 14y ago

Not sure I agree... give me the most basic computer chess program and 15 minutes, and I'll have (most of) the rules figured out. And that's assuming no tutorials or hints such as highlighting legal moves. Getting good at it is a different matter entirely, but figuring out how to play is relatively simple.

aqme28 14y ago
Some of the weird-but-essential moves such as castling and en passant will not be apparent to you even after hours of playing like that.
- roryokane 14y ago
  I definitely wouldn’t call castling and en passant “essential”. I just now played a game of chess against the computer on the lowest difficulty, and won easily without using either of those moves. And during the game, the computer itself castled, which might have helped me to learn the move if I hadn’t known it.
  - tehwalrus 14y ago
    My partner's dad was evil: he taught "simple" versions of games, leaving out complicated rules like castling, when she & her sister were small, and then never explained the full rules later. Thus, when she played me at uni, she was furious that I was "cheating," until I showed her the full rules (the internet is brilliant) and she realised that it was her dad being crazy. In summary; it is essential to know castling exists, because otherwise as soon as you play another human, they will beat you with it.
  - aqme28 14y ago
    Castling is incredible essential. You might go 50 games before you see any need for En Passant, but castling is crucial in any real play.
Elidrake 14y ago
But Chess is a game that you're already familiar with - unless you're going to be changing the absolute foundation of the game with these altered rules, your familiarity with the original game is what allows you to come up with an altered set of rules. Compare that to Dwarf Fortress, short of 'Sim City' (which is a dubious comparison at best), there is nothing out there that remotely comes close to the myriad of gameplay concepts that have been shoved into this single, mildly coherent package.
- bandwevil 14y ago
  I'd say that Dungeon Keeper and Evil Genius come pretty close to DF's style of gameplay. But yeah, DF still has far more above what those offer.

by alex_c 14y ago

aqme28 14y ago

Some of the weird-but-essential moves such as castling and en passant will not be apparent to you even after hours of playing like that.

roryokane 14y ago
I definitely wouldn’t call castling and en passant “essential”. I just now played a game of chess against the computer on the lowest difficulty, and won easily without using either of those moves. And during the game, the computer itself castled, which might have helped me to learn the move if I hadn’t known it.
- tehwalrus 14y ago
  My partner's dad was evil: he taught "simple" versions of games, leaving out complicated rules like castling, when she & her sister were small, and then never explained the full rules later. Thus, when she played me at uni, she was furious that I was "cheating," until I showed her the full rules (the internet is brilliant) and she realised that it was her dad being crazy. In summary; it is essential to know castling exists, because otherwise as soon as you play another human, they will beat you with it.
- aqme28 14y ago
  Castling is incredible essential. You might go 50 games before you see any need for En Passant, but castling is crucial in any real play.

Elidrake 14y ago

But Chess is a game that you're already familiar with - unless you're going to be changing the absolute foundation of the game with these altered rules, your familiarity with the original game is what allows you to come up with an altered set of rules. Compare that to Dwarf Fortress, short of 'Sim City' (which is a dubious comparison at best), there is nothing out there that remotely comes close to the myriad of gameplay concepts that have been shoved into this single, mildly coherent package.

bandwevil 14y ago
I'd say that Dungeon Keeper and Evil Genius come pretty close to DF's style of gameplay. But yeah, DF still has far more above what those offer.