Some new web pages on large Shogi variants

[hgm]

I see what you mean. The graphics are equally flawed.

• The top ones are extremely difficult to tell apart.
• The bottom ones look like they were made in MS Paint.

Well, if the top ones are extremely difficult to tell apart, but the bottom ones aren't, they are not equally flawed. It means the top ones are fatally flawed. Because the only reason for having piece symbols is actually to tell them apart. Otherwise you might just have colored the squares black and white.

Apart from that the top set you recommended suffers from another problem: even if you could tell them apart (e.g. because you are Japanese can can read the the inscriptions), you would still have no idea how they move. This becomes also a pretty severe problem when you have more than 200 piece types...

That the bottom ones don't show much detail is by design: it means they remain fully recognizable when demagnified further. (As would be necessary for representing a 36x36 board.)

I am open to criticism, but this is a bit similar to saying to the inventor of the wheel: "This is really ugly. You should make sure it has straight edges and 90-degree corners. That looks much nicer and it would be easier to put a standard billboard ad on it!!"...

[ZirconiumX]

I see what you mean. The graphics are equally flawed.

• The top ones are extremely difficult to tell apart.
• The bottom ones look like they were made in MS Paint.

Well, if the top ones are extremely difficult to tell apart, but the bottom ones aren't, they are not equally flawed. It means the top ones are fatally flawed. Because the only reason for having piece symbols is actually to tell them apart. Otherwise you might just have colored the squares black and white.

Apart from that the top set you recommended suffers from another problem: even if you could tell them apart (e.g. because you are Japanese can read the the inscriptions), you would still have no idea how they move. This becomes also a pretty severe problem when you have more than 200 piece types...

That the bottom ones don't show much detail is by design: it means they remain fully recognizable when demagnified further. (As would be necessary for representing a 36x36 board.)

I am open to criticism, but this is a bit similar to saying to the inventor of the wheel: "This is really ugly. You should make sure it has straight edges and 90-degree corners. That looks much nicer and it would be easier to put a standard billboard ad on it!!"...

If you are going to use piece that move like chess pieces, why not use chess pieces?

And you still haven't cracked the 'where do the pieces move to?' problem. Where does the King go? Where do the pawns go?

Matthew:out

[hMx]

Well, I don't think the number of pieces on the board has much to do with it. What would you prefer to play Chess?

This:



or this:



?

I clearly prefer the second version.

I very much like your attempt to use descriptive icons for the pieces. It is a great idea!

[hgm]

If you are going to use piece that move like chess pieces, why not use chess pieces?

Because there are only 6 different piece types in Chess. So for the other 30 piece types in Chu Shogi, or the other 200 in Taikyoku Shogi, you would need need something else. Of course you could dream up new pictograms for the other pieces, and then Chu Shogi could look like this:



That way they can be easily distinguished, and for 6 of them you would immediately understand how they move. (Well, neer mind that I used the Knight for a Ferocious Leopard, which moves completely differently, because Chu Shogi has nothing like a Knight, and I was short of symbols...) But for the others? And now imagine there were over 200 others...

And you still haven't cracked the 'where do the pieces move to?' problem. Where does the King go? Where do the pawns go?

Why? The King can be seen from its square shape to move 1 step in every direction. Similarly, the Pawns can be seen to move one step forward. (I admit that for Chess this is not entirely accurate, but for Shogi Pawns move and capture straight ahead only.)