From: Jonathan Tisdall <jtisdall <at> C2I <dot> NET>
Date: 1 feb 2000
Subject: Re: to play shogi on the net

I am passing along these suggestions to the game developers at the MSO.

I would also like to discuss with the list sometime, to what extent methods
for nabbing new players can change the look of the game.

For example, there are discussions at the MSO about trying shogi viewers
with black and white pieces, boards with alternating color squares,
different piece symbols, etc.

I have always thought a little pain at the beginning (just use the real
equipment) and then you are up to speed, but i find more and more that
people feel that visual "training wheels" could be a big help in getting
people to make the biggest, first step of learning the game.

I know that breaking with tradition is always a touchy subject in shogi,
but I would be very interested is some feelings about these topics.

Best,



At 13:12 1.2.00 +0100, you wrote:
>Hi,
>i play on javashogi server and on shogidojo
>(i  dont like java tech too slow)
>Considering Igs (internet go server) and Fics (freechess.org) java
>server for
>shogi is not the best.
>difficult to save game on hard disk.
>difficult to examine game after save.
>difficolt to speak with players.
>there are no option for players like go or chess server
>
>Why nobody build a client to play shogi on fics? fics has a lot of
>potential
>shogi players, crazy house variation of western chess is the bad copy of
>shogi
>(crazy house=madchess the western shogi variation invented by Alex
>Randolph)
>
>I know crazy house players,  they are very strong, they are natural
>player of
>shogi, but, they dont know shogi ^___^ this is bad waste of talent.
>
>The problem of shogi is only the symbol difficult to recognize, so why
>nobody
>draw a shogi set on typical rumble shape using the typical image of
>western chess?
>
>(i mean for shogi server)
>King, Rook, Bishop, Pawn and Knight can be the same,  the prob on Lance
>can be
>solved with a missile stylized and general gold and general silver easy
>to work
>out with little king stylized with arrow (direction arrow), maybe using
>Jack
>symbol from card?
>Promotion is easy, it is enough to add little red arrow on old piece.
>And a lot of western players can immediately play shogi (from crazyhouse
>to
>shogi).
>
>I have friends now who play with me and amuse oneself playng crazy
>house, bughouse
>or shogi, well the rock of server is hard, but .... maybe the latest
>fashion of
>shogi make tolerable the collapse of quality  from fics server to java
>shogi
>servers, but the potential shogi player sometime is lost only for
>problem
>communication.
>
>Bug house is another similar chess variation On Fics,  playing in team
>game,
>captured piece can be dropped from partner team, why nobody set a
>similar
>variation on shogi?
>
>Best
>Enrico
>
>
--
Jonathan Tisdall                tlf: +47-22 68 54 18
Chess Grandmaster               mobil: +47-926-96358
Editor, MSO Mindzine            mindzine <at> msoworld <dot> com
Heimdalsgt. 27C         mobilmail: 92696358 <at> sms <dot> netcom <dot> no
0561 Oslo, Norway               fax: +1-847-792-4044