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Hyperchess4A game information page
. Hyperchess updated: changed rules, discussion, sample game, etc.[All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
Kevin Pacey wrote on Sat, Feb 25, 2017 02:30 AM UTC:

Joe Joyce wrote on None

... I think your minimum 2D level size is not 19 but 37, giving 1369 locations. The only game software I know that would handle that size is Vassal. But it should handle it very easily.

Something I don't understand is why Game Courier might be unable to handle, say, a 36x36 (6x6x6x6) square cell 4D variant. I once dug back in some game logs, and discovered a single log for TessChess6by6xxx, a 4D variant that does have those large dimensions. A game of it was in fact not started (I gather it was just a test diagram for a hypothetical variant; otherwise the game was said to be between Ben and you), but I tried 'Edit' followed by moving some of the pieces, as a way to practice a game against myself. The Game Courier software seemed to have no problem handling this size of variant for my purpose of use, at least (note no rules were enforced by Game Courier software, though).

One reason I earlier rejected having 37 cells to each of 37 two dimensional hexagonal boards was that in a starting position I thought of fairly recently, pawns would take 9 to 11 moves to promote, if making no captures along the way, which I felt was too many moves to make (adding to a vague concern such a big board may make a game too long, even with few pieces). However, if I could think of a smooth way to allow, say, some sort of initial triple-move by a pawn, and be able to smoothly explain how to do en passant capturing in 4D, then pawns in my setup could take 7 to 9 moves to promote (without making any captures), which wouldn't be quite so bad. I was also concerned such a large board might make the pieces too hard to see in a diagram, unless it took up more than one whole screen (say on my laptop), but a recent crude stage diagram test I tried indicates such a game may be playable in that respect, too.

If Game Courier can actually handle such a board (say without rules enforcement) and I can think of pawn rules I like and can explain easily without additional time consuming diagrams (or I cook up a different setup position), I might later press on with the idea of eventually submitting a 37 cell two dimensional hexagonal boards 4D game, adding to the 19 cell two dimensional boards 4D hexagonal game I've recently submitted.