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[pbmserv-dev] anyone want to code "Soccolot"?
A colleague on a math-fun mailing list invented a new game, "Soccolot",
which sounds potentially interesting and playable, with distant
resemblance to some neutron/coneutron features.
Anyone like to code it up? I obtained the author's permission to do so
(see second forwarded message). Unfortunately I don't have time to do
it myself at this juncture.
Enjoy,
- Scott
------- Forwarded Messages
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 14:46:27 EDT
From: "David W. Wilson" <wilson@aprisma.com>
To: Math Fun <math-fun@CS.Arizona.EDU>
Delivery-Date: Thu Jul 12 12:01:30 2001
Sender: wilson@CS.Arizona.EDU
X-Accept-Language: en
Subject: Soccolot
A little diversion from heavy math.
If you like board games, you might want to try this one. I devised
this game back in 1972, and played a few games with a cousin, who
whipped me soundly. I forgot about the game until 1999. At that time,
the lunchtime chess club was playing around with chess variants, and I
remembered this game (which is not a chess variant). The game caught
on very well, and we played it to the exclusion of chess for several
weeks. Finally, we determined that the game needed a name, and
eventually settled on Soccolot.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
The game is a two-player game based loosely on soccer. It is played on
an 8x8 checker or chessboard. The teams, Red and Black, each have 6
men (checkers). An additional piece (white pawn) represents the ball.
The initial setup is as follows (R = Red, B = Black, O = ball).
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |B|B|B|B|B|B| |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | |O| | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |R|R|R|R|R|R| |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
Play proceeds in turns, Red plays first. A play is one of the
following:
------------------------------------------------------------
RUN: Move one of your men one space, as a King in chess.
A man may not move to an occupied square (by his own man,
an opponent's man, or the ball).
------------------------------------------------------------
DRIBBLE: If your man is King-adjacent to the ball, you may
move that man and the ball each one space, maintaining
their relative position. Neither the man nor the ball may
move to an occupied square.
For example, note the following position, with Red to play:
+-+-+-+-+
| | | | |
+-+-+-+-+
| |B|O| |
+-+-+-+-+
| |R| | |
+-+-+-+-+
| | |B| |
+-+-+-+-+
Red may make any of five dribbles, resulting in the following
positions:
+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | | |O| | |O| | | | | | | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+
| |B| |O| | |B|R| | |R|B| | | | |B| | | | |B| | |
+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+
| | |R| | | | | | | | | | | | | |O| | | | | |O| |
+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+
| | |B| | | | |B| | | | |B| | |R| |B| | | |R|B| |
+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+
------------------------------------------------------------
KICK: If your man is King-adjacent to the ball, you may
move the ball any number of unoccupied spaces in the direction
directly away from the man. The ball may move to or across an
occupied square. The man does not move.
For example, in the following position, Red may kick the Ball
to any of the positions marked x.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | |B| | | |B| |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | |x| |B|B| | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |B|x| |x| | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | |x|x| |B| | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | |O| | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |R|R| |R|R| | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | | | | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | |R| | |R| |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
The game is won by getting the ball to the back rank (opponent's
first rank).
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
Much of the game is a struggle to gain control of the ball or to
find an opening to the back rank. The course of the game can change
suddenly when the ball is kicked to a remote area of the board.
You should play five or six games before passing judgment, at which
point you will either be totally turned off or hopelessly addicted.
------- Message 2
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 15:45:38 EDT
From: "David W. Wilson" <wilson@aprisma.com>
To: Scott Huddleston <scotth@ichips.intel.com>
Delivery-Date: Thu Jul 12 12:46:55 2001
Sender: wilson@ganymede.or.intel.com
X-Accept-Language: en
References: <200107121935.MAA20683@plxw0528.pdx.intel.com>
Subject: Re: Soccolot
Scott Huddleston wrote:
>
> David,
>
> Your Soccolot game sounds interesting and playable! The game goal and
> the kick move sort of resemble the games "neutron" and "coneutron".
> The latter is pretty well balanced and very playable.
>
> Would you grant permission for Soccolot to be programmed and played by
> email on Richard's play-by-email game server? (with due game invention
> credit to you, of course).
Permission granted.
If the game is mouse-oriented, I can see how you might specify a move
(moving the man with the mouse), and a kick (by moving the ball with
the mouse). How do you specify a dribble, though? You have to pick
both the man and the ball. Anyway, your problem.
------- End of Forwarded Messages