Comments by DerekNalls

'The idea is to change only one factor, asymmetry to symmetry, and
see whether this is an improvement.'
____________________________________

Upon reflection, I agree.  Yes, it is imperative to isolate one variable
to stay on-track with your test objective.  I got distracted by Aronson's
ideas for better games (which have a worthy place elsewhere).

I settle upon 'Mormon Chess' as my favorite
(although I find its strange name unsettling).

I wish its number of board spaces and pieces were closer to the game it
is being tested against, though.

Generally, I take the positive-to-the-extreme viewpoint about Zillions Of
Games and Game Courier since there was little more than desolation (for
universal AI programs and internet CV play, respectively) before their
existence.

Although what is easy-to-difficult to implement using Zillions indeed may
or can subconsciously influence what we create, it has made a great many
game features, previously trapped within our abstract imaginations,
materialize as reality to experiment with, learn from and feed the next
cycle of the imaginative process.  Overall, this positive feedback
stimulates our imaginations far more than it limits them.

Ultimately, we can only blame ourselves for any frustrating limits to our
imaginations since we moderns have been given a powerful tool to work with
(which was unavailable to the ancients).  In my experience, what often
remains out-of-reach for us are only those Zillions implementations
excessively complex which usually turn-out to be undesirable in some
important way(s) when-if their ramifications are carefully explored
theoretically and understood.

By thinking of games in a purely theoretical frame of mind, the ease or
difficulty of a desirable game feature is realized only secondarily after
the idea is already firmly in mind.  So, the supremacy of freedom of
imagination need not be corrupted.

Notwithstanding, everyone has contrasting creative tendencies and only
limited conscious control over the process.

Presently, this comment system is only conducive to finding interesting
topics which are currently (or have recently been) under discussion. 
There are doubtlessly a small yet significant number of sleepers- very
interesting discussions to which a new comment has not been added in
years.

An alphabetical index to browse containing all topics with comments (esp.
for comments not tied to any particular item such as a game) in your
entire database could be a valuable resource to all.

Bobby Fischer's U.S. tax time bomb set to explode
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20050305p2a00m0dm012000c.html

If the predictions within this article are correct, the effort to win
Fischer's freedom will soon hit the end of the line (like a runaway
freight train).

Still need playtesters?

Could you please delete this irrelevant topic?

Nice index!
Thank you.