The representation of promoted shogi pieces as pictograms is one of the things I am in general unhappy with. It has some advantages to make a promotable piece distinguishable from a non-promotable piece with the same move. But using an entirely different pictogram in a game that already has so many different piece types is hugely confusing. So much that I even wonder if it would not be better to leave the difference invisible. (In over-the-board Bughouse players are used to having to remember whether Queens resulting from promotion revert to Pawns when captured, or just leave the Pawns on the board, having to remember they are Queens...) When I implemented Chu Shogi in pictogram representation if XBoard, I added special pictograms for promoted (Crowned) Rook and Bishop, Vertical and Side Mover, which were slightly less detailed versions of the normal pictograms. (Which for the Movers I took to be (standing or lying) Swords, because their shape is a good reminder for the move. In a similar spirit I took standing and lying narrowed Queen symbols for the Flying Ox and Free Boar.)
I think we should give Chu Shogi its own set of pictogram sprites. We could then take pictograms with red outlines or details for the non-promotable equivalents, like the kanji pieces do. And add a horizontal sword to it for the Side Mover. That set should then also made to be optimal for Tenjiku and Minjiku Shogi. (So the flying pieces should be in there too, some also in red.) Most pictograms can simply be copied from the wikipedia-fairy-sprites, and then reoriented or recolored as needed.
The representation of promoted shogi pieces as pictograms is one of the things I am in general unhappy with. It has some advantages to make a promotable piece distinguishable from a non-promotable piece with the same move. But using an entirely different pictogram in a game that already has so many different piece types is hugely confusing. So much that I even wonder if it would not be better to leave the difference invisible. (In over-the-board Bughouse players are used to having to remember whether Queens resulting from promotion revert to Pawns when captured, or just leave the Pawns on the board, having to remember they are Queens...) When I implemented Chu Shogi in pictogram representation if XBoard, I added special pictograms for promoted (Crowned) Rook and Bishop, Vertical and Side Mover, which were slightly less detailed versions of the normal pictograms. (Which for the Movers I took to be (standing or lying) Swords, because their shape is a good reminder for the move. In a similar spirit I took standing and lying narrowed Queen symbols for the Flying Ox and Free Boar.)
I think we should give Chu Shogi its own set of pictogram sprites. We could then take pictograms with red outlines or details for the non-promotable equivalents, like the kanji pieces do. And add a horizontal sword to it for the Side Mover. That set should then also made to be optimal for Tenjiku and Minjiku Shogi. (So the flying pieces should be in there too, some also in red.) Most pictograms can simply be copied from the wikipedia-fairy-sprites, and then reoriented or recolored as needed.