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Arimaa >> General Discussion >> Arimaa Free - passing on the torch
(Message started by: jacksong on Sep 19th, 2014, 6:38pm)

Title: Arimaa Free - passing on the torch
Post by jacksong on Sep 19th, 2014, 6:38pm
2017 March 14 UPDATE:
This app is accepting open source contributions/new caretakers!

While I've dropped the ball, I think there's still a future in the hands of the community. There's interesting work to be done, especially as a beginner/intermediate project to work on - like AI bots and online functionality. I just have to accept that I won't have the time for active development.

Send an email to jackthesong@gmail.com and I'd be glad to set you up/do a walk-through.

Thanks for everyone's support up to now, this has been a great learning experience, with a great community!

========================================

UPDATE: New version should be up! This update was just an improvement to the move-making UI. You should now be able to tap OR drag pieces to move, and make multiple steps with the same piece at a time.

If it doesn't update for you, check back every few hours, the play store might be a bit slow in the roll-out. The new version should say 2.1.

If you guys find any bugs or issues, they will definitely be a high priority for the next week or two.
Otherwise, next one should have AI :). And hopefully not take as long.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=email.com.gmail.songjiapei.arimaa&hl=en

=========================================
Hey everyone, I'm currently studying as a software engineer and I've been working on a free app to play Arimaa on android devices, and would love to get some feedback.

For now, there are no bots, so it's mostly for playing with friends, experimenting, or just introducing others to the game. However, more intuitive move controls and bots are definitely planned to be introduced. Ideally, connecting to the arimaa gameroom would be great as well, but that would be very far in the future and I don't fully understand the scope of that undertaking yet.

Again, I am learning, so please bear with me if there are any issues. On the plus side, I will be actively involved with this project for quite a while. I will be as responsive as possible to feedback.

Thanks for all your time! :)

Title: Re: Arimaa Free, a new android app
Post by supersamu on Oct 21st, 2014, 7:39pm
Hello, jacksong.

I tried your app and I have some problems with it.
It looks nice and I can change my settings and set my gold pieces up, but I fear my screen is too small and I can't send the gold setup/start the game.
I have a Samsung Galaxy GT-S5570 with Android 2.3.5, by the way.
Thanks for taking interest in Arimaa and deciding to make an App!

Title: Re: Arimaa Free, a new android app
Post by seveer on Nov 26th, 2014, 11:21am
I downloaded your app yesterday. The minimalist set is really aesthetically pleasing, I would go so far as to say it or something like it ought to be the standard 2-D representation for diagrams or even symbolic notation. One major beef I have with the app is that I can't drag a piece several squares at once; if a combination of moves is legal, it should allow me to accomplish them all in one motion rather than 4. I also usually prefer the "tap piece, tap destination" method of entry. Implementing this would make your app more intuitive, and I think quicker and more accurate with move entry. I am brand new to this game, so for me, bot implementation and notational features (for studying games later) ought to be the top priorities.

Great job so far.
Keep up the good work.
-seveer

Title: Re: Arimaa Free, a new android app
Post by jacksong on Dec 11th, 2014, 1:10am
Thanks for the feedback guys!

Sorry for not getting back to you guys earlier, but school ended up being up busier than I expected, like usual. Hope to push out a new version with the winter break :)

supersamu, I will definitely try to look into it, but that problem sounds difficult to replicate. Could I get more details? It sounds like you can't press the "done" button but you can still see it? if it's a visual problem, a screenshot would be great!

Thanks seveer, I definitely agree on the piece designs. The original functionality for movement was tapping based  :P  ; I think I'll try to include both, with options to switch.
The multi-move per command is also already planned for the next version, it's a bit more technically challenging than some of the coding I've done before, but should be doable :)

Bots, multi saves, and records are a bit farther in the future, but I can say that they will *eventually* be put in - they are core features I'm anxious to learn from.

Again, I really appreciate the feedback, helps me with direction and motivation.  ;D

Title: Re: Arimaa Free, a new android app (updated!)
Post by jacksong on Apr 7th, 2015, 11:46pm
UPDATE: New version should be up! This update was just an improvement to the move-making UI. You should now be able to tap OR drag pieces to move, and make multiple steps with the same piece at a time.

If it doesn't update for you, check back every few hours, the play store might be a bit slow in the roll-out. The new version should say 2.1.

If you guys find any bugs or issues, they will definitely be a high priority for the next week or two.
Otherwise, next one should have AI :). And hopefully not take as long.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=email.com.gmail.songjiapei .arimaa&hl=en

Title: Re: Arimaa Free, a new android app (updated!)
Post by CraggyCornmeal on Apr 8th, 2015, 9:36pm
Great update. Thanks!

Title: Re: Arimaa Free, a new android app (updated!)
Post by supersamu on Apr 9th, 2015, 4:53am
I cannot open the app, I sent you a report via google. Send me a forum pm if you want to communicate privately.


Title: Re: Arimaa Free, a new android app (updated!)
Post by jacksong on Apr 15th, 2015, 11:50pm
pmed, hopefully :)

Title: Re: Arimaa Free, a new android app (updated!)
Post by kzb52 on Apr 16th, 2015, 8:48pm
hey jacksong, let me start by repeating what everyone has said above.  I recently downloaded your app and I'm really enjoying it.  It's a great thing to have around, and it works very well.  I do have a few comments about your implementation of the rules:

1.  There is no handling of repetition.  It would be nice if the app kept track of and disallowed 3rd time repeats.  This does require the app to remember the whole game history, but adding this feature would be really nice.

2.  If you're going to store the whole game, it makes sense to allow players to undo moves after they've already been played as well.  That way, if I play the wrong move by accident, I can easily go back and fix it (instead of starting a whole new game).  This would also be a really nice feature to consider.

3.  There are certain very rare cases where both players achieve a "victory condition" (goal, elimination, or immobilization) WITHIN the same turn.  For example, both players may lose their last rabbit during gold's 35g.  If something like that happens, the player who made the move* wins (so in this example, gold wins).  The app does not implement this correctly.  It's incredibly, fantastically unlikely to come up in serious play, but I thought I'd bring it to your attention.

Keep up the great work, I look forward to seeing more updates  :)

*this actually is only true some of the time.  Review the official rules for the whole story (or just program it so the player who moved wins, that's close enough as far as I'm concerned  ;) )

Title: Re: Arimaa Free - passing on the torch
Post by jacksong on Mar 14th, 2017, 3:18pm
This app is accepting open source contributions/new caretakers!

While I've dropped the ball, I think there's still a future in the hands of the community. There's interesting work to be done, especially as a beginner/intermediate project to work on - like AI bots and online functionality. I just have to accept that I won't have the time for active development.

Send an email to jackthesong@gmail.com and I'd be glad to set you up/do a walk-through.

Thanks for everyone's support up to now, this has been a great learning experience, with a great community!

kzb52, sorry I never got around to implementing those rules  :'(



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