Re: [pbmserv-dev] quoridor 4 player?

["Claude Chaunier" <claude.chaunier@wanadoo.fr>]

Sirrus wrote:
> Quoridor just doesn't work well as a four player game. [...] (will I
> use my remaining fence to prevent this or that player from winning?).

Well, that's only skimming the surface of it. How about drawing
another sensible conclusion from that spoiler/kingmaking effect?
Namely, play so that everybody keeps some apparent chance to win,
up to helping players if needed? Multiplayer games are about
keeping a tension until you can unveil some subtle scheme of yours
in the end.

So far I know only one community where that spirit is clearly
present: experienced Hearts players.

True enough, once the 4 players have assessed each others' subtle
strength, they fight each others accordingly and their ratios of
wins converge to 1/4. So keeping an interest in the game is rather
subtle as well.

Ben asdf answered:
> i'm not sure there's a multiplayer game on the server that doesn't suffer 
> from kingmaking.  but people play them anyway just cause they are fun.  i 
> don't think anybody takes them seriously - hence my statement yesterday that 
> it would be nice if we could turn off ratings on multiplayer games.

I do take them seriously, but I heartily agree ratings don't make
any sense, because of that 1/n limit among serious players. I too
wish they were turned off on multiplayer games.

Claude
chaunier