Hacker News Reader

I thought this would be about redesigning their movement to make a new kind of game. But it's only the shape of the pieces.

That said, I'd use a square for the rooks so they don't get confused with the bishops as they get moved and maybe an L shape for the knights. It would definitely make it easy for beginners to learn how each piece moves.

View on HN

> It would definitely make it easy for beginners to learn how each piece moves.

Which is more or less the easiest part of the game to learn, and one which pretty much anybody will have down after one or maybe two games.

It's a clever little idea to share on Twitter but in practice I think it would make the board slower to read for advanced players, because so many pieces look similar.

Exactly, this will reduce readability of a board. It's like highlighting the black key notes on sheet music. You think you're making it easier, but end up just adding too much redundant info and it clutters the page. Or like adding a ton of crufty comments to code ("// this is a loop that ... "). Or like adding a "fill these. with water" post-it notes on an icecube tray. Clever. But worse.

If each movement is broken into a piecemeal function, then a non-standard piece could be assembled, such as a piece that moves like a knight in 3 directions and a bishop northwest and southwest.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com