Here is my second game idea. I finished making the README.md file for the project, so I’ll post it here for feedback. I’m not sure when I’ll have a playable prototype as I’m still working on Red January.
Texas3Step
A modern twist to the classic game of tic-tac-toe for Move38’s Blink arduino based platform
Requirements
Recommended a minimum number of 9 Blinks to play, but better with 16 or more.
Setup
Blink Layout
If you are playing with just 9 Blinks, it is recommended to set them up similar to a tic-tac-toe grid
for your first couple of games:
O O O
  O O O
    O O O
If you have more than 9 Blinks, be creative. Just keep in mind the goal of the game is for a player to
claim three Blinks in a row, so a layout with minimal 3 in a row possibilities might not be much fun.
How To Play
Objective
Players alternate claiming Blinks. You should see each Blink on the board give an indication when you
claim a Blink. Be the first player to claim three Blinks in a straight line to win.
Start Game - Random Color
- Player 1 single clicks any Blink to claim it.
- Player 2 single clicks any Blink to claim it.
- Continue alternating back and forth single clicking a blank blink to claim it
Start Game - Choose Your Color
- Player 1 LONG clicks a blink to claim it.
- Player 1 can then single click that same blink to change the color
- Player 1 then LONG clicks again once their preferred color is showing
- Player 2 LONG clicks a blink to claim it.
- Player 2 can then single click that same blink to change the color
- Player 2 then LONG clicks again once their preferred color is showing
- Player 1 single clicks any unclaimed Blink to claim it.
- Player 2 single clicks any unclaimed Blink to claim it.
- Continue alternating back and forth single clicking a blank blink to claim it
GAME OVER
- The game ends when a player claims 3 hexes in a straight line, they are the WINNER!
- There are no more Blinks to claim and no one has achieved victory
- Player agree it is a draw as neither player has the possibility to make a 3 in a row
even though there are still unclaimed Blinks left - LONG press any Blink to reset the board and start again
Developer Notes
Datagram structures
During Game
| A | B | C | D | E | F | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial state or reset to initial state | ||||||
| X | Game over | |||||
| X | You are one of the winning Blinks! | |||||
| X | Player 1 has made a move | |||||
| X | Player 2 has made a move | |||||
| X | Player 1 has claimed this Blink | |||||
| X | Player 2 has claimed this Blink |
Setup
| A | B | C | D | E | F | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X | X | X | X | X | Setup - Player 1 Color Value | |
| X | X | X | X | X | Setup - Player 2 Color Value |
Breakdown of Player Color Setup Bytes and Bits
| A | B | C | D | E | F | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X | X | X | Player Color Setup - Color 0-7 Bits | |||
| X | Player Color Setup - Flag Bit | |||||
| X | Player Color Setup - Player 1 Color Config Flag | |||||
| X | Player Color Setup - Player 2 Color Config Flag |
TODOs
- Explorer options to minimize player 1 advantage and mitigate player 1 tic tac toe cheese moves
which are even easier to do with hexes than squares - Implement selectable 3, 4, or more in a row options. Would require a change to my envisioned
win detection algorithm. Would probably force a change in datagram structure and the way Blinks
communicate with one another. - If the above gets implemented, could even explorer options to just be consecutive blinks instead
of the straight line requirement. Might not be feasible and make the game too “silly”