"Any software designers out there?" Topic

Reading Paul Hague's books again I was pondering over his use of the 'matchbox' hidden movement system he used for campaigns. The idea was to glue matchboxes together so that they formed a grid which corresponded to map squares on a campaign map. By each player taking turn to move there was no need for an umpire to compare plots: if a player moved into a square with another player's token a game was played.

I was thinking that such a system would be fairly simple to replicate using a computer program or app – a player would indicate which squares, or hexes, in which he had forces and then the other player would do the same. After this the app would flag up any encounters.

It could be quite simple, couldn't it? There would be no need for mapping or anything, as the players would have paper maps to plot on – the program would just say 'encounter in hex G3' and the players would then set up a game using the forces they had in that hex.

I like the GQ 'mini campaign' idea, but with only two players it's difficult to make work.

So – anyone out there any good with computery type things? I think we'd all be grateful!

Nick

I got a time out error so I couldn't crosspost this to the other naval forums – any idea if I can do this retrospectively?

If you wish to become an amateur programmer, this is relatively easy to do. For example, free IDEs like Visual Studio Express link or Eclipse eclipse.org/downloads are available online, as is information on suitable algorithms and data structures link

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As an alternative, the 3-tier search system used in the old SPI game "Flight of the Goeben" allowed hidden movement without a referee. PDFs of that game are available in "files" on the Yahoo General Quarters group, I believe.

Now some might object to the fact that the FOTG system still gives clues to the location of the searching elements. The counter argument is that this information represents various types of real-world intelligence such as information obtained from neutrals, radio direction finding, sighting of a search asset (if sighted by a ship-based plane, then launching ship nearby), inferences from missing search assets (if search plane missing, then shot down by nearby enemy), etc.

Anyway, IMHO, this system works well, both in the original game, and in derivative campaigns which I have run.

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Mark H.