Na'vi Scrabble!

Started by Kayrìlien, February 22, 2010, 01:43:18 AM

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jasgor9


Kayrìlien

I made a set of tiles to playtest with, and this is the first board I finished (or came close to):



This is with a rack of 10 tiles rather than the usual 7. Because of the limited vocabulary, playing with only 7 tiles would be nearly impossible.

I noticed that my letter distribution is mostly correct, but there are some notable problems. First of all, I significantly undercounted M; there needs to be at least one more, if not two more. N is also a bit underrepresented, but I'm now considering trying digraphs as well because many of the times I wished I had an N, it was for a word with NG in it. I also think there could stand to be more 2- and 3- point tiles, because it's always a letdown when you have the letters for something like meoauniaea and it nets you a total of 14 points...(And yes, meoauniaea is a legal word, regardless of the fact that we don't know what it means yet  ;))

I've found that the most useful words (and easiest to use) are the two- and three-letter verbs such as lu, , rol, etc., because you can add as many infixes to them as your heart desires. Also, having a bunch of A's in the mix is rather useful because you can simply add them to the beginning or end of any adjective as the attributive marker. (I didn't even think of this when I started, but it actually gives you a LOT of freedom when placing words.)

Any thoughts?

Kayrìlien


'Awve Tìkameie

Quote from: Kayrìlien on February 25, 2010, 06:39:51 PM
I made a set of tiles to playtest with, and this is the first board I finished (or came close to):


This is with a rack of 10 tiles rather than the usual 7. Because of the limited vocabulary, playing with only 7 tiles would be nearly impossible.

I noticed that my letter distribution is mostly correct, but there are some notable problems. First of all, I significantly undercounted M; there needs to be at least one more, if not two more. N is also a bit underrepresented, but I'm now considering trying digraphs as well because many of the times I wished I had an N, it was for a word with NG in it. I also think there could stand to be more 2- and 3- point tiles, because it's always a letdown when you have the letters for something like meoauniaea and it nets you a total of 14 points...(And yes, meoauniaea is a legal word, regardless of the fact that we don't know what it means yet  ;))

I've found that the most useful words (and easiest to use) are the two- and three-letter verbs such as lu, , rol, etc., because you can add as many infixes to them as your heart desires. Also, having a bunch of A's in the mix is rather useful because you can simply add them to the beginning or end of any adjective as the attributive marker. (I didn't even think of this when I started, but it actually gives you a LOT of freedom when placing words.)

Any thoughts?

Kayrìlien



Well done! It definitely looks great. Well done
My uncle's dog came over a little less than one week ago. I stupidly left the computer plug on the floor. That night, his dog chewed it up. So, the next morning, I go looking for the plug and I find a chewed up piece of metal. I sadly cannot purchase a new plug right now, and my computer's battery is out. I'm at my public library.

Also, I discovered this promising "small business" film company called Mirror Entertainment. It looks really promising: http://www.mirrorente

Erimeyz


Lance R. Casey

Quote from: Kayrìlien on February 25, 2010, 06:39:51 PM
Any thoughts?
Other than "that's awesome"? ;D

Well, this reminds me of the Klingon Scrabble that Zrajm of Klingonska Akademien and I made (and played) some years past, in full-blown pIqaD no less. What was apparent then was that getting rid of the vowels was often very difficult, since all Klingon words start with a consonant, and very few don't end with one. I suspect this Na'vi version is somewhat easier.

(If you can't read the scorebook, I won... ;))

// Lance R. Casey

Kayrìlien

Quote from: 'Awve Tìkameie on February 25, 2010, 06:47:53 PM
Well done! It definitely looks great. Well done
Quote from: Erimeyz on February 25, 2010, 08:31:51 PM
You are so cool.
Quote from: Lance R. Casey on February 26, 2010, 02:23:16 PM
Other than "that's awesome"? ;D

Well, this reminds me of the Klingon Scrabble that Zrajm of Klingonska Akademien and I made (and played) some years past, in full-blown pIqaD no less. What was apparent then was that getting rid of the vowels was often very difficult, since all Klingon words start with a consonant, and very few don't end with one. I suspect this Na'vi version is somewhat easier.

(If you can't read the scorebook, I won... ;))

Irayo everyone!!! I'm glad you guys like it. I haven't had much time lately to work any more on this, but I definitely will keep it up. I'd still love to see some Na'vi-related word game available on the internet, and if Skìrapll ends up taking a while to program, perhaps something more modest will suffice in the meantime? (I'm thinking about submitting a Na'vi word list to iSketch so we could have a room there.)

I'll post another board tomorrow night; it looks like the letter distribution is pretty close to what I want after all.

Thanks again for everyone who's been interested,

Kayrìlien

edit: Yeah, I can't read Klingon at all, but, uh...congratulations on winning! That's the sort of thing I want to see for Na'vi, a full-blown game board and tile set.

Ezy Ryder

You don't have to look for any applications, I could write it in two hours. Whole scrabble game.

Kayrìlien

Quote from: Ezy Ryder on March 01, 2010, 02:27:49 AM
You don't have to look for any applications, I could write it in two hours. Whole scrabble game.

Really? I don't know anything about computer programming, but I would have assumed that it would take longer than that. Wow, you guys are good.  ;)

If you want to get in touch with Keylstxatsmen, he has offered to help with programming as well. I'd love to see this happen!

Irayo,

Kayrìlien

Ezy Ryder

I'll start writing it today, but before, I need to know what resolution You'd like and do You want it to be online. If so, You'll need a server for it.

Keylstxatsmen

Quote from: Ezy Ryder on March 02, 2010, 02:53:54 AM
I'll start writing it today, but before, I need to know what resolution You'd like and do You want it to be online. If so, You'll need a server for it.

You could always write it for Nonoba API, if you didn't want to pay for an actualy server.

If you want to code it up, I'll just sit back and relax. :)  I wasn't going to get to it for a bit anyways.

-Keyl
Oeru lì'fya leNa'vi prrte' leiu nìtxan! 

Txo nga new leskxawnga tawtutehu nìNa'vi pivängkxo, oeru 'upxaret fpe' ulte ngaru srungit tayìng oel.  Faylì'ut alor nume 'awsiteng ko!

Ezy Ryder

You've got three options:
1.:Off-line (fastest option)
2.:Wait 'till I'll write the server (never done it before, longest option)
3.:Wait 'till someone write the server (probably faster than second option)

Kayrìlien

Quote from: Keylstxatsmen on March 02, 2010, 03:16:22 AM
Quote from: Ezy Ryder on March 02, 2010, 02:53:54 AM
I'll start writing it today, but before, I need to know what resolution You'd like and do You want it to be online. If so, You'll need a server for it.

You could always write it for Nonoba API, if you didn't want to pay for an actualy server.

If you want to code it up, I'll just sit back and relax. :)  I wasn't going to get to it for a bit anyways.

-Keyl
Quote from: Ezy Ryder on March 02, 2010, 04:23:09 AM
You've got three options:
1.:Off-line (fastest option)
2.:Wait 'till I'll write the server (never done it before, longest option)
3.:Wait 'till someone write the server (probably faster than second option)

I actually don't know enough about computer programming and servers and stuff like that to tell you which is best. I would like the game to be available online for people of the community to play with each other, so I guess that means we'd need a server for it.

As far as the details of the game go, it should be basically identical to the existing word game on which it is based, with just a couple changes. First of all, 10 tiles per rack instead of 7 is basically the minimum for making the game playable at all. Second, obviously the letter distribution is a bit different (and I'm going to give it another once-over), but still has a total of 100 tiles as in the original English version of the game. I know some international versions have 102 tiles, but...100 is a round number. Other than that, the bonus squares and the size of the board, that sort of thing, should be unchanged.

I think the only thing that would be hard, if not impossible to implement is some sort of challenge system. Because of all the possible verb conjugations, it would be rather hard to include a "dictionary" of acceptable words, as any given verb can have what, 200 or so possible forms? (Probably more!) Without putting something like that together, it leaves much of the integrity of the game to the players. I certainly don't have enough time to be a Na'vi Skìrapll "moderator", and I would not wish for anyone else to do something like that. (Unless it really does suit them) We'll just have to assume that Na'vi speakers are going to be honest and forthright with each other, but thus far I have not found any examples to the contrary on this forums.

Thanks again for all your help with the technical side of everything. I know I certainly couldn't program Skìrapll on a computer; I have trouble getting Excel formulas to work the way I want them to!  ;D

Eywa ayngahu,

Kayrìlien

Keylstxatsmen

#32
Quote from: Ezy Ryder on March 02, 2010, 04:23:09 AM
You've got three options:
1.:Off-line (fastest option)
2.:Wait 'till I'll write the server (never done it before, longest option)
3.:Wait 'till someone write the server (probably faster than second option)

Or as I said write it for the Nonoba API, which has FREE servers that your game can use for multiplayer.  If you want a real server later you can just replace the function calls with calls to your personal server.

Option #1 seems not really like an option at all.  How would you play with anyone?

-Keyl
Oeru lì'fya leNa'vi prrte' leiu nìtxan! 

Txo nga new leskxawnga tawtutehu nìNa'vi pivängkxo, oeru 'upxaret fpe' ulte ngaru srungit tayìng oel.  Faylì'ut alor nume 'awsiteng ko!

Erimeyz

Quote from: Kayrìlien on March 02, 2010, 09:44:15 AM
I know some international versions have 102 tiles, but...100 is a round number.

I applaud your sense of practical aesthetics. :)

But I will note that 100 is not a round number in Na'vi!  Would the game work with 96 tiles?  In Na'vi that's zam tsìvol "hundred" four-eights, which in terms of roundness is equivalent to 150 decimal.

  - Eri

Ezy Ryder

#34
I'll look for the Nonoba API (is it compatible with C++?) . If it'll take too much to learn, we'll have to look for someone to write the server. The probability of it isn't big. By the way, maybe we'll just leave the word accepting to the players? Implementing a function like that would take extra memory.

Erimeyz

Quote from: Erimeyz on March 02, 2010, 10:10:37 AM
But I will note that 100 is not a round number in Na'vi!

I take it back, somewhat.  100 in Na'vi is a little roundish: zam tsìvosìng "hundred" four-eights-four, equivalent in roundosity to 155 decimal.

  - Eri

Keylstxatsmen

Quote from: Ezy Ryder on March 02, 2010, 10:24:19 AM
I'll look for the Nonoba API (is it compatible with C++?) . If it'll take too much to learn, we'll have to look for someone to write the server. The probability of it isn't big. By the way, maybe we'll just leave the word accepting to the players?

It may be just a Flash API, but if you can program C++, Actionscript is easy. :)

QuoteImplementing a function like that would take extra memory.
Memory?  I think the real problem with making a function like that would be the logistics of editing up the dictionary file that it would require and keeping that updated.

If you write the offline version and get me the source, I could probably port it over the Flash + Nonoba pretty easily.  You should be done by now anyways right?  ;)

-Keyl
Oeru lì'fya leNa'vi prrte' leiu nìtxan! 

Txo nga new leskxawnga tawtutehu nìNa'vi pivängkxo, oeru 'upxaret fpe' ulte ngaru srungit tayìng oel.  Faylì'ut alor nume 'awsiteng ko!

Ezy Ryder

I'll try to write server in Winsock. And I still don't know the resolution.

Kayrìlien

Quote from: Erimeyz on March 02, 2010, 10:10:37 AM
Quote from: Kayrìlien on March 02, 2010, 09:44:15 AM
I know some international versions have 102 tiles, but...100 is a round number.

I applaud your sense of practical aesthetics. :)

But I will note that 100 is not a round number in Na'vi!  Would the game work with 96 tiles?  In Na'vi that's zam tsìvol "hundred" four-eights, which in terms of roundness is equivalent to 150 decimal.

  - Eri


Aaargh! Octal! Yeah, 100 would be 1(64) + 4(8 ) + 4(1), wouldn't it? Well, that's good enough for me, seeing as we have a special name in English for a number expressed as 144. I know, I know, they're not the same thing, but...meh, I don't want to deviate too much from the original inspiration.

Quote from: Keylstxatsmen on March 02, 2010, 11:01:14 AM
Computer stuff I don't understand.

Quote from: Ezy Ryder on March 02, 2010, 10:24:19 AM
Computer stuff I don't understand, except I do know what resolution is.  ;)

Uhh, what size would make it easy to program? With the advent of widescreen monitors, I know the dimensions are a little different, but this should be the size of something that you can probably play in, say, half of a good quality monitor, or most of a low quality monitor, so like, uh...800x600? (If that's just totally '90's I understand.  ;) )

And yeah, I think we should just leave the words up to the players. Perhaps you could implement some rudimentary restriction that prevents illegal consonant clusters from being placed, or illegal double-vowels? That way people could see that something like s<ei>ì is wrong. (Or, like...no f's or s's at the ends of words, no triple l's or r's due to lack of contraction, etc.)

Thanks again for all your help,

Kayrìlien


Ezy Ryder

I'll see what can I do.
Would You want any background music to it?