joshi tm: Cylinder line4 would be interesting I think.
With Sphere Spider Line4 I have the feeling that it would be even more unbalanced than Spider Line4 - but that is just a feeling, I can't back that up theoretically ;)

Gordon Shumway: I know that was said already but the CL4 is not tried.

joshi tm: I can imagine CL4 to be very interesting and playable. It would just make every column even in value, I don't know if this would give white more or less advantage, but I don't think I'd care too much ;) The L4 games all are in favor of white, but I like them anyway.

Cylinder Line4 is missing on BrainKing - let's get it! And in the end, Sphere Spider Line4 might be big fun too :)

Gordon Shumway: Cylinder Line4 is on another site, and it is pretty fun - would be a nice addition here also.

Sphere Spider Line 4 would be strange - since you can place a piece on a wall - but in reality the wall is not there... so would it play just like Cylinder Line4 - or would you be able to place a piece in mid air (next to a edge of the board which is not really there.)

coan.net: I imagined you move as in Spider Line4 but you can connect 4 over the edges to win - so the Sphere just describes the scoring, not the placing. But that was just what came to my mind when I read "Sphere Spider Line4", I didn't think about it any further, I might be talking about something different from joshi_tm's idea.

coan.net: If that Cylinder Line 4 game is played on other sites, how are the color win statistics?

joshi tm: Well first, the site I'm talking about is GoldToken in case anyone is really interested.

They don't keep those types of stats - so I checked out, they have only a little over 200 rated players (so not a very popular game). Plus they have a special rule for that game only that is has to be EXACTLY 4 in a row. 5 in a row does not count as a win. (Which makes me curious if that rule is not in place to make things a little more even)

Anyway, I looked at the top couple of rated players, and it looks pretty even... with maybe player 1 having a slight advantage, but the wins/loses seem to be spread out pretty evenly. (Of course I only looked at a couple of players past games - so I could be wrong.)

Spider Line4. In current game, you can place a piece along any of the 4 walls - so A4 is a valid first move.

In Sphere Spider Line4, if you pretend the side walls are not there, then a move on A4 would be like it is in middle of the board. Which being able to start a piece in say A4, as I try to image a game - would give the first player a big advantage - since you can start to work to make a line in many more directions - giving player 2 possible too many ways to block before they can even make a real non-blocking move.

coan.net: Youre totally right. SSL4 is impassible, unless using hyperspace.

joshi tm: That's a good idea. We don't have a hyperspace on BrainKing yet.

Fencer: Is Cylinder Line 4 playable, then you can add it :).

Fencer: Another Idea: How about Swap Spider Line 4 or Pro Spider Line 4 to supress White's advantage??

Swap: As Swap Line 5 (and Spider Line 4), play 2 white, 1 black piece, than give Black the swap option.

Pro: White's Second Move should be played on the opposite rank or file, compared to his first move.