Currently looking for new members to Brian's 1971 Pub. On April 15th we will start our next batch of tournament games featuring Line 4, Linetris, Spider Line 4, Spider Linetris, and Connect 6. Please request membership so you can play in these tournaments. Thank you.

JerNYC: [..] open invites, it's always the same two people. [..] I get the feeling on BK that players are very protective of their ratings and not really willing to defend them openly. Or, I think they only want to play people of a much lower skill level so they know there's no risk for them.

It may be that one or two high rated players are setting rating limits in their open invitations but it's unlikely that many are doing so. It's certainly necessary for high-rated platers in games of chance such as backgammon but there it's about avoiding the low-rated players because they have luck on their side (ratings-wise, not playing-wise).

More likely is that high-rated players simply do not create open invitations, just like middle and low rated players don't create invitations. It's just not most people's style of game creation.

However, you can test your theory about hidden invitations by going to the WaitingGames page, logging out, going back to WaitingGames and refreshing the page. You'll see it in window-shopping mode, that is, you'll be a guest who can look but not touch. As such, you get to see all the goodies that you can't see as a logged in player. If there's no difference then there are no games with limits or made by players who you have blocked or vice-versa..

I think all those ideas could be funny to play.
But I can't see the playability before I've tried some games..

My fellow, tenuki has just chipped in an idea: neutral discs could dissappear when they create a line of 4, making all discs above them fall down.

Another idea:

How about rhombus-shaped 10x10 board. Discs fall down diagonally (from either left or right side) and can block making part of the board unplayable and stick to other discs.

I've been thinking how to "refresh" line4 games here. I have searched the internet for some unusual variants of line4, and reported to Fencer as soon as I had found something interesting. Now, after holidays, I'm full of new ideas that I want to share with other players:

*** A mix of line4 and connect6. It combines line4's board, gravity and goal, and connect6's number of placed discs.
*** Same as above, but the goal is opposite (like in anti line4). The rule "do not put in the same column your opponent did in last move" is not applied.

I've been thinking about some additional features, because putting 2 discs a turn is much more challenging and tricky.
In order to balance chances there are two things that could be done:
*** A player, instead of putting his two discs, puts one disc of his color and is allowed to destroy any other (his or his opponent's) disc that is on the top of a particular column. Beacuse this feature enables 3-fold repetition, when the same situation occurs for the third time, the game is a draw.
Example: White starts by playing e1. Black plays c1 and destroys white's disc in e1. The c1 disc is the only one on the board now.
*** A player, instead of putting his two discs, puts one disc of his color, and is allowed to put two NEUTRAL discs (both in the same column) in a column of his choice. These neutral discs are just blockers, they don't belong to any player, and they cannot be used to create a line of 4 discs.

Of course those blockers should be limited by adding the tetris feature, and:
*** to 2 uses/player/game;
*** no more frequently than once in 5 moves.

Every time I check for open invites, it's always the same two people. Plus, myself, but I can't see my invites for obvious reasons. I get the feeling on BK that players are very protective of their ratings and not really willing to defend them openly. Or, I think they only want to play people of a much lower skill level so they know there's no risk for them. It's a shame because I think there are a lot of good players and there should be more open competition.

Please sign up -> 1500 ;), 10000 :D, 1600 ;) (single elimination for 8, Fisher's clock 3/0.8/15 with autopass & immediately start)
More informations about Fischer's clock on BrainKing & BrainRook

Line 4 - I need 2 players more
Anti Line4 - 4
Linetris - 1
&
Line 4 - 2
Anti Line4 - 4
Linetris - 2
&
Line 4 - 2
Anti Line4 - 4
Linetris - 2

We need people to join our line4 team in The GBU Fellowship. This is a fun and friendly Fellowship with close connections with The Friendship Club. Pm me and ask for an invite if you are available and interested. Thanks very much.

Please sign up -> 9000 :D, 1300 ;) & 1400 ;) (single elimination for 8, Fisher's clock 3/0.8/15 with autopass & immediately start)
More informations about Fischer's clock on BrainKing & BrainRook

Anti Line4 - 2
&
Anti Line4 - 3
&
Anti Line4 - 3

Please sign up -> 8000 :D & 1200 ;) (single elimination for 8, Fisher's clock 3/0.8/15 with autopass & immediately start)
More informations about Fischer's clock on BrainKing & BrainRook

Anti Line4 - I need 2 players more
&
Anti Line4 - I need 2 players more

Hello

Maybe sth more?
Please sign up -> 8000 :D & 1200 ;) (single elimination for 8, Fisher's clock 3/0.8/15 with autopass & immediately start)
More informations about Fischer's clock on BrainKing & BrainRook

Anti Line4 - I need 3 players more

&

Anti Line4 - I need 3 players more

Another glorious win. I suppose I'll make it to #1 by the end of summer.

Linetris (_shockwave_ vs. Tydlin)

Have a look at my game vs. Tydlin. What do you think?

Aaru, gramy w coś, co bedziesz sie ruszal przynajmniej raz na 2 dni? :)

joshi tm: Oh, I see it now.
In my opinion line 1& 2 will be remove.
Line 3 going to place 1, 4->2, ...

aaru: I know that. But the second line is also filled up here. (And the game is over)

joshi tm: Remove first line
Line 2 going to place of line 1
Line 3 going to place of line 2
...

In this game: Spinnen Lijntris (grillyx - joshi tm) what happens if someone plays h1? BK remove only the bottom row but I think the second row should be removed too.

Pls sign up -> 800 ;) single elimination for 8, Fisher's clock 3/0.8/15 with autopass



Anti Line4 - I need 3 players more

Pls sign up -> 700 ;) single elimination for 8, F/C 3/0.8/15
Anty Line4 - 2
Linetris - 1
Small Pente - 1
Small Keryo Pente - 2
Open Keryo Pente - 1
Five in Line Pro - 3
Five in Line Swap - 2
Lines of Action - 1
Battleboats - 2

5000 :D Single Elimination for 8, AntyLine4 - I need 3 players

5000 :D SE for 8
AntyLine4 - I need 4 players
Linetris - only 2 players

5000 :D SE for 8
AntyLine4 - I need 4 players
Linetris - 4 players
Keryo Pente - only 1
Small Keryo Pente - 2

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.)

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

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 ;)

How about Cylinder line 4 or Sphere Spider Line 4?

Scheduled start date is May 18.

Spiders #10!!! Spider Line 4

BuilderQ: too bad its not in english

Here's an interesting site with an extensive list of connect four programs.

Starting March 28--Spider Line 4
Spiders #9--Spider Line 4

John Tromp's website does not list a result for 8x8. I'm wondering, does anyone know who is supposed to win? 1st player, 2nd player, or draw? My guess is 2nd player, though I haven't studied 8x8 in much depth yet.

entr0py: Currently, all the sites I regularly play at use an 8x8 board, as BrainKing does. I have played other sizes in the past, including 7x6; see here for a list of sites offering connect four.

just curious, how many of you play regular connect four (7x6 board) ?

hexkid: I've never heard of this Pro Line4 being played anywhere. Incidentally, in that game you linked to, I note that Jason does have a diagonal four in a row in addition to the horizontal five in a row.

The rules for "Pro Line4" (all variants) are the same as the respective rule for the standard Line4 variant except that 5-in-a-row does not make a win.

If I and Jason were playing "Pro Linetris", this game wouldn't have already ended (and I might win it too).

Fencer: I think everyone read "between the lines" of the rules and thought that every full line disappears. I think it should be either specified in the rules (as BBW said) or it should be changed to reflect the thoughts of BuilderQ and myself. I'm not saying to go one way or the other (as a disinterested party) but I think leaving the ambiguity will just cause more problems in the future.

Fencer: Two lines can disappear after a move in a corner which completes two perpendicular rows, so I had thought the same applied to parallel rows. The way it is now, sides of the board can become "blocked" and the game's dynamic aspect is reduced. Still, BrainKing is the only site to have this game, so there is no precedent to contradict your method, and maybe I'm just annoyed at losing. :)

Still, have you ever played Tetris?

Fencer: I think that situation should be added to the rules.

I would think that if a "full" line moves into one of the edge rows, that it too should be removed. At least that is what I would think should happen.

BuilderQ: Because only one line can disappear after a move, not two.

BuilderQ: that's a very good question. I reread the rules and it should definitely disappear . . . very strange.