Welcome!

[Kory Heath]

Welcome to the discussion group for Paradigm, a Java computer-game created by Kory Heath. To play Paradigm, or to learn more about it, check out the Public Website associated with this group. (Go to this group's home page, click on "About group" and find the Public Website link.)

One of the purposes of this group is to allow members to distribute and archive the patterns that they've created. Therefore, please be aware that if you join you may periodically receive emails with attached pattern files. These files are usually under 100K in size, so you'll probably be able to receive them as quickly as any other email. Alternatively, you can set your subscription-type to "No Email".

Messages posted to this group may contain the following:

• Questions about how to play Paradigm.
• Attached pattern files, or links to web-pages from which to download them. Please include the word [PATTERN] in your subject-line. I recommend putting your patterns into zip files before you distribute them; otherwise, they might accidentally be displayed by SVG-enabled browsers or email-readers.
  
• Comments or questions about a pattern that you've played. If your message might spoil the pattern for someone who hasn't played it yet, please include the word [SPOILER] in your subject-line.
• Discussions of strategies for solving patterns.
• Discussions of the technical aspects of pattern design (i.e. using an image editor to create pattern files, etc.)
• Discussions of the creative aspects of pattern design (i.e. how to design patterns that are fun, not too difficult, etc.)
• Suggestions for improving the program.
• Anything else relating to the game.

Please email bug-reports directly to me.

Thanks for playing. Have fun with your new Universe!

-- Kory

[Brian Campbell]

Cool game! Have you considered implementing the game for Volity
<http://volity.net>? It would probably be easier for me to find
opponents online than in person. Also, have you considered the problem
of what to do if someone forgets that they've played a particular
pattern before, but only remembers part way through the game? It would
give them an unfair advantage. If this were implemented in an online
system with some sort of score tracking, it might be nice to record
which patterns each person had already played.

Later,
Brian

[Kory Heath]

Brian Campbell wrote:

Cool game!

Thanks!

Have you considered implementing the game for Volity
<http://volity.net>?

I neglected to think about Volity when I started this project. (I knew of its existence, but I'd never really looked at it, so I forgot about it.) I will certainly consider re-implementing Paradigm as a Volity game. One of the big questions is whether people would be able to easily play and share patterns they created. I don't know enough about Volity (yet) to know how that would be done.

Also, have you considered the problem
of what to do if someone forgets that they've played a particular
pattern before, but only remembers part way through the game? It would
give them an unfair advantage. If this were implemented in an online
system with some sort of score tracking, it might be nice to record
which patterns each person had already played.
  

That's a good point. In a system like Volity, it would be nice (and, I assume, possible) to have each login account remember which patterns it's played, and warn players when they try to play one they've played before, etc. It could still get a little tricky, since pattern designers will sometimes tweak their patterns, and/or rename them. For instance, my pattern Office Space grew out of an earlier pattern that I designed and watched a couple of people play. The new pattern is different than the old one, but it's close enough that the people who played the old one would have a big advantage if they played the new one (once they figured out what was going on). So maybe each pattern would have to keep a list of the names of its previous incarnations, if there were any. Tricky.

One of the things I like about the current implementation is that, assuming you can get the program working in your version of Java, the barrier-to-entry is pretty low - you open the game, load up a pattern, type in a few names, and start playing. You don't have to have a login account, etc. But that low barrier-to-entry comes at the cost of (among other things) not being able to track which patterns people have played. At the moment, it's probably not too much of a problem, but when there are a few hundred patterns available, it might become a big one.

One thing that comes to mind is that the pattern-file itself could remember all the players that have ever played it; I could write the player's names into the XML. But of course, the program would just write whatever name I happened to use that day. If I jokingly type in the name "Kor-Meister" when I play a pattern, it's not going to remind me that I played that pattern if I later try to play it as "Kory". Also, if I ever download a fresh copy of a pattern, or if the designer tweaks it or changes its name, the program can't warn me that I played the old one. Still, this solution might be better than nothing. I'll have to keep thinking about it.

Thanks for the comments!

-- Kory

[Ross Andrews]

Just store the list of pattern files you've played in a preference on
the client side. Java can put it in the registry on Windows, or the
Library on OS X, or whatever, transparently.

At that point the name doesn't have to matter, just which machine
you're coming from.

And I didn't expect the Volity people to get started trying to convert
you /this/ soon. : )

[Kory Heath]

Just store the list of pattern files you've played in a preference on
the client side. Java can put it in the registry on Windows, or the
Library on OS X, or whatever, transparently.
  

I may not be able to do that - Java applets aren't allowed to change things on the client computer (unless the user specifically allows it by setting Java security permissions, which is dangerous). Java applications (as opposed to applets) might have access to the Windows registry, but if not, I could always just store this data in some file, or in the pattern file itself. Still thinking about it. :)

-- Kory

[Ross Andrews]

Java applications certainly do, through System.getProperty(). The FAQ
on applet security on Sun's site doesn't say they can't set
properties, but it also doesn't say they can.

[Brian Campbell]

(gah, Google Groups handles lines that are >80 columns horribly. I
guess I'll have to actually subscribe to this group via email and use a
real email client)

Kory Heath wrote:
> I neglected to think about Volity when I started this project. (I knew of its existence, but I'd never really looked at it, so I forgot about it.) I will certainly consider re-implementing Paradigm as a Volity game. One of the big questions is whether people would be able to easily play and share patterns they created. I don't know enough about Volity (yet) to know how that would be done.

Hmm. Each game server (known as a "parlor" in Volity) is basically just
jabber entity that listens for requests about information about the
game or requests to create a new table. Once you create a table (which
is a multi-user chat), there is a referee at the table (which is the
same program that manages the parlor, just a separate jabber entity)
that applies the rules of the game and lets the players know the game
state. There isn't currently a general mechanism for choosing a variant
of a game when you create the table, but I'll bet it will be coming
soon. Other than that, I guess you could build the pattern selection
into the GUI once the game had started, letting someone choose and
everyone hit OK. Then the referee could send a URL to the SVG file, but
stripped of color information, and the GUI could load that as an
external resource. As far as uploading the the patterns goes, you could
just have a separate web page with an upload form that puts the files
somewhere that the parlor can access it.

> That's a good point. In a system like Volity, it would be nice (and, I assume, possible) to have each login account remember which patterns it's played, and warn players when they try to play one they've played before, etc. It could still get a little tricky, since pattern designers will sometimes tweak their patterns, and/or rename them. For instance, my pattern Office Space grew out of an earlier pattern that I designed and watched a couple of people play. The new pattern is different than the old one, but it's close enough that the people who played the old one would have a big advantage if they played the new one (once they figured out what was going on). So maybe each pattern would have to keep a list of the names of its previous incarnations, if there were any. Tricky.

As far as Volity goes, there is a bookkeeper, that records all of the
games played, but I'm not sure it's capable yet of storing
game-specific data and returning it to the referee when a game is
started. That's really all that would be needed, though, and probably
wouldn't be hard to add on to the current system.

For patterns listing their ancestors, I guess it's really a question of
how similar the patterns are. In Zendo, it's fine to use similar rules,
as long as you don't always use rules that fit some sort of pattern. In
Paradigm, however, similar patterns will probably give you more of an
advantage. I guess that's one of the disadvantages of Paradigm compared
to Zendo; it's just harder to create good patterns in Paradigm than it
is to create good rules in Zendo, and you can't even use similar
patterns to old ones, because they'll give someone an advantage.

> One thing that comes to mind is that the pattern-file itself could remember all the players that have ever played it; I could write the player's names into the XML. But of course, the program would just write whatever name I happened to use that day. If I jokingly type in the name "Kor-Meister" when I play a pattern, it's not going to remind me that I played that pattern if I later try to play it as "Kory". Also, if I ever download a fresh copy of a pattern, or if the designer tweaks it or changes its name, the program can't warn me that I played the old one. Still, this solution might be better than nothing. I'll have to keep thinking about it.

You could mitigate the problem of choosing different names by just
having a popup of already used names. That would at least make it
easier to consistently choose the same name than gratuitously change
your name every time you play.

Oh, one more thing: you don't seem to have any patterns available for
download to use with the standalone version. That might be something
nice to fix.

[Kory Heath]

(gah, Google Groups handles lines that are >80 columns horribly. I
guess I'll have to actually subscribe to this group via email and use a
real email client)
  

Actually, this is probably as much my email-client's fault as google groups. I knew there was some funky formatting on that paragraph before I sent my email, but I thought I'd fixed it. All my other posts seem to be working fine, so hopefully other threads in this group won't have this weird long line issue.

Interesting suggestions regarding loading custom patterns in Volity. I have no doubt it could be made to work; it would just be a matter of figuring out the best way.

it's just harder to create good patterns in Paradigm than it
is to create good rules in Zendo
  

That's a good point. At the very least it takes more time to create Paradigm patterns than Zendo rules. On the other hand, I find creating Paradigm patterns to be more fun and creative than creating Zendo rules. One of the things I like about Paradigm compared to Zendo is that it's more intuitive and artistic; it usually doesn't feel quite as "mathematical" or "logical".

Oh, one more thing: you don't seem to have any patterns available for
download to use with the standalone version. That might be something
nice to fix.
  

Good point. I've added a downloadable zip file containing all the online patterns. Go to the main Paradigm page and click "Download Patterns".

-- Kory