New game: lumibulb

[Arty Sandler]

Hi all,

I finally decided to switch from being a reader to being a writer.
Truly, I am not a game designer. The only game I designed (http://
www.iggamecenter.com/info/en/quartetto.html) was more like a "test-of-
the-pen".

"Lumibulb" (a draft-name) is more like a conceptual game (although
it's rules are not that abstract) based on the electricity laws (Ohm
and Kirchhoff laws). I don't know whether it is playable. I don't
even know whether it can be considered as an abstract game. I just
liked the concept and designed a simple set of game rules. Well,
enough with the prelude :)

"Lumibulb" is played on a rectangular grid of dots (like in Dots &
Boxes). A battery is connected to the pair of dots in the opposite
corners of the grid. Two players take turns putting a piece (described
later) between two orthogonally adjacent dots. A piece can be one of
the following: a wire, a "disconnector" (that explicitly "marks" a
pair of dots as "disconnected") or a bulb of their color. Obviously,
it is not allowed to put a piece on an occupied place. In addition to
that it is forbidden to short circuit the battery (i.e. to make a
connected path of wires between the "battery" dots). The game ends
when all dots are connected (or disconnected with "disconnectors").
The one whose bulbs produce more luminosity (in total) wins the game.
End of the rules.

Certainly, there is no need to make heavy calculations in order to
play the game. The calculations are needed to determine the exact
voltages / currents for showing the exact state of the game after each
move but I don't think it is needed for the actual playing. Knowing
the basics (series and parallel circuits for example) may do the job
(I am not sure though, just a guess).

What do you think about it?

[Nick Bentley]

Actually, if someone were to publish a physical set, made with real
electrical components, you wouldn't have to solve any equations.
Perhaps it's time to become game publisher, in addition to programmer
and game designer?

On Oct 30, 2:01 pm, Arty Sandler <artyo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I finally decided to switch from being a reader to being a writer.

> Truly, I am not a game designer. The only game I designed (http://www.iggamecenter.com/info/en/quartetto.html) was more like a "test-of-

[Arty Sandler]

Sure,with a physical set you don't need to solve equations but some
other problems arise: how do you check the total luminosity? It's
certainly possible but it makes the system not as trivial as it can
seem first. There is a need to detect the voltage between every two
dots, which bulb is there (i.e. what color) and then summarize
voltages.

Anyway, there is a need to check if it's at all playable :)