I'm obviously not posting very often, but still playing Dark Chess. Like all online games, the eventual low tide sets in and the community shrinks. Inevitably it becomes harder to find games, even for the king of strategy games.
With hundreds of game under my belt, I'm content to keep playing with the devout dark chess fans and occasionally twisting my friend's arms. I'm also content knowing that Dark Chess breathes new life into Chess by trading the dominance of timeless strategies for cage mage tactical battles.
If I was to rattle the crystal ball and wish upon a possible future, it would look something like the following:
1) Someone needs to build a computer AI (that doesn't cheat) to train a new core of Dark Chess foot soliders. Here's a site that started the process but unfortunately stopped development.
http://www.silvertreerpg.org/dark/2) This fun varient needs to be included every online Chess game. The rules are almost identical and player vs player play should be simple to program.
3) There needs to be a Dark Chess championship. If #2 exists, why not? It can only serve to draw new players into the sport.
4) My ultimate wishlist. A "Battleship" style form factor electronic chess board where players can't see each others moves but would allow for boardgame like play.
Well that's my two cents. If you have any comments on the strategy guide, please feel free to post your feedback!
-KSR
xbox Gamertag: WarpedPositron
