Re: [piecepack] Re: Solitaire Win Rates

["M. Hale-Evans" <marty@...>]

> puzzle - invariably winnable every time; example = peg solitaire

As a matter of fact, peg solitaire is NOT invariably winnable.  Winnability 
is determined by the initial location of the "open" hole, and there are 
actually several positions on the board that will make the setup unwinnable 
(one of them is the center hole).

Balancing winnability is actually one of the hardest things about designing 
a solitaire, in my experience.  It takes a LOT of playtesting to assess it, 
for one thing, especially if it has a randomized initial setup, as a lot of 
solitaires do.  I find that it's a lot harder to figure out what to tweak 
and how to tweak it in a solitaire than in a multi-player game, and that 
the tweaking is a lot more delicate.  Maybe it's because a multi-player 
game only has to be a "channel" for interaction and thought between 
players, while a solitaire's collection of working mechanics and design 
elements kind of has to function as both a method of playing and an 
opponent, in a way.


Marty

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marty Hale-Evans    marty@...    Seattle, WA, USA

   "I seem to have injured myself doing the hambone."