Paper Tactics
Games
pen and paper strategy game
SHOW HN2023
Legend
Paper Tactics
Play a pen-and-paper game that is almost unknown in the US and Europe
paper-tactics.com#virus wars#pen and paper game#strategy game online#paper tactics
303points
83comments
#143of 3,109 in 2023
Top 5%of 2023 by points
How HN took it
CuriousMostly questions and neutral comments
8 positive, 22 neutral or asking, 3 mixed, 11 critical, out of 44 comments about the project. Thread score -0.04.
Execution: 2 for, 2 againstPerformance: 0 for, 4 againstDesign: 4 for, 0 againstIdea: 1 for, 3 againstDocs: 0 for, 2 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Fun and addictive game with good UX and implementation
From 4 comments
Well this is very addictive, thank you for sharing. If you're looking for feature requests then the ability to view move history (especially after the game is over) and the…
CSMastermind on HNGame rules are simple, great job to bring it online.
timmit on HNgreat polish on the UX.
hombre_fatal on HNThe game is fun, had a very interesting match with some random person from the other side of the world, but it would be great if I could create a private lobby just to play this…
fodkodrasz on HN
Rules are simple and clearly explained
From 2 comments
Game rules are simple, great job to bring it online.
timmit on HNGreat job at explaining the rules! Tried it out from my phone, how do I „confirm“ a move? I seem to be unable to actually finish a move.
steve_wilson on HN
Objections
Bot is weak and easy to beat
From 4 comments
Unfortunately the bot is not very good. Just by reading the rules I was able to beat it every time on multiple rulesets. The matchmaking is also difficult to find a partner since…
frei on HNI'd say the bot is very weak. My first game I had no real idea what I was doing. Half the game I thought I had to maintain contact with my starting square or lose, until I…
im3w1l on HNYeah, the bot is good for learning, but after a few games it becomes easy to just go after it directly, kill the Os which connect the walls and win easily.
russellbeattie on HNI’ve been playing it for several days now without fully understanding all the rules. I like it but I win every game easily. I just neutralize the opponent’s marks and then lock…
purplepatrick on HN
Matchmaking is hard because settings must match and there is no lobby
From 3 comments
Unfortunately the bot is not very good. Just by reading the rules I was able to beat it every time on multiple rulesets. The matchmaking is also difficult to find a partner since…
frei on HNThere's a pitfall with the settings: because there are so many settings, and you can only connect with people using the same settings, and there's no lobby or way to know which…
PoignardAzur on HNThe game is fun, had a very interesting match with some random person from the other side of the world, but it would be great if I could create a private lobby just to play this…
fodkodrasz on HN
Rules documentation is unclear, especially capturing
From 3 comments
I don't understand the capturing mechanic? Playing against the bot always leads to sudden capture of dozens of units at once. How and why does this happen? Are you able to…
cookiengineer on HNThanks - I was struggling to understand the game explanation on the original site.
Wildgoose on HNHow would you typically mark the walls when playing with pen and paper?
Karliss on HN
Requests
Add a lobby or list of open games
From 3 comments
I would suggest listing players "looking for partners" somewhere so I can join their game instead of being specifically limited to finding someone with the exact same variants as…
airstrike on HNUnfortunately the bot is not very good. Just by reading the rules I was able to beat it every time on multiple rulesets. The matchmaking is also difficult to find a partner since…
frei on HNThe game is fun, had a very interesting match with some random person from the other side of the world, but it would be great if I could create a private lobby just to play this…
fodkodrasz on HN
Stronger bot using minimax or search
From 3 comments
So the source code of the bot is here: https://github.com/Kharacternyk/paper-tactics/blob/master/paper_tactics/entities/game_bot.py It seems like there's an evaluation function…
Jorge1o1 on HNMy guess is that for 1, 2 or 3 moves per turn it's possible to make a bot that looks ahead 2 or 3 rounds using brute force and then use AB pruning to pick the best move. With 7…
gus_massa on HNMonte Carlo tree search is another “easy” way to build a decent AI for a game. I love it because you simply define the rules of the game in a purely functional way, and it does…
tmountain on HN
Local two-player mode on one device
From 1 comment
It would be nice to have an option to play against someone locally (sharing the same computer)
samcheng on HN
Move history and shareable completed games
From 1 comment
Well this is very addictive, thank you for sharing. If you're looking for feature requests then the ability to view move history (especially after the game is over) and the…
CSMastermind on HN
Questions
How the capture mechanic works
From 1 comment
I don't understand the capturing mechanic? Playing against the bot always leads to sudden capture of dozens of units at once. How and why does this happen? Are you able to…
cookiengineer on HN
What the game is called
From 1 comment
What is this game called? I spent many hours during sermons playing this with my siblings, but I am American
calvinmorrison on HN
Alternatives named
Original Virus Wars rules at Pencil and Paper Games
From 1 comment
This is a traditional game called "Voyna Virusov" or "Virus War". There is a version of it on Pencil and Paper Games with clearer rules, and some background history:…
johnsondavies on HN
Nikoli pen and paper games
From 1 comment
Nice job! Nikoli (the company that is credited to the rise of Sudoku!) has a lot of pen and paper games. Check it out. https://www.nikoli.co.jp/en/
adamredwoods on HN
Vector Racer
From 1 comment
Related: https://harmmade.com/vectorracer/
B1FF_PSUVM on HN