• Author may select message to edit.

The Registration page has been turned back on.

I shut off the registration for the time being. I have to do some rework on it. Some idiot used it to spam nasty user names all over.

Jim

Tournament 2005 has begun. Good luck to all participants.

Jim

I think it's high time for the 2005 Tournament!

Are you saying it's time to start Tournament 2005? Anirvan's been waiting very patiently.

Nice going, Jim.
Congrats on your win!
But be careful ... there's alot of us out here waiting to dethrone you!


Swift wins the final.

Thanks for agreeing to put in the resignation button ... I can't wait to try it out.
I'm up for a game if anyone out there wants to play. I'm badly in need of practice, (Or need practice because I'm playing badly).
Thanks!

It's LarryBoy vs. Swift for the final.

Fair enough. I'll make the resign button the next enhancement.

Jim

I still would like to see a button one could push to resign the game. I've talked to others that agree. Sometimes it's a lost game but you have to move your pieces and wait for the other one to do the same for days if not weeks. (I'm in one now and the opponent has conceded defeat, but before we can start another or clear that game from the board, we have to move and wait and wait and move) ...
Just a thought, Jim.

LarryBoy defeats Steve 2-0 to grab a spot in the final. He awaits the outcome of Andy Pearson vs. Jim Swift.

Preliminary result: Swift up one game over Pearson.

The ContraPloy site's been moved to a new server. If you see any bugs, let me know.

Jim

GMan got busy and had to cede the tournament. So after all the dust settles, Andy Pearson slides in as Klingon #2.

The Final Four may now begin. See the Tournament page for matchups & status. Good luck, gentlemen.

Jim

Anirvan scores a win to join the Wielders. Congratulations!

In my defense, I remind you that I play without the aid of any Biblical history. Which by definition makes me seem Ruth-less...

4. Totally dominate a game and complete it so quickly that your apponent is left with his head spinning.

5. Make the game so painful that your opponent will want to die quickly rather than endure slow turture.

Emotionally scarred,

LarryBoy

I've invited:
Anirvan Saha
ghostRread
Idroo Collins
justin
kingpin
LegoBoy
Lisa Little

I received an answer from only one person ... and he respectfully declined.

I'll be happy to divide up the list with you and invite them to play.

Mr. Swift,
If by some stretch of the imagination I make the playoffs, and if by chance I meet you in the same playoffs, beware! I know all 3 of your tendencies. And I will show NO mercy!
Respectfully,
Steve (the first Contraploy II tournament winner)


#3 When Swift gets beat, he changes the rules.

Evidence:
March 25, 2003, LarryBoy completes six game sweep of Swift.
(See Game Log)

Dec 27, 2003, Swift releases ContraPloy II.
(See What's New)

I was reluctant to answer your message regarding the tendencies of Mr. Swift for I have studied them at great length and consider myself an "expert" in this field. However, for the "sake" of Jim Swift, I shall now reveal to you and anyone else laying eyes on this message board the two most important tendencies that Mr. Swift employs.

This first tendency may be fairly hard to grasp, but I have evidence that it IS being used by Jim and used often.

#1 When he engages one of your pieces either aggressively or passively, he tries to have a piece more powerful than yours. While I am not certain as to why he consistently does this, I am certain that this is done at a rate that cannot be sloughed off as merely a coincidence.

During the game, he has another tendency that is most insidious.

#2 He attempts to move one or more of his pieces deep into your territory until it is actually in the very back one or two columns of your territory. This is most difficult to see, especially at the beginning of the game, because it appears that he is just engaging your pieces in battles. But if you look closely, you will notice little by little he is moving farther into your territory.

LarryBoy, I hope this helps. Let me know when you have read this so I can quickly purge this message from the board lest Jim sees it and becomes aware of our insight into his high level tendencies.

As always, should you or any of your Contraploy Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

Good luck, LarryBoy

HEY NOW!...

That reminds me: I need to post a "psychological operations" section to the tactics page...

Dear ContraPloynians,

I am morally obligated to involve you in a most serious endeavor. We need to save Jim from himself. Having, myself, spent long periods as the Wielder of the Spatula of Power, I know first-hand how power can go to your head. I was not immune to the deceptive folly of arrogance that accompanied my success (my wife can attest) and now I fear the same for Jim.

So to that end I invite you, I implore you, I beg you assist me in any way possible to encourage my defeat of Jim! Not for my benefit, but for his.

Here are several suggestions:

Start games with him but move only once per week. Perhaps he will grow impatient and move hastily in our game.

Mail me strategies against him. Tell me what his tendencies are.

Do any of you possess the highly coveted skill of hacking? Perhaps we can hack his password. Although this seems devious and unethical, I say the end justifies the means.

Use the message board to bombard him with inane questions and unjustified criticisms of his game.

Maybe some of you can simply talk to him and convince him to let me win.

Any other ideas are welcome.

Now for you, Jim, you must understand that you are in grave danger!! Please listen to reason! Make it easy on us all and let me win....for your sake!

Your friend,

LarryBoy

Someone please tell Colts13 his email address is bad. See related message down below. -- Jim

Glad to have you on board, Anirvan. No need to wait for the tournament.

Somebody out there should volunteer to play you soon (Batgirl, Colts, boberetezeke, you listening?). And you're welcome to start a game against me if you wish.

Jim

Colts, FYI the CP server got the following when trying to send you an email:

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
Colts13 <********@mchsi.com>

----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to gateway.mchsi.com.:
>>> RCPT To:<********@mchsi.com>
<<< 551 not our customer
550 Colts13 <********@mchsi.com>... User unknown

(I replaced your actual email address with "********" to protect your privacy.)

Dan, are you saying provide a shuffle option before the game begins -- where such an option creates a truly random wall configuration for the game?

Or are you saying that at some point in the middle of the game, the walls randomly shuffle?

I don't think you should change the nature of the game in the middle of the tournament. However, when all is said and done, I suggest adding a 1-time "shuffle" the walls during the game for each player. What do you guys think?

I think during play. I'd like to make some specialized setups less reliable (like loading all the "heavy hitters" in one coridor at the edge of the board). My thought is to increase the importance of strategy during play and reduce the importance of setup.


...and the one-center-barrier configuration comes back from the dead.

Seeing two votes to none, the motion is carried.

I cast a vote against the one-center-barrier configuration.

Jim

Re: the alleged first piece move advantage...

Remember, this is immediately followed by two moves from the other side. Those pieces can be moved through another corridor, and one of the pieces could easily be a green/white nine as well. The defense? The first player must have opened with a ranger, and then must correctly guess which of the two pieces to attack on his second turn. Unlikely. So the second player has a pretty clear shot at getting his big gun accross the mid line too, and better yet, his actions are more camouflaged.

Furthermore, look at the first player's second turn. He's looking at two opposing pieces within ranger striking distance, with more to come. At some point, perhaps immediately, he's got to move that piece forward to safety. Unless he's completely bluffing (granted, not an unlikely prospect when facing a LarryBoy or a Steve), player one has completely tipped his hand. Player two can simply punch the piece into oblivion if he's got one handy. If a punch isn't immediately available, and he's got some pieces opposite the nine, he can move away anything important before it can get hurt, but leave any 5s and 6s there as bait. If player one takes said bait, player two's in good shape, as the nine is now "used up". Player two can half-step anything next to it forward and play past it, heaping insults on it as he goes by.

Advice from the current spatula-wielder: the main theme here is the other guy has problems too. As you play, grasshopper, walk in your opponent's shoes. Outguessing a good player is difficult. Rather, with each move create more problems for him, and make him outguess you.

And having said that, I will likely not hold the spatula for long...

LFIB, if you recall, stood for Lone Figure In Blue. Lone. As in Single. As in One. Now we have four figures in blue. The metaphor broke down. What can I say? History had to be re-written.

Re: your analysis of barriers and symmetry, perhaps the "flip all" board is a candidate for the One True Board (OTB)? Stay tuned, I'm sure we'll have quite a debate as the tournament continues/finishes.

Re: CP lite, that sounds like more work for me...

Jim

GMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

Round two continues...

By the way, you all know the top two in each division play in a final four. I'm thinking of organizing the remainder into their own invitational foursomes, giving us three altogether:

1. The Battle for the Spatula of Power.
2. The Battle for the Low-Wattage Toaster.
3. The Battle of the Foodstuffs.

Jim

The Tournament has begun. Let the games begin!

Since I haven't played CP2 yet, anybody want to "school" me before the tourney? If so, just start a game with me, its a sure way to pad your rank!

Tournament 2004 begins Feb. 14. Sign up now. See the Tournament page for details. -- Jim