Modular 3D Cluedo. Beta testers needed!

[philby4000]

This is my first real constrution project and it's mainly just for fun.

The idea is to create a 5-part 3 dimensonal Cluedo (or just 'Clue') game board. Here's the current prototype design:

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/7184/74833005.jpg

(Minecraft: CAD tool of experts) The scale is 1block:200mm. The gold blocks represent rooms, the blue, silver and grey half blocks the game squares. Redstone the doorways into the rooms (not quite finished).

The final version will be built from styrofoam, painted and detailed (including walls, windows etc.) and include custom game pieces and cards. I'm loosely basing this of the larger modern cluedo board, with 'intrigue' bonus cards and single-use character powers (eg Green may move once then roll again).

The modular design is for ease of storage (the final board will be 60cm square) and will also allow for multiple configurations.

Here's where the 'beta tester' thing comes in. I want you to come play online Cluedo with me!

Naturally, you'll need a minecraft account, pen and paper and to be free around 8pm GMT some day this week. We''ll be playing on my server and comunicating over skype.

I need at least 2 people (although 4 would be nice!) and I don't care if you've never played Cluedo before. It's a very simple game! Also fun!

[Zero72]

This sounds... pretty interesting. I think 8pm would be about 3pm in my time, so that's pretty doable. I'm pretty much clear monday through friday, but I do have somewhere to be at 6 on monday, so there's that.

I'm zeor72 on Skype, but I use it very situationally.

[philby4000]

Added you on skype!

Incidentally for anyone else reading this, my handle is mr.phillby feel free to add me even if you want none of this minecraft boardgame nonsense.:)

Anyhow, monday would be fine if I can rustle up another volunteer or two by then. If not, I'm going to see the Avengers on tuesday so wednesday will be the next opportunity.

I'm hopping onto minecraft right now to fiddle with the design. The server adress is still 69.25.207.226 and I haven't de-listed anyone since my last super-popular thread.:p My Dad's built a massive arabian city and filled it with villagers since then, if you want to check it out.

[FutureWorm]

can you whitelist me? username great__scott

[philby4000]

can you whitelist me? username great__scott

Added !

[Xinos]

Sure, why not? I'm busy in the beginning of the week so it would have to be on Wednesday or Thursday. Otherwise the time you picked sounds good. I'm at gmt+2 so that's 10pm for me, which shouldn't be too late. Cluedo better not take three hours to play :p

[philby4000]

Cool! Three players is the absoloute bare minimum required. Wednesday it is!

Now I've just got to work out a method of shuffling and 'dealing' the cards over the internet, without actually seeing them myself. :-/

Also a regular game lasts between 30-45 minutes, although playing via minecraft might slow it down a tad. If the game takes three hours I'll have to seriously re-think my design.:p

Speaking of:
http://i.imgur.com/g0S5h.jpg
The individual modules at 1block:5mm scale. The starting positions are labeled, the rooms are signposted and the secret passages placed! The glowstone blocks represent 'intrigue card' squares (whoops, looks like I managed to miss a section).

http://imgur.com/W9uXr.jpg

And here's the modules in the 'default' configutration.
I've tried to design it so that every single arrangement is vallid, but some will be better than others. For example, if you switched the two 'upstairs' sections, half the board would only be accesable via the stairs next to the central room (discounting secret passages). The center piece is square however, so it can be rotated to suit the positions of the exterior sections. The raised portion of the centerpiece will always connect to at least one of the upstairs pieces.

Or at least it will do once I add a single square, how did I miss that arrg.

[Xinos]

Now I've just got to work out a method of shuffling and 'dealing' the cards over the internet, without actually seeing them myself. :-/

Maybe we could use octgn (http://kellyelton.github.com/OCTGN/) to create a basic Cluedo game. Shouldn't be that hard as you don't have to create the game's rules. Everything for managing cards is already there. I've used it play MTG with people on Skype, but I've never looked into how to create your own games or card sets. Here's the forum (http://octgn.gamersjudgement.com/index.php).

Otherwise I guess you could create a simple html page with a python script that gives a card to the IP that presses the "Draw Card" button. But that sounds more difficult to me.

[philby4000]

Maybe we could use octgn (http://kellyelton.github.com/OCTGN/) to create a basic Cluedo game. Shouldn't be that hard as you don't have to create the game's rules. Everything for managing cards is already there. I've used it play MTG with people on Skype, but I've never looked into how to create your own games or card sets. Here's the forum (http://octgn.gamersjudgement.com/index.php).

Otherwise I guess you could create a simple html page with a python script that gives a card to the IP that presses the "Draw Card" button. But that sounds more difficult to me.
That's a great idea! If I can work out how to use it by wednesday I'll definitely be useful.

If not, we'll be juggling all these .txt files I spent he last 20 minutes making.:p

Edit: Uuuugh 'python scripting'. Yeah that ain't happening! Cluedo doesn't use that many cards anyway, with three players there's seven each. I'll send both of you a .txt with your cards listed, and another file detailing the characters and their powers and a complete list of rooms/weapons/suspects.

A third file with the solution will be sent once you make an accusation.

[philby4000]

It's almost Cluedo time!

[SupSuper]

I know how Cluedo works, and yet even after reading the thread, I still can't figure out anything about how your Minecraft thing works. :p

[philby4000]

It's pointlessly complex!

We had a sucessful game and it did take three hours! board games take longer when they're the size of multistory carparks it seems! Also when the simple act of showing a card is replaced with flying to the other side of the board and writing it down on a sign which must then be destroyed.

We also accidentally started playing on the board set up to be the hardest to get arround on.:p

Still it was a lot of fun, even if I lost because I got confused about who I asked about and when.:o

Thanks again for playing guys!

[Zero72]

Still hard to say which one of us hosed that up. I really am sorry if I screwed the pooch somehow, but if I did, I promise it was an honest mistake. :p

I still had fun, though.

[Xinos]

Yes it was fun! The slowness was mostly Minecraft's fault and also having to learn the rules as we played. Adding the room labels helped.. even if you can remember where every room is after reading each sign once, it still takes a bit of time just to go around and read them. Voice instead of text would have sped things up too I'm sure.

[philby4000]

Ughhhhh, after waiting a week it turns out the modelling foam I ordered isn't actually availiable.:p
Now I've had to order another lot, and there wasn't any available in 40mm.

Working out how I'm going to build the 40mm design with 25mm and 5 mm foam is a massive headache, but I think I've worked it out.

http://i.imgur.com/qlPv5.png

Additionally I've aqquired the first of the eight weapons for the game! THE TOASTER.:D

[Zero72]

Looks pretty awesome.

Also, toaster? Sheesh. Somebody was pretty desperate to murder a guy.

[philby4000]

Welp, I've been hideously Ill over the past few days, so all I've had to do is sit at home and work on my cluedo project. I couldn't even draw because I recently moved all my drawing stuff to my studio (a.k.a. my sister's spare room) and I don't want to vomit all over her house.:p

So here's some pictures! Awful Phone camera pictures!

http://i.imgur.com/CRsqw.jpg?1
A cat in a thing.

http://i.imgur.com/7QOFb.jpg?1
More relevant, here's the bases cut. I was hoping to get some nice thick cardboard, but in the end settled for foamboard. Gotta work out something for the edges.

http://i.imgur.com/1Epbc.jpg?1
Here's the modules with the basic structure built and glueing under the weight of my dvd and gamecube collection.

http://i.imgur.com/m3ps3.jpg?1
The semi-assembled modules in the default layout.

5 image limit, huh?

[philby4000]

http://i.imgur.com/j2NlS.jpg?2
The fully assembled 'attic module'. I had to break out the resin glue for all these fiddly little walls. Once I do the other 4 modules I can start painting!

http://i.imgur.com/cvcm5.jpg?1
And here's the Weapon collection so far: The Lamp, The Fire Bucket, The Flintlock Pistol, The Vaccum Cleaner and the Toaster (gotta glue the toast into position). Also pictured is some of the carpet I'll be decorating the modules with. red for upstairs, blue for downstairs and green for a couple of the rooms. I'm going to be drawing the squares on directly.

Still waiting on The Poison, The Cleaver and The Rolling Pin to arrive.

http://i.imgur.com/B2P5O.jpg
I also got all the game cards designed. I went with www.thegamecrafter.com for printing. It's a weird comunity site based around creating and publishing board games, but it's got an incredibly robust system for creating custom cards. Overall the price of 70 cards and a bunch of coloured pawns came to less than the cost of delivery. I'm gonna have to wait at least a week for them though.

It's all coming together, and I've still got 2-3 weeks to work on it. Now I just need to find a die with a '?' instead of a one and I'm all set.

[Zero72]

Looking pretty killer, man.

A fire bucket, though? :p

[Xinos]

This makes me happy.