Pixelpainters

This is a social, tile-laying, party/group game. In the same vein as Pictionary, Codenames, etcetera.

The material is just a deck of tiles. On them are lines. Curves, straight, zigzag, whatever.

They follow patterns to make sure they fit well together:

Each edge has 5 points: placed at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%
(In a sense, that’s the grid that divides the whole tile.)
Lines will always start and end on points of this grid.

On your turn, you get a word. (Either use the website, or print a list of word cards beforehand. => Could give each card multiple words, so you can choose.)

Now you need to illustrate this word by placing the tiles!

You can draw, rearrange and rotate as you please. The only rule is that the tiles always need to stay connected and you must use everything you draw.

That’s the game.

Implementation

This way of drawing tiles is so simple and structured, that I might just randomly generate all the tiles! Using some settings, you can go for maximum variety, or maximum simplicity, or no duplicates, etcetera.

Algorithm would be something like:

Randomly walk from point to point.
If not straight, we can add curve or just a diagonal line.
Randomly add 1-X lines per tile. (Add check to prevent overlapping. => Although, would it really be bad if they overlapped?)
(If we’re really funky, we can even add a “bobble” or quick zig-zag on straight lines.)

(Would probably need to add a timer to the website as well. 30-60 seconds seems enough?)

Once we have that, we can also use that to generate the graphics for the rulebook / website. (As in, generate some random lines/patterns that I can use as decoration.)

Of course, we can take this further:

You have a hand of cards. This way, you can make more informed decisions and get a jump start.
Others can help by adding cards. (Or, if not cooperative, they can hinder you by forcing the usage of a card.)
Special cards with an action. When drawn, you get that bonus/penalty for the rest of your round.

The name Pixelpainters comes from the fact that each tile could represent a “pixel”.

Also the style: it’s modern, abstract, digital, “computery”. The lines should be like chips or circuit boards. (And all the other design elements should match that.)

Rony Syswadi 15 is a nice font for this idea.

You could reverse this, but it’d turn into an entirely different game. Somebody creates a drawing of anything they like. Now the other players write down their guess on paper, and they get points if it’s the same.

IDEA: Also allow overlapping tiles. (So, placing a tile at the point where four tile corners connect.) A very simple thing that suddenly enables many more drawings.

IDEA: The best way to explain this is obviously to let people do this on the website. This might become an alternative online variant.

You simply get tiles from the computer
Tap + drag from the center to move
Tap + drag from the edge to rotate
In the corner is a trash icon to remove a tile.
And there’s a button/pile to draw new ones.

I can put this on the front page for this game to let people immediately understand and play with it.

IDEA/WARNING: Learn from my mistake with Photomone!

Keep the tiles tiny. (Might even go through all possibilities?)
Only one or two clean lines (as shown in drawing).
The intelligent designing comes from a player, so a random rearrangement of tiles doesn’t need to look like anything.

This is a **social, tile-laying, party/group game.** In the same vein as _Pictionary_, _Codenames_, etcetera. The material is just a **deck of tiles.** On them are lines. Curves, straight, zigzag, whatever. They follow patterns to make sure they fit well together: - Each edge has 5 points: placed at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% - (In a sense, that's the grid that divides the whole tile.) - Lines will always start and end on points of this grid. On your turn, you get a **word**. (Either use the website, or print a list of word cards beforehand. => Could give each card multiple words, so you can choose.) Now you need to **illustrate** this word by placing the tiles! You can draw, rearrange and rotate as you please. The only rule is that the tiles *always* need to stay connected and you must use *everything* you draw. That's the game. ## Implementation This way of drawing tiles is *so simple and structured*, that I might just **randomly generate** all the tiles! Using some settings, you can go for maximum variety, or maximum simplicity, or no duplicates, etcetera. Algorithm would be something like: - Randomly walk from point to point. - If not straight, we can add *curve* or just a *diagonal line*. - Randomly add 1-X lines per tile. (Add check to prevent overlapping. => Although, would it really be bad if they overlapped?) - (If we're really funky, we can even add a "bobble" or quick zig-zag on straight lines.) (Would probably need to add a timer to the website as well. 30-60 seconds seems enough?) Once we have that, we can also use that to **generate the graphics for the rulebook / website.** (As in, generate some random lines/patterns that I can use as decoration.) Of course, we can take this further: - You have a hand of cards. This way, you can make more informed decisions and get a jump start. - Others can help by adding cards. (Or, if not cooperative, they can hinder you by *forcing* the usage of a card.) - Special cards with an action. When drawn, you get that bonus/penalty for the rest of your round. The name **Pixelpainters** comes from the fact that each tile could represent a "pixel". Also the **style:** it's modern, abstract, digital, "computery". The lines should be like chips or circuit boards. (And all the other design elements should match that.) > _Rony Syswadi 15_ is a nice font for this idea. You could reverse this, but it'd turn into an entirely different game. Somebody creates a drawing of anything they like. Now the other players write down their guess on paper, and they get points if it's the same. **IDEA:** Also allow *overlapping* tiles. (So, placing a tile at the point where four tile corners connect.) A very simple thing that suddenly enables many more drawings. **IDEA:** The best way to explain this is obviously to let people *do* this on the website. This might become an alternative online variant. - You simply get tiles from the computer - Tap + drag from the center to *move* - Tap + drag from the edge to *rotate* - In the corner is a trash icon to *remove* a tile. - And there's a button/pile to draw new ones. I can put this on the front page for this game to let people immediately understand and play with it. **IDEA/WARNING:** Learn from my mistake with _Photomone_! - Keep the tiles tiny. (Might even go through *all* possibilities?) - Only one or two *clean lines* (as shown in drawing). - The intelligent designing comes from a *player*, so a random rearrangement of tiles doesn't need to look like anything.