Inspiration
We are both casual chess players and thought it would be fun to make a variation of the game with more randomness and new strategy involved.
What it does
We currently have 5 pieces: Zig-Zagger (2x per player): Moves in a zig-zag (2 diagonal one way, 1 diagonal another way).
Chain-Killer (2x per player): Can attack any piece within a diagonal forward square (like a pawn). May continue attacking like this in a chain, up to 3 pieces.
Cannon (2x per player): May move to one adjacent unoccupied square. If attacking, it can shoot a piece within 2 rows in front of it in a 3X3 row. May not move and attack in the same turn.
Bomber (1x per player): May move 1 square per turn to any adjacent square. If it lands on an enemy, a bomb detonates and destroys every piece within a 1 tile radius, including itself.
VIP (1x per player): Functions similar to a king in regular chess. Cannot be captured/killed by other pieces, and instead is checked/checkmated.
The game starts with a startup phase where players can place all of their pieces on their side of the board in any formation they wish. This differs from regular chess where each game is played with the same starting layout.
How we built it
This project was built using Unity Engine with C# scripts edited in visual studio. Most of the visual assets used were free-use assets found online.
Challenges we ran into
We realized about halfway through the hackathon that our scope was not realistic for a team of 2 to complete in 24 hours. We didn't realize how difficult it would be to try to get movement working and ran out of time.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Although we couldn't finish the game we are still proud of what we did get done. We have a functioning startup phase where players can place pieces that snap onto the grid.
What we learned
We learned to be more careful about project scope in the future. We think this was a really valuable learning experience as it was the first hackathon for both of us.
What's next for Wacky Chess
We would like to continue working on this as a side project in the future. We think it is a good idea that could be really fun if we can get movement implemented properly, we just need more time.
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