Title:	A FLEXIBLE EXTENDED QUARTO! IMPLEMENTATION BASED ON COMBINATORIAL ANALYSIS
Author(s):	Daniel Castro Silva , Vasco Vinhas
ISBN:	978-972-8924-63-8
Editors:	Yingcai Xiao and Eleonore ten Thij
Year:	2008
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Game Design, Strategic Reasoning, Heuristics, Human Computer Interaction.
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	59
Last Page:	66
Language:	English
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Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	Perfectly framed in the Serious Games thematic emerged Quarto!, a game created in 1991 that in not much more than a decade became the most awarded one of all time. Quarto! possesses eccentric features like contemplating common pieces for both players and each one choosing the piece the opponent must play. The authors’ vision consisted in modeling Quarto! in a computerized form, both logic and graphical user interface, thus providing a solid, flexible and interactive support for logical and strategic reasoning learning. Five progressive AI complexity levels were implemented, in order to accommodate several human player experience ranks. In addition to the original line and square alignments, structures with L and T designs were introduced, that in concurrence with their symmetry properties enhanced combinatory possibilities and complexified the game. Board assessment is particularly complex, due to the nature of the game. A key project contribution is the introduction of the concept of Quarticity as a specific heuristic game situation assessment. Experiments conducted with end-users revealed that the usage of the described system enhanced and accelerated both the rule set learning rate and generic strategic reasoning, when compared to a conventional board game experience.
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