Looney Labs Icehouse Mailing list Archive

Re: [Icehouse] Official Guidance Needed (Was: 30 Pointer Alert)

  • From"Ryan McGuire" <kerry_and_ryan@xxxxxxx>
  • DateSun, 4 Mar 2007 14:53:30 -0500
I DO agree with you that Andy is the official source of information on pyramid sizes. He could pick any function he wants for sizes out side of the existin 1-3 range. Heck, he could even just pick just arbitrary values and they would, by definition, be correct.

However I disagree with your math. The angles for one-, two-, and three-pointers don't make a linear relationship with the pip count. (I can show my calculations if you'd like.) You COULD say that the angle is a binomial or higher polynomial function of the pip count. You might also go with some other function, such as an exponential or maybe some trig function. But if you want to use LINEar interpolation, the only option that works with the standard three sizes is height and width.

Now that I've ground away on some detailed little point (no pun intended), let me back up a little: How much does it really matter? Do we expect anyone to create a game where the dimensions for a zero or thirty point pyramid actually make a difference? Even now, how many games rely on the exact dimensions of the pieces? Icehouse, IceTowers, Zendo, CrackeD'Ice, Thin Ice, and the ever-popular Spicklehead. There are a couple that use opaque pieces to hide smaller ones, and of course a bunch of games, such as Volcano, that use stacked pieces. As long as a zero point piece can be hidden by a current small, I don't see how a 32nd of an inch here or there makes a difference.

Ryan

----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher Hickman" <tophu@xxxxxxx>
To: "Icehouse Discussion List" <icehouse@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, March 04, 2007 11:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Icehouse] Official Guidance Needed (Was: 30 Pointer Alert)


On Mar 4, 2007, at 10:49 AM, Ryan McGuire wrote:

How about this page:
   http://www.wunderland.com/icehouse/MakingIcehouse.html

Granted, that page doesn't extrapolate below one-pointers or above three-pointers. However the dimensions for the three sizes shown DO form linear relationships, so we might reasonably infer dimensions for other sizes.

Right, but there are two different linear relationships that one may extrapolate, the height/width or the angles, and doing so yields different results. That's what I'm saying. It's been discussed several times on this list and we've never heard straight from Andy what it should be.

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