Game Design

We get a lot of input from players suggesting how to make the game better by adding more rules.  We also get input from players saying the rules are already too complicated.  We also hear from people who say too many runs are scored.

Too Many Triples

One example that comes up time and again is the general observation that triples are batted more frequently than they should be.  This is clearly a comparison of Kardball to baseball.

Here is how the 37 possible hits of Kardball are distributed in terms of their potential outcomes for any given hit card.

• Any A: hits 12 different pitches for a single
• Any 2: hits 5 different pitches for a double
• Any 3 or higher: hits 7 different pitches for a triple
• Any of 13 cards: hits 1 pitch for a home run

So right off the bat (heh), you see a lopsided proportion of potential triples.

If the Suit Fits, Wear It

The contrast is even greater when we include the suits in our reasoning.

• 4 aces x 12 different pitches x 4 suits = 192 ways to hit a single
• 4 twos x 5 different pitches x 4 suits = 80 ways to hit a double
• 4 threes x 3 different pitches x 4 suits = 48 ways to hit a triple with a three
• 4 fours x 2 diffferent pitches x 4 suits = 32 ways to hit a triple with a four
• 4 fives x 1 pitch x 4 suits = 16 ways to hit a triple with a five
• 4 sixes x 1 pitch x 4 suits = 16 ways to hit a triple with a six
• 4 sevens x 1 pitch x 3 suits = 12 ways to hit a home run with a seven
• 4 eights, nines, tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings ...

To save you the mental gymnastics, this works out to the following.

• 192 ways to hit a single
• 80 ways to hit a double
• 112 ways to hit a triple
• 84 ways to hit a home run
• 50 ways to leave your lover

As always, we assume the figures don't lie.  The highest frequency hits in decreasing order should theoretically be single, triple, home run, double.

Actual Records

One great thing about Kardball for iPhone is its record-keeping. I can go to my phone right now (and guess what, I just did) and get my stats alongside the computers stats.  Here is how they look.

• Singles: Me = 34, Computer = 42
• Doubles: Me = 23, Computer = 33
• Triples: Me = 50, Computer = 55
• Home Runs: Me = 94, Computer = 64

These stats suggest that Kardball produces more homers and three-baggers than dinky singles or doubles. What do your stats tell us? We're intrigued by the low incidence of singles.  That's what she said.

It's Not Baseball

It's not exactly the same as baseball, but we say it doesn't have to be.  There are enough strikeouts, scoreless innings, and low-scoring games to make it resemble baseball. And who doesn't love a home run rally every once in a while?

Koaches' Korner

(It's amazing how many c-words you can change to k-words!)

In today's article, we konfront the issue of defensive styles.  From baseball we receive the konventional wisdom that strong pitching — pitching that's just plain hard to hit — does win games. Our komputer simulations have also demonstrated that an algorithmic pitcher who tends to choose prime and low-factor kards is surprisingly effective.  By this, we're referring the pitching algorithm in Kardball for iPhone.

In kontrast, a pitching style that tempts batters to put a kard in play kan also be successful. But we feel this approach is hard to reduce to a formula; it often depends on too many factors, like the kurrent score, the kard kount, and the kapabilities of the particular person at bat.

Kase in Point

(We are done with the k's now.)

Our data indicates that aggressive pitching in Kardball creates more strikeouts, but does not necessarily win games. The best example of this is the case of the pitcher's Ace.  Consider this scenario:

• Pitcher:  A, 7, 8
• Outfield:  3, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, J, K

The strongest pitch in Kardball is the Ace. But ... if we pitch away the Ace for a likely strike, we weaken the defense against a home run.  Hence the dilemma.

There's no K in Team

But alas, Kardball needs coaching, and unlike poker, Bunco, Uno or your other second-favorite game, you can freely coach your Kardball pitcher from your chair next to the beer cooler or budgie cage.  There's potentially no single style that prevails in every situation.  It's the patience and wisdom of you, the self-proclaimed Kardball expert coach, that will win the day!

Kardball 1.0 for iOS

Announcing the official public release of Kardball for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, now available in the iTunes App store for $0.99.

This colorful, animated game delivers a satisfying Kardball experience for a single player, with automatic dealing, scorekeeping, and a computerized opponent that plays at three different skill levels.

The Kardball You Hold in Your Hand

(Wait ... real Kardball is "the Kardball you hold in your hand."  Hmph.)  Kardball 1.0 for iOS boasts the following enhancements brought to you by the power of the full-featured microcomputer that's packed inside the tiny mobile device.

• Drag and drop touch screen interface
• Database of cumulative statistics
• Realistic scoring logic, including extra inning
• Games of three different lengths and three skill levels
• Easy how-to-play instructions
• Schmaltzy baseball stadium music

Now Played on Two Continents and a Large Island

Early returns prove that the game has appeal for people outside the intimate Kardball Kommunity, and even outside the baseball-loving USA. The reviews are positive and encouraging, with more than one reviewer calling for a steal feature.  (We expected they would clamor for two-player mode.)

This is a quick download at only 4MB.  Take Kardball for a spin on your iOS device, and tell us what you think ...

• With a comment below this post, or
• At Kardball.com, or
• Write a review in the iTunes App store

Mountain Dudes Edge Kard Sharks, 9-7

The multi-generational Mountain Dudes were propelled by two 3-run innings to take a win from the one-person Kard Sharks consisting of Avery, developer of Kardball for iOS.  At some point in the seventh inning, the seldom seen A-A-A play drew a standing ovation from a cat and a dog.