Vapoosh!
# Vapoosh - Game Rules
## Overview
**Vapoosh** is a strategic turn-based board game for 1-4 players. Players roll dice and place counters on a 12×12 grid to form winning patterns. The game combines luck, strategy, and tactical positioning.
## Objective
**Win the game by achieving one of the following patterns with your counters:**
- **4-in-a-Row:** Four of your counters in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line
- **2×2 Square:** Four of your counters forming a square (any 2×2 arrangement)
## Game Setup
- **Board:** 12×12 grid with tiles numbered by the formula: **(x+1) × (y+1)**
- Example: Tile at position (5, 6) = 6 × 7 = 42
- **Players:** 2-4 players (or 1 player vs Computer)
- **Counters:** Each player has their own colored counters
## How to Play
### Turn Sequence
1. **Roll the Dice**
- Roll 4 dice: 2 pink dice and 2 green dice
- The dice determine two coordinate options for placing your counter
2. **Calculate Your Options**
- **Option 1:** (Pink Sum, Green Sum)
- **Option 2:** (Green Sum, Pink Sum)
- Example: Pink dice show 3 and 4, Green dice show 2 and 5
- Option 1: (7, 7) → Tile at position x=7, y=7
- Option 2: (7, 7) → Same tile in this case
3. **Place Your Counter**
- Click one of your two valid tile options
- Follow the placement rules (see below)
4. **Next Player's Turn**
- Play passes to the next player
- Continue until someone wins
## Placement Rules
### 1. Empty Tile Priority
**You MUST place your counter on an empty tile if one of your options is empty.**
- If both options are empty, you can choose either
- If only one option is empty, you must choose that one
- If both options are occupied, you can capture an opponent's tile
### 2. Capturing Opponent Tiles
**You can capture an opponent's tile by placing your counter on it.**
- Only allowed when both of your options are occupied by opponents
- The opponent's counter is replaced with yours
- You cannot capture your own counters
### 3. Surround Capture (Go Rule)
**Tiles surrounded by your counters are automatically captured.**
- After placing a counter, all adjacent opponent tiles that become surrounded are captured
- A tile is surrounded when all 4 orthogonal neighbors (up, down, left, right) belong to you
- Board edges act as walls (Go rule):
- Edge tiles need 3 neighbors to be surrounded
- Corner tiles need 2 neighbors to be surrounded
### 4. Suicide Move (Go Rule)
**You CANNOT place a counter on an empty tile surrounded by opponent counters.**
- If an empty tile is surrounded by one opponent's counters, it becomes a "suicide tile"
- You cannot choose a suicide tile option
- If both options are suicide tiles, you miss your turn
## Special Dice Rolls
### VAPOOSH! (Four Sixes)
- **Roll:** All 4 dice show 6
- **Result:** Instant win! You immediately win the game
- A special effect plays to celebrate your victory
### Vapooh (Three Sixes)
- **Roll:** Exactly 3 dice show 6, and 1 die shows a different number
- **Result:** You may place a special **brown counter**
- Brown counters can capture any tile (including your own counters)
- Follows the same coordinate options as normal rolls
### Square Number Roll (Matching Coordinates)
- **Roll:** Both coordinate options have matching numbers
- **Example:** Pink sum = 7, Green sum = 7 → (7,7)
- **Result:** You get an **extra turn** after placing your counter
- A special sound plays to indicate the square number roll
## Blocked Move Cases
### Case 1: Both Tiles Owned by You
- **Situation:** Both of your coordinate options are already occupied by your own counters
- **Penalty:** The **next player misses their turn** as a penalty
- **Sound:** Blocked move sound plays
### Case 2: One Own Tile + One Suicide Tile
- **Situation:** One option is your own counter, the other is a suicide tile (surrounded by opponents)
- **Result:** You get to **re-roll the dice** (up to 3 re-rolls maximum)
- If you exceed 3 re-rolls, you miss your turn
### Case 3: Both Tiles are Suicide Tiles
- **Situation:** Both coordinate options are empty tiles surrounded by opponent counters
- **Result:** You **miss your turn**
- **Sound:** Blocked move sound plays
## Game Modes
### Single Player (vs Computer)
- Play against an AI opponent
- Three difficulty levels:
- **Easy:** AI makes random moves
- **Medium:** AI uses basic strategy (win, block, capture, empty)
- **Hard:** AI uses advanced scoring with weighted evaluation
- **Speed Controls:** Adjust AI thinking time and message display duration
- Speed 1 (Slow): 3s think, 7s messages
- Speed 2 (Medium): 3s think, 5s messages
- Speed 3 (Fast): 2s think, 3s messages
### Multiplayer (2-4 Players)
- Pass-and-play on the same device
- Each player takes turns in sequence
- All players see the same board state
## Winning the Game
The first player to achieve either winning pattern wins:
1. **4-in-a-Row:** Four counters in a line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal)
2. **2×2 Square:** Four counters forming a square
## Strategy Tips
- **Watch for Square Numbers:** Rolling matching coordinates gives you an extra turn
- **Control the Center:** Center tiles are part of more potential winning lines
- **Surround Opponents:** Use the surround capture rule to take multiple tiles at once
- **Avoid Suicide Tiles:** Plan ahead to avoid rolling into positions where both options are surrounded
- **Block Your Opponents:** If you can't win, prevent your opponents from winning
- **Perfect Squares Glow:** Tiles where (x+1)×(y+1) is a perfect square have a special glow effect
## Audio and Visual Feedback
- **Dice Roll Sound:** Plays when dice are rolled
- **Place Sound:** Plays when you successfully place a counter
- **Capture Sound:** Plays when you capture an opponent's tile
- **Square Sound:** Plays on square number rolls (extra turn)
- **Blocked Sound:** Plays when moves are blocked
- **Wrong Tile Sound:** Plays when you click an invalid tile
- **Vapoosh Sound:** Plays on instant win (4 sixes)
- **Winner Sound:** Plays when someone achieves a winning pattern
- **Glow Effects:** Tiles glow when:
- Square number roll is placed
- Tile is captured
- AI places a counter (single player mode)
## Game Controls
- **Roll Dice Button:** Click to roll the dice (only visible during your turn)
- **Tile Selection:** Click on one of your two valid tile options to place your counter
- **Rules Button:** Open the rules overlay (game pauses)
- **Restart Button:** Start a new game
- **Back to Menu:** Return to the main menu
- **Mute Button:** Toggle music on/off (sound effects still play)
- **Speed Buttons (1/2/3):** Adjust AI speed in single player mode
---
**Developed by Gombassa**
Built with Unity 6000.1.5f1
Development log
- Music and Animated Tile TextSep 01, 2025
Comments
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At this stage we have a functional game at a MVP (minimum viable product) stage, meaning it is functional and all components are in place. I want to step back and start with some user questionaires. I'd like to do one that folk fill out before they play the game and a second after they have had a few gos. From here we can develop our UX design plan, as I believe that going this process will leave us with a pretty polished product to launch.
- **Avoid Suicide Tiles:** Plan ahead to avoid rolling into positions where both options are surrounded
another your gonna need to talk me through this as again a dice roll is random, so how do you "plan ahead"
not yet experienced a "surrounded" and its now 8.30 pm and Im off screen inand going to a real book to read.
I am gonna get on top of this insomnia nonsense x
LOVING YOUR WORK Mr PENDER Sir
Plan ahead, so even though the dice roll IS random, the player does have choices, its a ncie way of introducing players to strategic thinking will not too much extra load on top of the basic math
### Single Player (vs Computer)
- Play against an AI opponent
- Three difficulty levels:
- **Easy:** AI makes random moves
- **Medium:** AI uses basic strategy (win, block, capture, empty)
- **Hard:** AI uses advanced scoring with weighted evaluation
I query there being a difficulty level ?
A dice roll by its nature is a random outcome and there are only ever two options of tile placement- hence chance.
Maybe I need to innerstand your thinking on this?
It makes a difference, AND it's an expected component of AI play
On rules (I sent) there is start with 12 counters already on board- increases strategic values in game
Is there? Oh. OK
yea, ads to strategy and fills board quicker, more interesting
On extra go after Sq number maybe "Player ?'s EXTRA turn" and When a player misses a turn maybe "Player ? Miss a turn" with another silly/ disappointing noise or a different fart noise?
YEp these are the UX components we are going to develop
sweet
"Extra special Square number" or similar when 4 same dice rolled
What do you mean?
I'll have to wit for it to happen again before i can clarify
RULES
Counters can ONLY be taken once both tile options are filled, if one of option is free, counter MUST be placed there.
If both tiles are covered with your own counters, next player misses a go.
If all dice thrown show the same number (Always resulting in a SQNo) next player misses a turn.
Vapooh(when 3 sixes plus another are rolled) lay a brown counter and Miss your next go
Surround& Capture-surround other players counters with your own, horizontally and vertically, capture them and swap them for your own counters
lets talk Long Form too and Touch screen
in one player ,its tricky to assess where computer has placed counter that go, maybe showing the dice roll of computer would be helpful?
v.much liking so far, well done you
on square number can it say "Extra go" (maybe in a different colour and a special noise) rather than "player 1's turn roll the dice"