I don't yet own this game but from what I have read doesn't have a battle chess option. With Harry Potter being such a big hit why hasn't there been a good chess game that has a battle chess option. Chessmaster is the leading chess program I wish with all of their various board and pieces options they would have a Battle Chess option. Does anyone know of a good battle chess computer program?

Actually, both Chessmaster 10 and 11 have animated chess sets with pieces that interact (or "battle") with each other.

Why exactly do you want an anminated chess game? If it's because you think it would be easier to teach children, give it a second thought. I owned the original "Battle Chess" (made by Interplay) several years ago. I thought it would be great to help my sister learn chess. Unfortunately, this proved to be untrue, as she wasn't interested in learning the game, she just wanted to watch the animation sequences.

I will say that I really like the House of Staunton 3-D sets that come with CM 11, though...

there is raving rabidds and clash, they are good enough.
Chessmaster is mainly aimed at the mature side, its not really for kids although there are alot of kids oppnents in the game too.

I remember battle chess from dos long time ago and its time consuming they fight and u have to wait for a long time till one kills another. Waiting 20 to 30 seconds just for the pieces to fight in a game that is already slow is a waste of time, maybe good for train journeys

The first poster is correct, they absolutely should have included more battle chess sets. I'm not sure why anyone would think it takes 20-30 seconds for pieces to fight--that may have been the case 20 years ago, but a quick game with the Fairytale set shows it's not true anymore.

Chessmaster has always had a weakness with many of their sets, it's like they've been too lazy to bother (I've had every version they've made). For example, does anyone really use, or care about, sets such as Modern, or the CM 10 "nuts & bolts" set? They don't look like chesspieces, nor do they look like armies. Chess is a WAR GAME, not a nuts & bolts or shiny-stupid-looking-pieces-of-metal game. The Raving Rabbids are stupid, an insult--chess is a WAR GAME, not an excuse to be burdened with some lame designer's rabbit idea!
So, battle chess: in this age of advanced graphics, it shouldn't be too much to expect some actual theme sets that don't look like hell (like the Mongol and Clash sets do).

Battle chess takes nothing away from the playing experience, and if you think it does you can use regular sets. We should have Napolean/Wellington, Richard/Saladin, Grant/Lee, Arthur/Mordred...so many great themes that could be done well, and animated, rather than forcing the usual selection of **** sets on us (yes I like the Staunton sets too). But whoever thinks that chessplayers would prefer rabbits, nuts & bolts, shiny triangles or whatever...over real armies--for a war game--what a concept!--is not thinking clearly.
Ubisoft, stop being so lazy! CM is a great chess engine, a classic...it deserves (and WE deserve) better chess sets to choose from than those stupid rabbits! When your customers are making better sets for your game than you are, something is wrong at HQ.

quote:

Originally posted by Soulcatcher:
...Ubisoft, stop being so lazy! CM is a great chess engine, a classic...it deserves (and WE deserve) better chess sets to choose from than those stupid rabbits! When your customers are making better sets for your game than you are, something is wrong at HQ.

I agree. Actually the same criticism applies to the non-amimated sets too. The game has almost every variation on Staunton sets, but where are the pre-Staunton sets like the beautiful Northern Upright set? I mean this is a set that House of Staunton produces, so if CM can get the license to reproduce other HOS sets why not this one? Other pre-Staunton sets are surely in the public domain by now, being over 150 years old. I mean surely we should have some more interesting and unique sets than the ones the game includes.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Beeryus,

While I still say that animated sets are more of a nuisance when teaching/learning chess, I will admit they are fun -- that is, when you have a decent set.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with everyone else. Ubisoft's animated sets are awful -- especially the "Raving Rabbids"!

Actually, the best animated set I've seen in a while was "The Turk" in Fritz 10. It's fun to watch, even if it doesn't do much... but then again, I've always been interested in chess automatons.

Perhaps Ubisoft feels that a good animated set would be a bit too violent, and that they would loose their "E" ESRB rating?

Still, I like Soulcatcher's idea of Napoleon vs. Wellington, or Grant vs. Lee set...

I have some wonderful ideas about animated chess sets but they are quite rude LOL It will be 18+ no children allowed

My idea was to have an animated chess set of nacked chess peices of human beings. For example the Queen having tits and pussy and the knight raping the queen like putting his ***** inside the queens private part and then she dies from pain cos she will lack erection which will make the male private part causing to bleed instantly, the queen will be running out of blood which will result in DEATH. Maybe another piece killing the queen buy cutting the tits in half or squashing them extremely hard. I want to also see sound effects of pain and sexual attacks lol.

Another good idea for instance would be for example a weak king moving slowly and shooting with a gun towards the other piece on the heart or chest that way he/she will die immediatly.

Another wicked idea!!! A chess set made out of ocean there will be a bishop, the bishop made out of a boat it will drive fast and smash another boat.

I have an EXCELLENT IDEA which will make the Chessmaster rating ESRB rating be for both children and adults. create a parents
locking system where parents of their children are going to lock the particular violent chess sets or underaged by creating a password so that their son/daughter does not have access to these chess sets.

I hope people will support my ideas lol.

No, it's got nothing to do with violence or their rating. Nothing that can be done in chess will be more violent than a Roadrunner cartoon. It's just laziness on the part of Ubisoft.
And I'm not talking about learning or teaching. I've played chess all my life and I have never seen even one PC chess game with a good engine and nicely done historical animated armies.

The fantasy set is excellent--obviously they can do it if they want to.

Ubiisoft: We have these things now called video cards, and they are worthy of high-quality 3-D animated battle sets. With real armies. Also, if someone puts up their hand at a meeting and says "I know! Rabbids Redux chess set!" fire them.

To be honest you don't need a very good graphic card to run these animated chess sets. My other 5 year old PC that is so slow and that has a very outdated graphic card can run these animated chess sets fairly smooth & fast.

I have an Ati Xpress 200 graphic card and I can play King Kong, Pro evolution soccer 2008, fifa 08, Diablo 2 and world in conflict with no problems and these game require sheer strength and power. Diablo 2 is one example that can be implemented as a chess set though its violent but its 16+.
Now most people have very good PCs Intel Core 2 due Extreme Processors. Technology is all the time developing. The computers won't have any struggle or problems in handling these animated chess sets that are thousand times less energy required then a normal PC game.

quote:

Originally posted by CrUeL_KNIGHTS:
I have some wonderful ideas about animated chess sets... the knight raping the queen like putting his ***** inside the queens private part and then she dies from pain cos she will lack erection which will make the male private part causing to bleed instantly, the queen will be running out of blood which will result in DEATH. Maybe another piece killing the queen buy cutting the tits in half or squashing them extremely hard. I want to also see sound effects of pain and sexual attacks lol.

Wow! You have some issues there buddy.

Yes, CrUeL_KNIGHT's ideas are definitely NOT wonderful...

I think that proves my point about animated sets -- it becomes more about watching the set than actually playing a chess game.

But it entirely depends from taste to taste.
Different people want and like different things. Ssome people hate pink others love it. some people hate one chess set others hate them.

my ideas are wonderful for the people who love my ideas again its individual taste.

There is little point in hoping for naked chess sets from Ubisoft, when they can't even manage to put together good fully-clothed sets. Not to mention that ideas like that, while fun, don't add a thing to the quest for better sets with CM.

As to the comment that sets detract from the game, it's just not true. Good sets enhance the game, they increase its value and are enjoyable to use. Nobody would even play chess if they didn't enjoy it, so why limit the pieces to designs that make no sense or don't depict proper armies? It's hard to understand why anyone would think that using actual soldiers in a war game is somehow a sin or a crime against nature, or why anyone would be confused because his little-piece-of-wood-with-a-round-top now looks like a footsoldier (as it should have all along).
If that's enough to throw off your game and send you into a state of mental chaos, well...blame your brain, not the chess sets.
And, of course, nobody suggested removing Staunton sets anyway. If you don't like armies, don't use those sets. But I see no reason for you to want to stop them from being made available and used by players who appreciate them.