Game maybe needs a hint/show-moves when in check(mate)

[Lord of the Stack]

Just got this game and have been playing against AI, when I'm in dimensional check it is very difficult to determine what valid moves are left.. when I'm in a losing position I usually end up having to resign instead of being told checkmate because the game won't let me submit any moves - yet offers no assistance as to what valid move I could possibly make in the given situation (which perhaps it should).

I sometimes manage to get one more move by going back in time in a seemingly arbitrary way - rewinding the clock for the sake of it. then it checkmates me when the present catches back up. This seems like a bug - or - perhaps the game should offer me some guidance here and show me the remaining valid move(s) that I am expected to make.

Other than this I am enjoying the game - but having to try every possible combination of piece and move via trial and error to see what I need to do in order to trigger checkmate on myself is an annoyance. If the concern is giving too much help to players then please make it only apply to AI games (or a checkbox setting for PvP). I mean most chess games do show you what moves are valid to get out of check so it seems legitimate a feature to me.

PS: Why is this game tagged as "Survival Horror" in the store page lol?

[Perseus]

Originally posted by Lord of the Stack:

PS: Why is this game tagged as "Survival Horror" in the store page lol?

See this topic:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1349230/discussions/0/4629233576852902835/#c4629233576852912136

Originally posted by Lord of the Stack:

Just got this game and have been playing against AI, when I'm in dimensional check it is very difficult to determine what valid moves are left.. when I'm in a losing position I usually end up having to resign instead of being told checkmate because the game won't let me submit any moves - yet offers no assistance as to what valid move I could possibly make in the given situation (which perhaps it should).

[...] perhaps the game should offer me some guidance here and show me the remaining valid move(s) that I am expected to make.

I agree that there should be something to see legal moves more easily.
I once played a game where i thought i'd checkmated my opponent, but didn't see until it was their turn that they could take one of my queens using a pawn from another board.
My opponent didn't the move at all (the only move they could do), however, and lost on time.

Originally posted by Lord of the Stack:

I sometimes manage to get one more move by going back in time in a seemingly arbitrary way - rewinding the clock for the sake of it. then it checkmates me when the present catches back up. This seems like a bug [...]

This isn't a bug, this type of thing is present in regular chess too.
Basically, going back in time to move the Present backwards is a valid, legal move that delays checkmate.
In regular chess, the equivalent thing would be your opponent using two rooks to slowly but surely corner your king; There would be no escape, but legal moves would remain.

Originally posted by Lord of the Stack:

Other than this I am enjoying the game - but having to try every possible combination of piece and move via trial and error to see what I need to do in order to trigger checkmate on myself is an annoyance.

If you know how to look and understand the mechanics of the game, it's not too difficult to find legal moves, but "knowing how to look" and "understanding the mechanics of the game" are both pretty difficult things.

I actually made a guide a while ago on how to find legal time moves (to move the present back in time), after noticing how commonly games ended because my opponents couldn't find those types of legal moves.
Re-reading it, i feel like i could've been a lot clearer, but hopefully it could still help you?
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2182271130


If you have any more specific questions or screenshots scenarios for which you'd like to know what legal moves remained, feel free to post them here and i'll try to answer best i can.

[Lord of the Stack]

Thank you for this very helpful reply!

I get what you're saying - that its a valid move to delay the game by going back in time, therefore the game isn't over yet. I guess I felt that this was just delaying the inevitable but I suppose even if you cannot get out of check in the present - there is always a chance of scoring a checkmate on your opponent in another timeline in the past - thus scoring a checkmate earlier than your opponents upcoming checkmate; which I didn't really consider until after reading your guide.

So that does make sense. I guess like a lot of things in this game it takes a bit of time and practise to wrap your head around.

Thanks again!