Mobile Arbiter for GG
by Masaion IT Solutions
Now you can play the physical board game Salpakan or Game of the Generals (GG) without a human or specialized electronic Arbiter using your phone installed with MAGG: Masaion’s Arbiter for Game of the Generals and improvised GG pieces with QR Codes.
watch magg’s video tutorial
instructions ON HOW TO USE MAGG
1. Install MAGG mobile app on your android phone (iOS app coming soon).
2. Print the QR codes for each piece of Game of the Generals (GG). Download here.
3. Cut the QR codes and stick them to the bottom of each GG piece. Hopefully, manufacturers of this game will produce this improvised version of the game (with QR codes on each piece) so that we don’t need to perform this step.
4. To start the game, arrange your GG board, open the MAGG app and put your smartphone beside the GG board just like this:
5. When doing a challenge, tap the Start Challenge button to start scanning the pieces. Scan the QR Code of the attacking piece first followed by the attacked piece. To properly scan the QR Code, the GG piece should NOT be tilted. Also, you need to figure out the focus distance of your front camera by putting the GG piece approximately 5 inches away from the camera and don’t move it for 2 seconds. If it is not scanned, move it a little farther until it is scanned. Sometimes, the camera is blinded when directly facing light bulbs. You need to cover the light when scanning.
6. MAGG will automatically decide who won the challenge. Adjust the volume of your phone’s speaker to properly hear the Arbiter. Put the winning piece back to the board and remove the losing piece. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the game is over.
7. Once the flag is captured and the winner is declared, you can then access the history of the challenges made during the game by pressing “View History”.
memory, Strategy, DECEPTION
ABOUT THE GAME
Game of the Generals is a Filipino board game invented by Sofronio H. Pasola Jr. in 1970.
The game is a cross between Chess and cards as the pieces can move in any direction but each player cannot see the pieces of the opponent. The goal of the game is to capture the flag of the opponent or maneuver their flag to reach the opponent’s end of the board. Thus, a player needs to employ strategy on how to deploy units, analyze the remaining pieces on the board to deduce the ranks of the opponent’s pieces and play psychological warfare to win.
ABOUT MAGG: Masaion’s arbiter for game of the generals
- Before, it’s not possible to play the GG physical board game if there’s no available Arbiter (human or device) using the original game rules.
- This Automated Arbiter mobile app will replace the human or electronic device Arbiter of Game of the Generals board game in deciding which piece won the “Challenge” using improvised GG pieces with QR Codes.
- To set it up, just print, cut and attach the corresponding QR Codes to the bottom of each GG piece then use the MAGG mobile app when playing the game.
- When doing a “Challenge”, just scan the QR Code of the attacking piece followed by the attacked piece using MAGG mobile app.
- MAGG will automatically decide the result of the challenge which eliminates the need for a human or electronic device Arbiter.
ABOUT MAGG: TEchnologies used
- App distribution using Google Play
- Mobile app development using React Native + Expo
- Text-To-Speech by notevibes.com
- QR Generator by tec-it.com
- Beep sounds by soundjay.com
- Free images by pixabay.com
Project’s motivation
- Game of the Generals (GG) board game is a very nice and exciting game plus it’s proudly invented by a Filipino (Sofronio H. Pasola, Jr.) which was publicly launched in 1973.
- Almost half a century had passed but still many people are not aware of the game.
- That’s why GG Game enthusiasts Gecel Sheena M. Cobo and Michael Angelo F. Cobo, founders of Masaion IT Solutions, inline with their company’s advocacy to promote the mindset “mahalin at tangkilikin ang sariling atin”, decided to promote the game so that Filipinos will love and support it more.
- One major problem of the game is the Arbiter since you can’t play it using the original rules if there’s no available human or specialized electronic device Arbiter.
- Gecel, Michael and the Masaion team created an Automated Arbiter (MAGG mobile app) and improvised GG pieces to solve this problem. Though, there are already existing Automated Arbiters, their approach is different since MAGG is a mobile app which is very accessible and convenient not a specialized electronic device. Also, existing mobile app Arbiters require the players to manually input the rank of their piece during “Challenge” which is prone to cheating. MAGG mobile app prevents this from happening by scanning the QR code during “Challenge”.
- They are hopeful that by creating the Free Automated Arbiter mobile app, more people will be able to play the game and become a mainstream game that will attract local and international audience.
THE TEAM BEHIND MAGG
MASAION IT Solutions is a tech company located in Davao City, Philippines. They specialized in building websites, web apps and mobile apps.
Masaion’s vision is to make Philippines great in the field of IT by promoting the mindset of supporting Filipino-made products. “Mahalin at tangkilikin ang sariling atin.“
MASAION is based on the Cebuano phrase “mas sayon” which means “easier” since they are aiming to make everyone’s life easier by providing platforms that can help businesses and daily lives.
Masaion’s mission is to help everyone achieve their own success by providing platforms with the right tools and support.
Visit their website for more details: https://masaion.com