To start with you will be placed on one team or the other.
The teams are alabaster and brushed metal. One is light and smooth, one is dark and shiny.
When you hover over pieces, if it is your turn, you will see the squares where you can move that piece to light up.
If the piece you are hovering over can take an enemy piece, the square that piece is on will light up too.
Click on a piece and it will be selected.
Click on one of the lit squares and your piece will move.
You won't be able to move this piece again this turn, but you can move all the rest!
If you take another player's king, you get all their pieces.
Congratulations, now you have defeated Evil Roger.
Pieces will fade away if they are too far from their king. Pieces inside the circle are safe, and pieces outside have a limited time to live.
Piece with haigher rank will last longer.
If you move pieces their timers will restart.
If you move pieces back into the circle, they will not fade away anymore.
From this update kings will have kingdoms. What this means is that when pieces are more than 16 squares distance from their king, then those pieces will slowly fade away if they are not moved or returned to their kingdoms.
This is worked out with the formula √ (x2 - x1)² + (y2 - y1)² so a kings kindom is effectivly a circle with radius 16 tiles around the king.
From this update, bonus pieces will spawn and will be collectable by the player.
Because Megachess.io is a MMO game there are some critical differences in the rules that you should take into account before you play. Due to the nature of persistent multiplayer games there is no end state for the game, no strict winner or loser. And, since there is no end state, there is also no beginning state so you may come and go from the game as you please.
Movement is NOT required per turn, as opposed to regular chess, where moves must be made each turn. Megachess turns are timed instead.
During your turn you may move each of your pieces once.
With the exception of knights, pieces may not jump or move through other pieces.
The king CAN be left in check at the end of a turn, there is no such thing as checkmate in megachess, kings must actually be taken to defeat a player.
The game doesn't have an end state, but a player is no longer part of the game when they lose their king.
Pieces can capture enemy pieces if they can get to the square they occupy.
Pieces move much like in regular chess with the exception that pawns are also omnidirectional.
Kings can move one vacant square in any direction but cannot make the special castling move.
Queens can move up to 7 vacant occupied squares (maximum allowed on a regular chess board) in any direction.
Rooks can move up to 6 vacant squares (one short compared to their regular chess counterparts) horizontally or vertically.
Bishops can move up to 6 vacant squares (one short compared to their regular chess counterparts) diagonally in any direction.
Knights move just like their regular counterparts, they can move 2 squares in either direction vertically and then by 1 square horizontally, or 2 squares in either direction horizontally and then by one square vertically. Their destination should be vacant or occupied by a piece from the opposing team.
Pawns are a little different. They can move any direction 1 vacant square, or two vacant squares horizontally or vertically on their first move. Or, they can take occupied squares in any diagonal direction.
En passant is not implemented.
Pawns are no longer promoted if they reach the far end, or any edge, of the board.
When capturing an opponent's king players are awarded all of the pieces that belonged to that player.
Players score increases by 1 point per turn, by the rank value of taken pieces, and by 100 (+the king rank value) points on the taking of a king.
If you have any questions or feedback it's all very very welcome at: colin@megachess.io
Or, come along to the discord and get stuck in.
