iSketch

iSketch

File:Isketch.gif
Type of site	Drawing website
Owner	Robert Wahlstedt
Created by	Robert Wahlstedt
URL	www.isketch.net
Commercial	No
Registration	None

iSketch is a browser-based drawing game for all ages, similar to Pictionary, designed by Robert Wahlstedt.

Players take turns in drawing a word or topic (using a mouse or tablet) while the rest try to guess. Puzzles come in over 20 languages and over 200 themes and range from easy to expert. Aside from the standard game rooms, players can create custom rooms where they tailor game settings to their needs, and select non-standard settings or word lists. Players are also presented with a private 'studio' where they can practice, and share drawings with others.

Registration is not required in order to play. However, it is advisable to read the game instructions prior to joining a game. In general, player mentality is social: rules are mostly enforced by the players themselves, and it is not uncommon for player communities to spring up around certain rooms.

Rules and scoring system

The object of the game is, as described above, to successfully illustrate the word or topic at hand to other members in the room. Each game consists of a predefined number of rounds (10 by default), and the person with the most points at the end of this is the winner. Each round consists of one drawing, and the drawing duties are rotated evenly.

The illustrator initially has one minute to draw, however once the answer has been correctly guessed the time is reduced to twenty seconds. The illustrator scores ten points when the answer is guessed correctly, and a futher point for each correct guess thereafter. Hints can be given at the behest of the illustrator (e.g. number of words of letters, first letters etc.), however for each hint given, the initial score is reduced by two points.

The other users in the room can score up to ten points by correctly guessing the subject of the drawing. The first person to guess the correct answer in each round receives ten points, and each following correct answer receives one point less than the one before (e.g. nine for the second correct answer, eight for the third etc. Once you get down to 5 points, all further correctguesses are awarded 5 points). Although incorrect guesses are displayed for all to see, correct guesses can only be seen by the illustrator and users who have already gotten the answer.

Some rules include a ban on letters in the drawing screen, "word mapping" (whereby a different, unrelated word is used to hint at the secret word) and the drawing of unrelated, explicit or offensive images. The users who are not illustrating cannot reveal the word in the chat window. These rules are generally enforced by the users themselves, in particular the more experienced users, as described below.

Moderation

Users of iSketch have the ability to moderate the game in order to ensure fairness and adherence to the rules. Regular players who have played a set number of games can warn an artist who violates the rules. An artist loses his turn to draw when he receives warnings from three individual players. Subsequent offences by the same artist require only one vote to invoke loss of his turn. Users are also able to boot players from rooms using a similar voting method.

A player's ability to vote is suspended if this functionality is abused. When a vote is cast, Game Administrators are notified and will attempt to assist and intervene if necessary. Administrators may support the decision of the voting user, or suspend the user's ability to vote. Administrators can also ban persistent offenders of the voting system and other rules in the game.

While standard (pre-created) rooms are moderated by Administrators, user-created rooms employ a system similar to IRC operators where the room creator has full control over rules. Such rules include (but are not limited to) making the room private, assigning other moderators and ejecting other players.

Social networking

The game has a number of social rooms and lounges as well. Users can come to these rooms, either regular or user-created, to take a break from the game and chat with other players, or take turns at drawing anything at all, just to relax.

However, since iSketch is a free service game and chat, there are people on iSketch who may engage in what some may consider sexual and profane discussion which might not be suitable for minors.

Issues

iSketch requires Adobe Shockwave. Because of this, it is not possible to play iSketch on operating systems without the Shockwave player software, (such as Linux). Shockwave does not support character sets other than ISO/IEC 8859-1, therefore characters may appear as squares or correct guesses may not be recognized on non-conforming systems.

The game allows only a limited number of players; therefore one might see this message when trying to log on: "The server is currently full. Please try again later."

Cheating can easily be carried out if a group of users enter the same room and share answers of the subject they are drawing via an instant messaging service or a chat room. This is almost always a form of griefing, as there is little incentive to do this. This can be a problem if the other users do not know how to use the "boot" mechanism effectively.

External links

• Play iSketch (requires Adobe Shockwave)
• iSketch Communities: (iSketcher Addicts)English,English, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Brazil