Try out new merida pieces

[ornicar]

Hi!

I'm the author (or co-author, since the original Merida piece set is by Armando Hernandez Marroquin) of the shaded Merida piece set you are using.
Maybe you want to update it with my latest version (attachment).

Best regards,

Felix

Merida14.zip

[fredjust]

I don't understand this change !? put an option to keep the "old" common mérida piece
I m sure a lot of people prefer the old version, They are seen in every chessgame since ....

[ddugovic]

The older Merida set (featured on the right) is quite popular (although I like the new rooks and Black bishop, which strangely has a different shape than the White bishop??):
http://i.imgur.com/NdIDiMH.png

[DeepKling]

The "original" Merida piece set has the following "problems":

1. Shape of the pawns. The "head" of the white pawns is too small which makes white and black pawns look too different.
2. Rooks look a bit ugly at the base.
3. Queens are not "elegant" in design
   These issues were addressed. The knights are just perfect and I didn't change the kings as well (only minor changes for both).
   ddugovic: you are right about the bishops, I created a new white one which should fit better to the new black bishop.
   wb.svg.zip
   

[ornicar]

I should know, by now, that people hate change - especially change that is forced on them. It's not conservatism, it's the feeling of losing control, I suppose. It just looks like conservatism because people will express their frustration by saying it was better before.

https://lichess.org/forum/lichess-feedback/did-something-happen-to-the-merida-piece-set?page=1

So, I reverted.

[DeepKling]

About the popularity of the merida piece set: Yes, the original is popular, but note that it is not shaded, too. Still, most will favour the shaded theme. After using the new Merida piece set for some days, I hated the old one, so I was happy with my work and am quite confident that most users will like it too.
However, I agree that there is the "new receipe" effect coca cola and others are facing. People just stick to what they know. Maybe it is best to allow a selection between both themes. I guess it wouldn't hurt to replace the theme on the bottom right, nobody will ever prefer these letters over nicely drawn pieces :-)

[ddugovic]

1. The "original" set has the functional advantage that pieces are similar in height, width, and size; making them easier to locate & drag-and-drop. I do like that the new pawns look simpler, but they look slightly smaller? Maybe an optical illusion, I'm unsure...
2. I agree, the "original" rook base looks ugly. I like the new White rook, although the new Black rook looks different (and the rooks are smaller)...
3. True, although maybe the new Black queen might be too beautiful and distracting from nearby pieces? I do like how the base was simplified.

[DeepKling]

ddugovic's comment:

1. The piece size is still similar. The pawns are about 2% smaller, but the area is changed by only 0,6%. I had a discussion with Stefan Meyer-Kahlen about piece size a long time ago, he thought the pawns were slightly too high. After all, the pawns should not be the largest piece. I do not think the changes affect the drag&drop behaviour though, because of the area size.
2. Black and white rook should look pretty similar. I changed some spacings to make the black rook look similar to the white one at the top, but otherwise they are pretty close. Note that black and white pieces need to be slightly different, because of contrast issues.
3. After using the pieces for some time, you do not recognise the "beauty" anymore (the same is true for the knights, which also have a lot of detail). It is still just simple enough that you shouldn't be distracted.

[fredjust]

What percentage of people use merida theme on lichess ?

[DeepKling]

I changed the black bishop slightly, too, so that white and black bishop are identical at the base (shape-wise). I attached all the pieces as graphics as well
Merida15.zip

[DeepKling]

Is there anything you would change about the pieces now?

[ornicar]

The biggest blocker is the fact that they are different. As I said, forcing change on people results in a lot of pain.

It's also too close to the original merida set to propose it as a new set.

[ornicar]

For the record, I like the new pieces better, but it's irrelevant.

[DeepKling]

[ddugovic]

I'll try making changes (based on my feedback about the rook & queen), create a userstyle, and give the new pieces a spin (seeing if I encounter usability issues).