I tried to make a game concept based off this sort of thing after reading an article in 2021 about Hong Kong protesters use of local connections to form peer-to-peer messaging networks and how there is a threshold/phase transition of average number of connections where complete coverage is guaranteed (like in your S curve image).
In a similar way you can tune number and colors and connections when designing tiles or cards which are intended to be built into a grid - where once all laid out they are guaranteed to al be connected - or are likely to make bigger groups. If you overlay different color's of connections though on each node, and so generate multiple linked overlaid networks with different values of average connection it gets more interesting - But I'm still not sure how it makes a good game yet :)
Yes, Transamerica (and Transeuropa!) seems pretty unique in my experience in having that "roller coaster" moment where everyone is slogging uphill building track networks, until that moment when you roll over the top (as noted, when the "blob" finally forms) and the game suddenly speeds up as everyone tries to complete their last connections as fast as they can.
Love it. Thanks!
Yes, this is a really interesting area.
I tried to make a game concept based off this sort of thing after reading an article in 2021 about Hong Kong protesters use of local connections to form peer-to-peer messaging networks and how there is a threshold/phase transition of average number of connections where complete coverage is guaranteed (like in your S curve image).
In a similar way you can tune number and colors and connections when designing tiles or cards which are intended to be built into a grid - where once all laid out they are guaranteed to al be connected - or are likely to make bigger groups. If you overlay different color's of connections though on each node, and so generate multiple linked overlaid networks with different values of average connection it gets more interesting - But I'm still not sure how it makes a good game yet :)
Sounds neat!
Fascinating. Inspires a route building/route using pickup and deliver design.
Yes, Transamerica (and Transeuropa!) seems pretty unique in my experience in having that "roller coaster" moment where everyone is slogging uphill building track networks, until that moment when you roll over the top (as noted, when the "blob" finally forms) and the game suddenly speeds up as everyone tries to complete their last connections as fast as they can.