These comments from Donald Green explain in some detail the background of Octi and how it came to be.
Octi is rooted in my academic work on game theory in politics, in that it illustrates how a game with simple rules can nevertheless have an "equilibrium" that is so deep that it is very difficult to anticipate how players (or computers) will attack the problem or formulate strategies. In this respect, Octi is similar to Go.
The other objective was to formulate a game that would give humans an edge over computers. At the risk of oversimplifying, this tends to occur when a game emphasizes long-range strategic planning over short-range tactics. While there is nothing new under the sun, Octi expands the role of "promotion" in chess or checkers: pieces are continually being promoted or added to the board. Moreover, the pieces are synergistic -- two weak pieces working in tandem are typically stronger than one powerful piece working alone. Thus, players must create their own pieces with an eye toward their capacity to work together down the road.
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Moreover, they urged me to formulate a "fast game," which I did. Next, they wanted a "family" version that could be played with 4 players. That was easily done, and it turns out to be the most intriguing version of all.
Meanwhile, my colleagues weighed in with their own tastes, which were for more complexity, and so I introduced a toroidal board option and a "superprong" option, both of which appeal to people who really love to revel in complexity.
All of these options raise some controversy: is it better to have one canonical game or a game with many variants? Those eager to have official tournaments and the like tend to prefer the former.
I tend to take the long view of this question. Games like Chess or Go evolved over many centuries, and should Octi survive, it is likely to do the same. Time will take the "official" game in unpredictable directions, and I see my role as suggesting a few possibilities for what is really a "game system" as much as a specific game.
Many thanks to Don Green for taking the time to answer these questions and give us some insight into the game of Octi.
Octi, page 1
Octi, page 2
Octi, page 3
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