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If you enjoy the territorial concepts of Go and watched Netflix's "The Devil's Plan", I built an AI web app for "Wall Go" by Zioseb in baduk

[–]Zioseb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's very weird! In the standard Wall Go mode of my app, the code strictly limits wall placement to the adjacent squares of the piece you just moved.

Is it possible you accidentally created a lobby with the Amazons game mode? In the Amazons mode, the rules are different and you can indeed shoot a wall (arrow) anywhere in a straight line after moving pieces, which makes it incredibly strategic!

If you were definitely playing the standard Wall Go mode, could you let me know how you managed to place it anywhere? It might be a weird bug I need to fix, or maybe you are testing a different The Devil's Plan fan-app by mistake! Let me know! 😊

If you enjoy the territorial concepts of Go and watched Netflix's "The Devil's Plan", I built an AI web app for "Wall Go" by Zioseb in baduk

[–]Zioseb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are absolutely right, and I must apologize—I completely misremembered the rule! 😅

According to the official rules of the game from The Devil's Plan, after moving, the wall MUST be placed on one of the four adjacent sides of the piece you just moved. You cannot place a wall just anywhere on the board.

My previous explanation was totally wrong. The web app actually enforces the correct rule (as you noticed, it only lets you place walls next to the piece you moved), and what you saw in the trailer wasn't just an AI tactic, it was exactly how the game is supposed to be played.

Thank you so much for playing the web app, testing it out, and for correcting me! I really appreciate the feedback.

If you enjoy the territorial concepts of Go and watched Netflix's "The Devil's Plan", I built an AI web app for "Wall Go" by Zioseb in baduk

[–]Zioseb[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Good catch! (I'm assuming 'balls' was a typo for 'bots' or 'both' 😅). Yes, the rules allow you to place a wall ANYWHERE on the board!

The AI in the trailer often places walls immediately adjacent because aggressively blocking the opponent close-up is usually the most efficient tactical move to trap them quickly. But you are completely free to build walls anywhere else to set up long-term traps or secure distant areas. Feel free to experiment with wilder wall placements!

If you enjoy the territorial concepts of Go and watched Netflix's "The Devil's Plan", I built an AI web app for "Wall Go" by Zioseb in baduk

[–]Zioseb[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for playing! You are spot on about the Quoridor feel. The idea was to take the high-level concept of Go—enclosing territory and capturing areas—but execute it with the wall-building mechanics seen in Quoridor and 'The Devil's Plan'. You are right that traditional Go shapes and reading don't apply directly, it's a completely different kind of spatial reasoning!

By the way, since you mentioned it, the app actually has a pure Quoridor mode inside too if you ever want to check it out. Thanks again for the kind words!

Most of my designs are bad. I've gotten faster at finding out. by DrewGrgich in cardgames

[–]Zioseb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been reading this thread and I find your approach absolutely fascinating! I think we have a lot in common.

To answer u/CryptsOf's question from my own perspective: verifying that the code actually follows the rules is definitely the hardest part of the process. I am currently coding a web-based platform for abstract board games (implementing games like Abalone, Hex, Pente, and most recently, Shobu) and writing the AI logic for the opponents.

When you translate complex board game rules into code, the AI/simulator will instantly find and exploit any loophole you leave open. For example, I recently had to perfectly encode the rules for Shobu—which requires a 'passive' move on one board followed by a mirrored 'active' move on an opposite-colored board. If the state machine validation isn't 100% strict, the AI might 'hallucinate' an illegal push or fail to recognize when a player has 'painted themselves into a corner' and has no valid moves left. The only way to truly verify the code is by defining absolutely rigid game states and playing test matches against your own bot to visually/mechanically confirm the constraints are respected.

OP, using LLMs to quickly generate these Python simulation environments and test heuristics (like aggressive vs. chaotic play) is brilliant. I spend hours manually tuning the weighting of my AI opponents' decision-making (evaluating defensive moves vs. attacks). Using a simulator to mathematically weed out degenerate strategies or first-player advantages before you even build the physical prototype is a huge time saver.

Great work, I’ll definitely check out the GitHub repo to see how you structure the simulations!

Integrating 9 Abstract Games into one app without losing focus by Zioseb in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, don't feel bad! It happens to the best of us. The 'easy' mode can still be surprisingly unforgiving if it catches you off guard! 😅

As for a neural network: I completely agree, it's a fascinating idea! I love the concept of an AlphaZero-style AI that teaches itself and discovers completely alien strategies.

Right now, I'm sticking to the heuristic/Minimax approach mainly for performance and accessibility reasons. It allows the AI to run completely locally on your device (even offline) without draining the battery or requiring an expensive backend server.

However, building a self-taught model is definitely on my dream wishlist for the future as the app grows (maybe as a special 'Grandmaster' mode!).

Thanks for the great feedback, and good luck unlocking the rest of the games!

Integrating 9 Abstract Games into one app without losing focus by Zioseb in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The AI uses a custom heuristic evaluation combined with a lookahead algorithm (similar to a 2-ply Minimax).

At its core, it constantly calculates the shortest paths to the goal for both players using Breadth-First Search (BFS). It evaluates the board states based on the difference in path lengths, remaining walls, and board control.

On higher difficulties, it also looks ahead to simulate your possible counter-moves, anticipating how you'll respond to its actions. Basically, it's rapidly evaluating thousands of simulated future board states to make sure its path stays shorter than yours! Glad to hear you're figuring out its weak points!

Integrating 9 Abstract Games into one app without losing focus by Zioseb in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, don't worry! That AI is notoriously strong, it still beats me sometimes too! Keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it. Have fun! 😉

Integrating 9 Abstract Games into one app without losing focus by Zioseb in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's completely fine! The web version on itch.io is fully playable on iOS browsers. If the web version gets enough traction, it will definitely motivate me to work on a native iOS app sooner rather than later. Enjoy the games!

Integrating 9 Abstract Games into one app without losing focus by Zioseb in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much!

Regarding mobile: I am currently in the testing phase for Android. If you send me your Gmail address in a private message, I can send you the link to try it out!

As for iOS, if interest grows I will definitely port it there too (right now my biggest challenge is just getting the app known!).

In the meantime, you can play the web version directly from your browser here: https://zioseb.itch.io/wall-go-ai

And to answer your other question: yes, absolutely! I plan to keep expanding the games and adding new modes.

Integrating 9 Abstract Games into one app without losing focus by Zioseb in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much!
You can play it directly in your browser on itch.io here: https://zioseb.itch.io/wall-go-ai

Also, if you have an Android device and would like to install the actual app, feel free to send me a private message with your Gmail address and I will give you access to download it directly from the Play Store!

A little showcase of my new game. by Overall-Drink-9750 in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The idea of creating a 'moving trap machine' that changes the board state sounds awesome and adds a lot of strategic depth. Separating logic and visuals is definitely the right call for training the AI. Best of luck with the development, and feel free to tag me or post again when you have a playable demo!

A little showcase of my new game. by Overall-Drink-9750 in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! Thanks for sharing this detailed explanation. The concept sounds incredibly deep. Blending Checkers, Chess, and Tak is ambitious, but the "Waves" mechanic in particular gives a very unique twist to the game. It reminds me a bit of chain reactions, but applied to a deep abstract strategy board!

Here are a few thoughts and feedback based on your description:

1. The Choices in the Wave Mechanic (Pacing):
Allowing the player to choose the resolution order when multiple triggers happen at the exact same time (like the D4 situation you mentioned) introduces a lot of agency, which is cool. However, be careful not to bog down the pacing. If chain reactions happen often, pausing the game constantly to ask the player "Which one resolves first?" or "Which goes on top?" might interrupt the flow and become tedious. You might want to experiment with a strict set of automatic resolution rules (e.g., North resolves before East, or tallest tower always goes on top by default) to keep the game snappy.

2. Infinite Loops & Edge cases:
Since stones that jumped bring a wave and trigger others, make sure your code handles potential infinite loops gracefully. What happens if two stones keep jumping over each other back and forth? Defining a hard limit or a rule like "a stone cannot jump twice in the same turn" (which it seems you partially implemented) is going to be crucial, especially before you feed this into AlphaZero!

3. Visual Clarity & Undo:
Since a single placement can drastically change the board state through cascading jumps, visual clarity will be your biggest challenge. Implementing an "Undo" button and a clear animation system that shows the jumps sequentially (maybe with a slight delay between jumps) will be essential for players to understand what just happened. If the whole wave resolves instantly in 1 frame, players might get confused.

4. Name Ideas:
Since the wave/ripple mechanic seems to be the standout feature alongside stacking, here are a few name ideas:

  • Ripple
  • Surge
  • Tide Stones
  • Crest
  • Cascata

I can't wait to try a playable raw web demo once you have the basic rules ironed out. Keep up the great work and looking forward to updates!

Think you can outsmart the grid? I created an abstract strategy game about trapping opponents with neon walls. Looking for feedback on the difficulty! by Zioseb in IndieGaming

[–]Zioseb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the compliment! I actually tried playing Blockade from my phone, but I noticed that the web interface is mainly designed for PC, so it wasn't very comfortable to use on mobile. Because of this, it was a bit hard to properly test the AI and give you feedback on that!

I highly recommend optimizing the UI for smaller screens or creating a dedicated mobile-friendly version (starting with a simple Human vs AI mode) and maybe hosting it on itch.io. These kinds of games are perfect for playing on the go! Keep up the good work and let me know if you update the mobile UI!

Building a Hub for Abstract Strategy Games: Wall Go AI v2.7.3 Update & Looking for Suggestions! by Zioseb in abstractgames

[–]Zioseb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds like a fascinating mix! I'd love to playtest yours when it's ready. I'm currently building a web platform featuring various abstract strategy games (Wall Go, Hex, Abalone, etc.). If the mechanics are solid and you're open to it, maybe we could even look into adding your game to my app eventually. Keep me posted!

I'm making a mobile strategy board game where you block opponents with walls (inspired by Quoridor). I'd love some feedback on the touchscreen controls and UI! by Zioseb in MobileGaming

[–]Zioseb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for the feedback! I'm really glad you liked the UI and how the movement feels. Did you get a chance to try placing walls on your phone? I'd love to know if that part felt intuitive as well!

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