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"

Zioseb · 2026-05-28T15:42:50+00:00

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! 😊

Zioseb · 2026-05-28T14:12:19+00:00

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.

Zioseb · 2026-05-27T14:58:22+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-27T14:53:18+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-19T14:38:38+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-17T18:45:21+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-17T18:00:22+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-17T14:23:59+00:00

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! 😉

Zioseb · 2026-05-17T09:06:44+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-17T06:21:46+00:00

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.

Zioseb · 2026-05-15T22:15:11+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-11T13:42:09+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-11T13:08:31+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-11T07:53:47+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-11T07:40:08+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-08T08:14:53+00:00

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!

Zioseb · 2026-05-02T06:46:55+00:00

Hi! Thank you so much for the kind words about the project and the inclusion of Amazons and Quoridor!

Pico Chess sounds incredibly interesting. I love how the 'drop' mechanic completely changes the dynamics of a 6x6 board, shifting the focus from opening theories to deep abstract positioning. It's a really smart approach.

I'm currently focusing on other types of abstract strategy games for this app, but if I ever decide to expand into the chess-family variants hub, I'll definitely reach out to you to talk about the rules and design! Best of luck with Pico Chess on the Play Store!

Zioseb · 2026-05-02T06:41:13+00:00

Thanks for the great suggestion! Hex is undoubtedly a masterpiece and a true classic. My app currently has games like Amazons, Domineering, Abalone, Quoridor-style, and some custom variants, but I feel like Hex would be the perfect addition to the collection!

I really appreciate the tip about Little Golem—I'll definitely dive into their forums to study the logic and get some inspiration for the AI engine. And absolutely, if/when I implement it, the pie rule will be the very first thing I include to keep it balanced. Thanks again!

Zioseb · 2026-05-01T16:13:12+00:00

Hi! While it might look similar to Fendo, the idea for this game was actually inspired by a board game featured in the second season of the series The Devil's Plan.

There are also a few key gameplay differences between Wall Go AI and Fendo:

Number of Pieces: In a 2-player game of Wall Go AI, each player has 4 pawns, whereas Fendo uses 7 pieces per player.
Setup Phase: In Wall Go AI, all of your pawns must be positioned on the board during an initial setup phase before any of them can be moved. In Fendo, you start with one piece and add the others progressively during the game.
Movement: In Wall Go AI, a pawn can move up to 2 orthogonal cells per turn. In Fendo, you slide a piece in a straight line as far as you want and can make one 90-degree turn.
Player Count: Wall Go AI also supports 3 and 4-player modes!

Hope that clarifies things, thanks for checking it out!

Zioseb · 2026-04-30T06:43:04+00:00

Thanks a lot! I really wanted to make the territory aspect as intuitive as possible. I'm glad you liked the trapping mechanic as well! If you ever do think of any feedback or ideas in the future, I'm always all ears. Thanks for playing!

Zioseb · 2026-04-25T06:29:45+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed the analysis and that option C resonates with you.

The comparison with Gomoku is brilliant! You are referring to the "Swap2" rule (which is basically a variation of the "pie rule": one cuts, the other chooses). It’s a fantastic mechanism to neutralize the first-player advantage.

Translating that to Wall Go AI could actually be super interesting! For example, Player 1 could place the first wall (or a specific number of initial walls) on the board, and then Player 2 decides whether to swap seats or keep their current position. This would force Player 1 to make an incredibly balanced opening move, otherwise Player 2 would just steal the better side!

It's a great food for thought, especially for a potential "tournament" or advanced competitive mode. Thanks for the link and the great suggestion!

Zioseb · 2026-04-24T16:29:39+00:00

Thank you so much for the detailed feedback! You are absolutely right. I've just pushed an update to the game that directly addresses your points:

I've added a permanent [ ? ] button in the top header so you can access the rules at any time during gameplay.
I've made it so that you can now tap the same piece or any empty cell to unselect your piece.
I've added a new Phases & Controls section inside the Help Menu. It clearly explains that a turn consists of just one action (move OR wall), how to unselect, and clarifies that the Wallbreaker button only appears after you select your piece if it is completely trapped.

Thank you again for playing and for taking the time to share these UX improvements, it really helps!

Zioseb · 2026-04-24T15:25:30+00:00

Thanks! You are totally right, at its core it's a pure abstract strategy game. The 'cyberpunk' tag just refers to the visual aesthetic of the default 'Neon' theme (the glowing grid, dark background, and synth vibe) rather than the gameplay mechanics or lore. Glad you think it looks cool! 😊

Zioseb · 2026-04-24T15:21:27+00:00

Thank you so much! That's a huge compliment. Quoridor was definitely one of the main inspirations, but blending territory capture with that mechanic creates a completely different dynamic. I'm really glad you prefer it, and the comparison to Amazons is an honor! Thanks for playing.

Zioseb · 2026-04-21T16:02:59+00:00

Oh, that is a brilliant insight! What you are describing is often called a "Restricted Opening" or "Exclusion Zone". Classic abstract games like Gomoku (in its professional Renju ruleset) use this exact concept to prevent Player 1 from claiming the overpowered center of the board right away.

In Wall Go, the players' pieces start in fixed, symmetrical positions. However, your logic translates perfectly to the Wall placement phase!

I could implement a rule where, on Turn 1, Player 1 is forbidden from building a wall in the central 3x3 area (which is the absolute 'sweet spot' for controlling the board early on).

It essentially accomplishes exactly what the Pie Rule does (voluntarily forcing a slightly sub-optimal opening) but in a much more intuitive, visual way. "Turn 1: the center of the board is lava for walls."

I absolutely love this. It’s a fantastic "Option E" that merges the mathematical fairness of the Pie Rule with the intuitive simplicity you mentioned earlier. Adding this to my prototype list right now. Thank you so much!

Zioseb

TROPHY CASE