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+--- Thread: Is this the Board Game Design tool I need? (/showthread.php?tid=1544)
Is this the Board Game Design tool I need? - Chrrristof - 04-15-2023
Hi,
Really cool project you have here! I like the combination of mathematical &
cultural/historical interest; quite impressive!
I am currently designing a board game, and trying to program it on the fly,
to test & adapt the rules as I go. So far, I have been using Zillions of Games for this, but it seems Zillions' language & AI cannot keep up anymore because of several reasons:
- A few Stratego-like elements (pieces with attributes that are hidden for the opponent).
- Action cards that allow special moves.
- The possibility to make several moves in one turn with different pieces.
I managed to program most of my rules into Zillions, but the AI plays very badly
and of course cheats, because it can 'see' my cards & hidden pieces.
Besides ZoG I don't have any programming experience (although I don't mind a challenge,
and investing some time). I like the fact that Ludii also has a language specifically written for game rules, and also has the AI implemented in the program.
So that brings me to the question I started with: is this the tool I am looking for? Or would
you rather recommend something else?
Kind regards,
Chrrristof
RE: Is this the Board Game Design tool I need? - Eric Piette - 04-18-2023
Hi,
I am the main developer of Ludii and I appreciate your message. Currently, we acknowledge that Ludii does not handle card games well. However, since 2018, our team has been working towards the goals of the Digital Ludeme Project (http://ludeme.eu/) which is funding Ludii. As a result, we have not been able to prioritize card games as much as we would like.
Starting in September, I will be joining a new research lab and will begin working on several new projects that will use Ludii, including one that focuses on improving Ludii's ability to handle card games. While I cannot give you a precise timeline for when this will happen since it will not be my primary work, please be assured that we will eventually cover card games more comprehensively.
Regarding your comment about Ludii's agents not being able to handle hidden information as well as humans, this is a challenging problem in General Game AI. It is also one of my priorities at the new lab, but it may take some time, possibly even requiring a new PhD thesis.
In the meantime, I encourage you to send me the rules of the game you would like to implement. I can take a look and let you know if it is still possible to do so. If not, Ludii will eventually be the tool you are looking for, but it may take a few more years for us to address these issues.
Thank you for your interest in Ludii!