Project: Puzzle Mode

[Agetian]

Hi guys,
I think I'm going to (slowly) try tackling the project I nurtured in my mind for quite a while by now - that is, Puzzle Mode. In this mode the player will choose one of a number of predefined game states which constitute a puzzle - in my current design it should be possible to define the contents of hands, the current battlefield position, the contents of other zones (library, graveyard, exile), starting life points and poison counters, win conditions (e.g. win within a given number of turns, can later be improved to account for alternate win conditions). Internally the Puzzle Mode will start a one-game match, set up a game state in a specific way according to the puzzle state file, then proceed normally but account for the specified win conditions.

If this works out well the next step may be allowing specific AI reactions to specific events (not sure if this will be needed/in demand, but it may be possible to define certain specific AI reactions as to what should be countered, what spells should be played and in what order, etc.).

I think that the bare minimum I'm planning should be fairly non-intrusive (except for wiring up a new mode to the main screen and modifying the match setup functions to account for the puzzle mode as being a 1-game match). However, even these code modifications may have some unpredictable effect elsewhere in the game, so I have a couple questions:

1) Do you think it's worth going for it - as in, would this be an interesting addition to Forge?
2) If yes, then would it be better to proceed in a branch or in trunk but with the relevant code disabled (similar to Myrd's simulation AI).

Your thoughts are welcome!

- Agetian

[Xitax]

I came close to suggesting the same thing but decided not to since I can't contribute to coding.

I think the biggest challenge would be creating the puzzles.