u/Zioseb

Hi everyone!

First of all, thank you so much for the amazing feedback I received on my previous post. It really motivated me to keep pushing the project forward.

My vision for Wall Go AI has evolved: rather than just being a single game, my goal is to turn it into a dedicated Hub for Abstract Strategy Games. I want to build a single place where you can jump in and play various strategic classics (and new variants) against a set of AI opponents directly in your browser.

Currently, the platform already features the original Wall Go, along with my own implementations of Quoridor, Game of the Amazons, and Domineering.

So, what's new in version 2.7.3?

• A sneak peek at Abalone: The implementation of Abalone is currently heavily in development! It's not fully playable yet, but the foundation (hexagonal grid mapping, group selection logic, and visual UI) is already taking shape on the platform.
• UI/UX Polishing: Improved visual feedback (like the new golden selection border for grouped pieces) to make the board reading clearer.
• Under-the-hood optimization: Better state management to support multiple completely different rule sets seamlessly.

I would love your input! 💡
Since I want to build this hub for abstract game lovers, I need your advice:
What classic abstract games, or even obscure hidden gems, would you like to see added to the hub next?

Let me know your favorite strategic games in the comments, and I'll see if I can bring them to life against the AI!

You can try the current 2.7.3 version here: https://zioseb.itch.io/wall-go-ai

Thanks again for your support and keep the ideas coming!

Hi r/digitaltabletop!

I want to share a digital board game I've been working on called Wall Go AI.

It's heavily inspired by classic territory-capture and maze-building games (like Quoridor or Go), but with a fast-paced, modern spin. You move your piece or place walls to block opponents—but I’ve added a few twists to make it extremely dynamic:

• 2, 3, or 4 Players: You can play against the AI, or local hot-seat with friends. The board dynamics get absolutely chaotic with 3 or 4 players!
• The 'Wallbreaker': Instead of moving or placing a wall, you can obliterate an opponent's wall once per game to escape a tricky trap or reverse the momentum.
• Two Distinct Game Modes:
  • Dominion: Capture territory by fully enclosing areas. You score points based on the size of the territory you conquer.
  • Escape (New!): A pure, classic race to your opponent's starting baseline on a larger 9x9 board.
• Auto-Pass Logic: Designed for zero waiting! If a player is completely walled in and has no moves left, their turn is automatically skipped to keep the action flowing.

Since this community really understands board game mechanics, I’d deeply appreciate your honest feedback on the AI difficulty (it uses Minimax with alpha-beta pruning!) and the overall UI/UX.

You can play it totally for free in your browser on itch.io or grab the Android version:

• Play on Browser (itch.io): https://zioseb.itch.io/wall-go-ai
• Google Play Store:https://play.google.com/apps/internaltest/4701630510403699104 ( gmail address needed

I'd particularly love to know if the 'Extreme' AI gives you a run for your money in Dominion mode. Let me know what you think!

Hi everyone!

A while ago I shared my digital abstract game, Wall Go (inspired by the territory-building game from Netflix's The Devil's Plan). The discussions that happened in the comments here were incredibly eye-opening. You guys really know your game design theory! Some of you brilliantly pointed out the mathematical similarities with Game of the Amazons and Fendo, bringing up valid concerns about rule loops and the classic First-Player Advantage (FPA).

I took your feedback to heart. I just pushed a major update addressing the visual clarity (SVG paths are strictly orthogonal now) and fixed the confusing UI bugs, but more importantly... I wanted to test your theory on the First-Player Advantage.

I stripped the game from the React UI, built a headless Node.js script, and ran a Monte Carlo "Self-Play" Simulation. I pitted two cloned instances of the 'Hard' AI against each other (injecting microscopic random noise in tie-breaker evaluations to ensure variety) for exactly 10,000 matches on the standard 7x7 Neon grid.

Here are the statistical results:

• Games played: 10,000
• P1 Win Rate (Starts first): 55.4% (~5,540 wins)
• P2 Win Rate: 44.6% (~4,460 wins)

The data is clear: The FPA in Wall Go is mathematical fact. In territory-enclosure topologies, putting down the very first wall allows P1 to dictate the inertia of the board. P2 spends the rest of the game playing defensively, and ends up losing by a razor-thin margin (often a 1 or 2-tile difference in territory score).

Now I need your expert advice on how to balance this!

As an indie dev, I want to implement the most elegant solution. Which of these 3 approaches do you think fits this genre best?

Option A: The Komi System (Score Handicap)
Since the statistical gap is around 11%, I could auto-award P2 with a fixed "+1.5 territory points" at the start of the game, neutralizing the first placement advantage and preventing exact ties.

Option B: The "Pie Rule"
The tournament classic. P1 makes their first move (Move + Wall). Then, P2 evaluates the board and can say: "I like your move, let's swap colors." P2 becomes P1. This forces P1 to play an intentionally weak or balanced opening.

Option C: Throttled Opening
A structural rule change: The player who goes first is allowed to move a piece on Turn 1, but is not allowed to place a wall.

Option D: Something Else?
Is there a better balancing mechanism I'm not thinking about?

Let me know your thoughts! Working with this community is making me a better game designer.

If you want to try the updated version (or try to beat the Extreme AI), here are the links:
🌐 Web version (playable in browser): https://zioseb.itch.io/wall-go-ai
📱 Android Internal Test: https://play.google.com/apps/internaltest/4701630510403699104

need the gmail address

Cheers!