Automatic testplaying on the computer !
We(the game designers) want to test for our games more and more, if we can. But most players don’t hope it. They want to play “products” (not a immature).
What should we do ?
Because I am a programmer, I think it better to test our games on the computer. So if you wish, you can test it 10,000 times !
1.How do you run your game automatically ?
If you want to test your game 10,000 times, you must develop a software plays your game automatically.
At first, you must develop a program to deputize players.
It is a function. The player is a function that select (or not select) his/her action from actions he/she can play.
But the player doesn’t drive a game. The player can only switch a game.
So what does drive a game ? It is a rules !
On the basis of the above I’ll defined the game for automatic testplaying.
2.Define the game for programming
The game has rules and continues to apply all rules until it ends.
And I’ll try to consider the other elements of the game.
Rule
The rule is a function. The rule makes a new game context from previous one.
If I show you an example program, it is like this…
Ex) The rule is named “dealAllCards”
// Before the rule is applied print context['deck'].length; // 16 print context['player1']['hands'].length; // 0 next_context = dealAllCards(context); // After the rule is applied print context['deck'].length; // 0 print context['player1']['hands'].length; // 4
In this definition, the context is reliant on previous context only.
This means the program is capable of parallel processing.
Player
As mentioned previously, the player is a function that select his/her action from actions he/she can play.
Ex) The player of “Old Maid”
actions = [ drawCard(prev_player['hand'][0]), // Draw the first card of previous player from the left drawCard(prev_player['hand'][1]), // Draw the second card of previous player from the left ... ]; selected_action = player1(actions);
If you give it a order or weight of the judgement conditions as parameters (or something else), you can get personalized players.
Component
The components is defined and its instance is used in a play.
Ex) The Definition of playing cards
cards = [
{ "suit": "spade", "number": 1 },
...
];
Deck, Hands, Trush and Any Fields on the board
Deck, hands, trush and any fields are just a label.
Ex) The Fields of “Old Maid”
oldMaidContext = {
'players': [
'player1': {
'hands': [] // Hands of player1
},
...
],
'trash': []
};
3.Although…
Although I have defined the game above, it is not efficient that everyone develops a testplaying program under its definition.
So I am developing a testplaying framework now.
