The Concept
Light vs. Dark (LvD) is the working title for a game project I’ve been working on for years as time allows. It is tile-based strategic puzzle game where players attempt to reach the opposing player’s “gate”. At first glance it is a relatively easy game to understand, as its mechanics are based on a rock/paper/scissors system.
What makes LvD’s mechanics more strategic is that tiles can be combined into more powerful ties, and players can even merge tiles with the opposing player’s tiles. By using these combinatory effects, players can setup chained attacks and outcomes that advance their side forward.
Development Approach
This project was built completely in Swift and is built in two parts so that the game engine can be trained by conventional AI training systems, separately from the UI and gameplay layer.
After coding the first functional prototype myself, I was able to use AI coding tools to bring the game into a playable state with the following features:
- iOS GameKit support for online multiplayer
- Gameplay recording for later replay and bug evaluation
- Combination viewer UI to show discovered combinations
- SpriteKit tile effects
- Metal shader for opening screen “lava lamp” background
- AI Opponent trained in both factions
Next Steps
In the future this game will be made available on the Apple App Store, and be part of a massive online game where players compete in global factions.