Veiled Dominion — Candidate Exercise & Training Curriculum

Repo Identity

This is not the engine repo. This repository (Loptr-Lab/training) contains a standalone, self-contained TypeScript coding exercise used for candidate evaluation and MN Vocational Rehabilitation (VRS)-supported training.

This exercise is a proxy for real engineering work on Veiled Dominion — completing it well maps directly onto Track A of the training curriculum below, not a disconnected test.

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Quick Start

npm install
npm test

All tests in engine.test.ts and edge-rules.test.ts will fail with "Not implemented" until you implement engine.ts.

Rules

• You may edit: types.ts (internals only — keep the exported shape stable) and engine.ts.
• You may NOT edit: engine.test.ts or edge-rules.test.ts. These are the scoring contracts. If you think a test is wrong, say so in NOTES.md — don't change the test.
• Two interfaces are required, not optional. engine.test.ts tests a functional API (getLegalMoves, applyMove, advanceTurn). edge-rules.test.ts separately tests an object-oriented GameEngine class with matching behavior.
• All mandatory test suites must pass for a submission to be eligible for a "Correctness" score above the minimum. Architecture, extensibility, and clarity are graded separately — see REVIEWER_SCORECARD.md.

Errata (read this before you start)

The original Gale rule ("cannot end on the same row/column it started on") was written for a single straight diagonal slide, which can never land back on its starting row or column — the rule is mathematically redundant in that form.

Exact Contracts the Tests Assume

Tide alternation: a Tide piece's lastMoveAxis is undefined until it moves once. Its first move is unrestricted. Every move after that must be along a different axis (horizontal vs. vertical) than the previous Tide move by that same piece.

Ember midpoint / Steam: an Ember jump is illegal if (a) the midpoint square is occupied by any piece, (b) the midpoint square is currently Steam, or (c) the landing square is currently Steam.

Burning expiry: if a piece becomes Burning as a result of a move made during turn T, it remains Burning during turns T, T+1, and T+2, and is no longer Burning from turn T+3 onward. Both engine.test.ts and edge-rules.test.ts assert this window.

These contracts are spelled out in full so that "my interpretation of the rule was reasonable" isn't a valid defense for a failing test — the test files already encode the one interpretation used for grading.

Required Deliverables

• Engine implementation (TypeScript, Node, no framework) satisfying both the functional API and the GameEngine class
• NOTES.md with:
  • movement-logic vs. reaction-logic boundary decisions
  • design tradeoffs and known limitations
  • what would break first if reactions became a trigger graph
  • any test/ruleset disagreements (if applicable)
• Test output summary (copy/paste from your local run)

Submission Checklist

• Mandatory tests pass in both engine.test.ts and edge-rules.test.ts without modifying either file
• Both the functional API and GameEngine class are implemented
• Task requirements implemented
• NOTES.md included with honest design analysis
• Test output summary included

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Training Curriculum

This exercise is the hands-on centerpiece of Track A: Prototype Engineer below. If you're working through this as part of a VRS training plan or self-directed learning path, the full curriculum progression is:

Phase 0: Foundations (all tracks, ~1 week)

• Study the core game rules (see the engine repo's RULEBOOK_v0.1) well enough to explain them without notes
• Understand the turn/phase loop architecture at a conceptual level
• If working in a team: playtest the tabletop version with 3–4 people before writing code

Checkpoint: you can explain the core rules and diagram the turn loop from memory.

Track A: Prototype Engineer (this repo, ~4 weeks)

Module 1 — Programming Fundamentals TypeScript/OOP fundamentals, finite state machines, test-driven development — this exercise is scored entirely via Jest, so get comfortable reading test output as spec, not just pass/fail.

Module 2 — Spatial & Coordinate Systems Grid movement validation, midpoint/jump logic (Ember), axis-alternation constraints (Tide) — all directly exercised by this repo's test suite.

Module 3 — Status-Effect & Timed State Systems Turn-based expiry logic (Burning), square-status effects (Steam) — the reaction-framework requirement in CANDIDATE.md is explicitly testing whether you can build this as an extensible system rather than hardcode one-off rules.

Module 4 — Systems Integration Putting it together into a coherent, testable engine implementing both required interfaces — this is what REVIEWER_SCORECARD.md's "Reaction framework design" criterion (35% of the score) is actually measuring.

Completion checkpoint: all mandatory tests pass in both harnesses, NOTES.md reflects honest design tradeoffs, and you've added at least one new reaction using your own framework without touching tests.

Track B: Systems Designer (~3 weeks)

Game economy modeling, quantitative balance analysis, structured playtesting methodology. Not exercised directly in this repo — see the engine repo's docs/design/GDD.md for the real economic systems.

Track C: Technical Artist (~2–3 weeks)

Shader programming for the engine's signature visual effects (Death's void material, Rebirth's glow), built against real accessibility constraints — see the engine repo's docs/ENGINE_ACCESSIBILITY_A11Y_PARADOX.md and docs/ENGINE_ACCESSIBILITY_AUDIO_AURA.md.

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Where This Leads

Finishing this exercise well is a real, gradable signal — see REVIEWER_SCORECARD.md for exactly what's being evaluated and how. From here, contributors typically move into Track B or C, or directly into scoped engine-repo tasks.

Related Repos & Docs

• Engine repo: github.com/Loptr-Lab/veiled-dominion-engine — the real game
• Full game design doc: docs/design/GDD.md in the engine repo
• Accessibility engineering specs: docs/ENGINE_ACCESSIBILITY_A11Y_PARADOX.md and docs/ENGINE_ACCESSIBILITY_AUDIO_AURA.md in the engine repo

Contact

Program sponsor: Loptr Lab Questions: questions@loptrlab.com