Release notes moved here from a now defunct blog. Beware; there are broken links here.
Version 0.2.1 -------------
I just fixed a bug that caused Phage to be confused about whether you or the AI had won the game. This would sometimes cause Phage to declare that the AI won the game, when in fact you had. Pesky cheating AIs. At least I get to test whether auto-updating with Sparkle works then, which I introduced in the last release.
Download Phage 0.2.1 (0.5 MB disk image). Visit the homepage.
Version 0.2 -----------
There's not a lot of changes in here, but one of them should make incremental releases much more manageable. I also gave the website a little face lift, so hopefully it shouldn't scare off people now.
The changes in this release are:
- Added a progress indicator for things that go on in the background.
- Added a "Move hint" menu item. Selecting this makes the AI give you a hint for a move.
- Added a "Check for updates" menu item to check if new versions are available, using the wonderful Sparkle framework. You also have the option to automatically check for new versions on startup.
Download Phage (0.5 MB disk image). Visit the homepage.
Phage is a strategy game for 2 players, where you play against an AI (built using my game-tree search framework). The interface is a bit crude—click origin, then click target instead of drag and drop—and the featureset is somewhat limited, but it's got the basics (making moves, undo) and I'd like it out there for people to play with.
Previously I've just been re-implementing old classics (like
Reversi &
Connect-4), but this is completely
original. After seeing some of my game-tree search work online Steve Gardner, Phage's
inventor, contacted me about creating a computer version of his game. So I did, after
stalling mulling it over for about a year.
I created the core of the game logic at a hack day four weeks ago and a first stab at an interface the following weekend. A new hack day is coming up, and assuming I get the chance to hack more on Phage then, what do you think I should focus on next? A more challenging AI? Drag-n-drop of pieces? Highlight possible moves? Answers in the comments please!