April was a month that once-again dragged me away from the computer and implementation time, but I've built on last month's success by moving forward nonetheless, by building the modes out, and making sure I haven't introduced any new mayhem!
A new build is on the way, but I would prefer spending a bit more time on it, rather than just releasing as-is with issues I'm already aware of. Please bear with me!
Computer Opponent Mode
Flush from the initial success of training machine-learning agents, I pressed forward and started building out the other 99% of the implementation (a little dev joke there), which is integrating it as an opponent, building out a settings change for the lobby, and making sure that it plays quickly and naturally (i.e. like another player). When I release the patch, it will initially only be with the "Very Easy" mode unlocked, i.e. not much of a challenge, but it's fascinating to know that you are playing against a neural network rather than an algorithm!
Further training for more complex opponents will take more time, and a lot of tweaking. In order to make it a real challenge, I'll be continuing to learn more about the foibles of training, and tweaks I need to make to see further success, and a more challenging opponent.
Below is proof of life! New settings in the "Computer" Mode lobby will allow you to choose a difficulty before entering the game (and it will remember your preferred setting between games):
And here is an example of me playing against the "Very Easy" opponent, which I got to by simply choosing the right mode, and going through the lobby to the game, as if it were an online opponent.
As you can see, it was easy to trick it into a winnable position, but its an opponent nonetheless:
Proper Steam Integration
It's happening! A reviewer correctly pointed out that having a bespoke login system was a little suspicious (absolutely not my intention, more a technical issue I was trying to solve), and in hindsight, it's unnecessary for a small indie game that exists on a platform that already performs authentication when you login. So, here comes Steam authentication!
It's unlikely you will ever actually see this screen, as connecting happens automatically when you choose the "Online" mode, but if you disconnect, or try to start again without Steam being active, then this will appear. I've tested this, and it now integrates well with all my previous online systems, so it's close! No more names and emails and registration (at least on this platform).
There are a constellation of changes that need to be made when you log-in via this authentication system, such as a player's Steam Display Name, and what to do properly when Steam is or isn't present. Steam also has a number of requirements I want to make sure I get right. Still, as a predominantly Steam gamer, I look forward to it just working with the environment I personally prefer (as I'm sure many of you here are).
Keep your eyes peeled for a new version being released, very soon!