🎮 Ninegems: A Strategic Puzzle Game Reimagined with AI and Love2D

Jigar Maheshwari — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 16:38:40 +0000

Ninegems is a modern digital remake of the classic Nine Men’s Morris board game, built using Love2D, Lua, and Amazon Q CLI. This project blends timeless game mechanics with AI-powered development workflows, delivering a refreshed strategy experience for modern players.

👉 Now available for Windows (64-bit) on itch.io:
🔗 https://jigar-maheshwari.itch.io/ninegems

📸 Screenshots
Here are some visuals of Ninegems in action:

🎯 Why Nine Men’s Morris?
I've played this game many times growing up, and its tactical depth always fascinated me. The goal is simple—form “mills” (three-in-a-row) to remove your opponent’s pieces—but the layers of strategy and timing make it endlessly replayable. I wanted to reimagine this logic-heavy board game into a playable digital form with clean visuals, animations, and ambient sound.

🛠️ Tech Stack

Game Engine: Love2D
Programming Language: Lua
AI Assistant: Amazon Q CLI
Visual Assets: Generated with Layer AI : https://www.layer.ai/
Background Music: Created using Suno AI : https://suno.com/

💡 Prompting Techniques That Worked

Amazon Q CLI made development incredibly productive. Here are a few effective approaches I used:

Prompt by feature scope: Instead of broad asks like

“create movement logic,”

I used focused prompts like

“check if a player can move based on adjacent positions in Lua.”

Edge-case-driven instructions: Highlighting rules like

“if player has only 3 pieces, allow free movement”

helped generate correct logic.

Debug-friendly code: Asking for built-in logging and validation helped trace issues quickly in gameplay flow.

🤖 AI Solutions to Classic Challenges

✅ Mill Detection

function Logic.checkMillsAtPosition(game, position, player)
    for _, mill in ipairs(mills) do
        if table.contains(mill, position) and
           game.board[mill[1]] == player and
           game.board[mill[2]] == player and
           game.board[mill[3]] == player then
            -- Mill formed
        end
    end
end

✅ Victory Logic

function Logic.checkWinCondition(game)
    if Logic.countPieces(game, opponent) < 3 or not Logic.hasValidMoves(game, opponent) then
        return currentPlayer
    end
end

✅ Movement Conditions

if pieceCount == 3 then
    -- Can move to any empty position
else
    -- Restrict to adjacent positions
end

⚙️ Automation That Saved Time

AI accelerated development by handling:

Board-state updates across phases
Turn logic and piece switching
Animation triggers on mill formation
Valid move detection and game-over conditions
Debug printouts for tracing game flow

🎨 Visual & Audio Experience

Artwork: Gem tokens, layered board backgrounds, and mill glow effects were generated using Layer AI.

Sound Effects: Added for placement, movement, and mill events to enhance feedback.

🧠 How to Play – Rules & Strategy

🎯 GAME PHASES

1. PLACEMENT PHASE (9 gems each):

Take turns placing gems on empty positions
Click any empty circle to place your gem
Each player has a 10-minute timer
Continue until all 18 gems are placed

2. MOVEMENT PHASE:

Select your gem by clicking it (yellow ring will show)
Move to an adjacent empty position connected by a line
Timer continues during movement

3. MILL FORMATION & REMOVAL:

Form a mill by aligning 3 of your gems in a straight line
Beautiful visual effects celebrate your mill
Remove 1 opponent gem (highlighted in red)
Gems in mills are protected from removal
Mill events do not consume additional time

⏳ TIMER SYSTEM

Each player starts with 10 minutes

Timer counts down only during your turn
Orange warning: under 2 minutes
Red flashing: under 30 seconds
Game ends immediately if timer hits 0

🎮 CONTROLS

Left Click: Place, select, move, or remove gems
R Key: Restart game (after game over)

🏆 WINNING CONDITIONS

Opponent has 2 or fewer gems left
Opponent has no valid moves
Opponent’s time runs out

💡 STRATEGY TIPS

Manage your time wisely—balance speed and planning

Control central spots for more mill opportunities
Keep your gems in mills to protect them
Watch your opponent’s setup and block mills
Think 2–3 moves ahead to reduce decision time

🧩 Final Thoughts

Ninegems is a turn-based puzzle game combining timeless gameplay with modern tools. Built with the help of AI and a deep love for strategy, it offers a clean, colorful experience for anyone who enjoys thoughtful board games.

🖥️ Play now on itch.io (Windows 64-bit)
🎮 https://jigar-maheshwari.itch.io/ninegems

DEV Community: Jigar Maheshwari

I Developed My First Game

🎮 Ninegems: A Strategic Puzzle Game Reimagined with AI and Love2D

🎮 Ninegems: A Strategic Puzzle Game Reimagined with AI and Love2D