Game testers wanted 2015

How to create the Monopoly Deal Card Game

Yesterday, I published the Monopoly Deal Mini Minipoly Deal, a lite version of the Monopoly Deal Card Game.



Frankly, i was surprised to find that that isnt an official Monopoly Deal Card Game published in the Google Play Store. Furthermore, the information of the Monopoly Deals algorithm is very limited from the search engines. A brief search of "How to create the Monopoly Deal Card Game" would return a dismayed result. Hence, curiosity makes me create this similar card game. And only after several weeks of efforts, I came to know the complexity and the challenges behind. To make the explanation clearer, i summarize the difficulties into several points:

a) Too many cards to fit into the screen

Apart from the 4 rule cards, there are a total of 106 cards comprising CASH, PROPERTY, and ACTION. To be more specific, there are around 10 different colors of property cards which may be placed on the table. How to design the graphic user interface (GUI) to accommodate so much spaces for different players? In my Monopoly Deal Mini, i have reduced the card numbers and the card sizes to compromise this issue. But i know it isnt a perfect solution.

b) Too hard to make a great computer Artificial Intelligence (AI)

There are too much variations in the game play. How to tell the computer to decide placing property first before an action, or vice versa? How to know a Sly action first before a Rent action could impact more to the opponents? What kind of payments are the most advantageous to his own? When to become more offensive or defensive? It seriously depends on how much cards on his own hands, tables and those from the opponents table. Here i have to say my AI is relatively a dumb one... -.-

c) Exception cases are everywhere

There is no general algorithm for this Monopoly Deal Card Game. We have property wild cards that are movable and adjustable at any time. We have Rent actions, Sly Deal, Deal Breaker, Double the Rent, House, Hotel, Pass and Go, Just Say No, and etc which are to be handled differently, and are not categorize-able. Not every property set can own a house or a hotel. How to compute the highest potential Rent? etc etc

In short, only after creating the Monopoly Deal Card Game myself, i realize how complicated this Card Game is. I used to playing this game with lots of fun, but making this to appear as a successful Android game is still to far to achieve....