If I could only get my priorities straight and stop building the distributed system (I'm close, I swear), I'm building a digital version where people can build online board games.
Since the rules can be exceptionally complicated, I invented a new language and database idiom to deal with the backend aspect. https://www.adama-platform.com
Interesting concept. I found the page to be a little confusing. You mean you made a language and db to program board game rules? What does the language and db offer that is uniquely helpful for those tasks? Is the db relational?
The language operates on a document model, so the memory model is a document.
A key language aspect is await/async semantics for asking users questions like "which piece would you like to play". While using async is not unique, the document memory model is transactional such that the async messages can be rewound. This allows a single incoming message to translate into exactly one data differential which means now the entire experience can be done in spite of machine failure.
When I was writing games with JavaScript await/async, it was a giant PITA. First, either the transactional boundary was too large and I had to replay an entire round while testing, or I had a lot of bugs. And bugs were exceptionally common which require building a lot of framework.
The database is basically how to productively work within the document, so the primary collection is a table which has basic integrated SQL. I haven't had a need for joins yet, but I plan on them in the future.
This is really cool. How do the prices and component quality compare to other options? Is it affordable enough to use for a kickstarter, or is it more for a custom game for your friends group?
I’ve used it to make a complex game with a big board, jumbo-sized cards, special surface treatments, lots of bits, and a nice box. Cost of materials was about $80 IIRC. (It’s a niche simulation game that I sell for $500 + training, so price wasn’t really an issue.)
Quality was excellent. Somebody who’s more price-conscious could certainly make a good game for much less. I’d certainly recommend them for people interested in making small print runs.
Since the rules can be exceptionally complicated, I invented a new language and database idiom to deal with the backend aspect. https://www.adama-platform.com