Game Logic - How Decisions Are Made

What is NewBlockBlastLogic?

NewBlockBlastLogic is the intelligent system that picks which shapes to give you. It's not random - it's smart!

Goal: Keep game challenging but not impossible.

Why do we need smart logic?

Without smart logic (pure random):

Game gives: [huge L] [huge T] [huge Z]
Board: 90% full
Result: INSTANT GAME OVER 😢

With smart logic:

Game gives: [small line] [single] [medium square]
Board: 90% full
Result: Player can clear lines and continue! 😊

How it works - Simple explanation

The 3-Step System

Step 1: Try to find COMBO shape
   ↓ Found?
   Yes → Give it + 2 balanced shapes
   No → Go to Step 2
   ↓
Step 2: Try to find NEAR-MISS shape
   ↓ Found?
   Yes → Give it + 2 balanced shapes
   No → Go to Step 3
   ↓
Step 3: Give 3 SAFE shapes
   (Always fit somewhere)

What are these shape types?

Type	Description	Example
COMBO	Instantly completes a line	Line that fills last 3 cells in row
NEAR-MISS	Almost completes line (1-2 cells missing)	Would complete if 1 more piece placed
SAFE	Small, always fits somewhere	Single cell, small 2×2 square

The Strategy

Early Game (Board <50% full)

Give: Mostly medium/large shapes
Why: Player has space, can handle bigger pieces
Effect: Faster scoring, more freedom

Mid Game (Board 50-75% full)

Give: Mix of sizes
- 1 combo/near-miss opportunity
- 1 medium shape
- 1 small/safe shape
Why: Balance challenge with possibility

Late Game (Board >75% full)

Give: More small shapes, higher combo chance
Why: Player needs help clearing space
Effect: Still challenging but not impossible

Key Algorithms

1. Find Immediate Combo

For each shape in pool:
  For each position on board:
    If placing shape here clears any line:
      → Return this shape! ✓

If no combo found:
  → Continue to next step

2. Find Near-Miss

For each line (row/column):
  Count empty cells
  If 1-2 empty cells:
    → This is "almost full"

For each shape:
  For each position:
    If placing shape fills almost-full line:
      → Return this shape! ✓

3. Safe Fallback

Filter shapes by:
  - Can be placed SOMEWHERE on board
  - Sorted by size (small → large)

Give mix:
  - 1 small (always fits)
  - 1 medium
  - 1 random

Adaptive Difficulty

System tracks player performance:

Player clearing many combos:
   ↓
Increase difficulty
   ↓
Give fewer combo opportunities
Give larger shapes

Player struggling:
   ↓
Decrease difficulty
   ↓
Give more combo opportunities
Give smaller shapes

Constants (Tuning Knobs)

These control the system:

SHAPES_PER_TURN = 3          // How many shapes per turn
MAX_MISSING_CELLS = 8        // Max empty cells in "near-miss"
HIGH_FILL_THRESHOLD = 0.76   // When board is "full" (76%)
MIN_PLAYABLE_SHAPES = 3      // Min shapes that must fit
MAX_ATTEMPTS = 150           // Max tries to find good set

What they do

Constant	Effect if increased	Effect if decreased
SHAPES_PER_TURN	More choices → easier	Fewer choices → harder
MAX_MISSING_CELLS	More "near-miss" → easier	Stricter matching → harder
HIGH_FILL_THRESHOLD	Earlier help → easier	Later help → harder
MIN_PLAYABLE_SHAPES	Must fit more → easier	Can give impossible → harder

Pattern Recognition

Almost-Full Lines

System detects patterns:

Full row:
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■  ← Would clear

Almost full (1 missing):
■ ■ □ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■  ← Could give shape to fill

Almost full (2 missing):
■ □ ■ ■ ■ □ ■ ■  ← Could give shape to fill

Smart Shape Selection

If missing cells are:
  Adjacent (■ ■ □ □ ■):
    → Give 2-cell line shape

  Scattered (■ □ ■ □ ■):
    → Give L or T shape

  Corners (□ ■ ■ ■ □):
    → Give corner shape

Balance System

After picking priority shape, fills remaining:

Priority shape picked: Large (5 cells)
   ↓
Balance:
  Shape 2: Small (1-2 cells)
  Shape 3: Medium (3-4 cells)

Why? Ensures at least ONE shape is easy to place!

Validation

Before giving shapes to player:

Check: Can player place at least 3 shapes?
   ↓ Yes
   Give shapes ✓
   ↓ No
   Try again (up to 150 attempts)
   ↓ Still no?
   Give 3 guaranteed-safe shapes

This prevents impossible situations!

Example Scenario

Board State

  0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
0 ■ ■ □ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■  ← 1 cell missing!
1 □ □ □ ■ □ □ □ □
2 ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □
3 □ □ □ ■ □ ■ ■ □

Logic Decision Process

1. Check for combo:
   → Row 0 needs 1 cell at position (0,2)
   → Found single-cell shape! ✓

2. Pick combo shape:
   Shape 1: Single cell ■

3. Balance with 2 more:
   Shape 2: 3-cell line ■ ■ ■
   Shape 3: 2×2 square ■ ■
                      ■ ■

Result: Player has combo opportunity + backup options

Common Modifications

Make game easier

// Give more combo opportunities
HIGH_FILL_THRESHOLD = 0.60f;  // Was 0.76

// Require more shapes to fit
MIN_PLAYABLE_SHAPES = 4;  // Was 3

// Allow more missing cells
MAX_MISSING_CELLS = 12;  // Was 8

Make game harder

// Give fewer combo opportunities
HIGH_FILL_THRESHOLD = 0.85f;

// Can give fewer playable shapes
MIN_PLAYABLE_SHAPES = 2;

// Stricter near-miss
MAX_MISSING_CELLS = 4;

Remove intelligence (pure random)

// In NewBlockBlastLogic.cs
public ShapeData[] PickTurnSet(ShapeData[] pool)
{
    // Just pick 3 random shapes
    return pool.OrderBy(x => Random.value).Take(3).ToArray();
}

Performance

• Very fast - runs in <1ms even on slow devices
• Cached checks - board state analyzed once
• Early exits - stops when good solution found
• Fallback safety - always has backup plan

What's Next?

• 🧠 AI & Difficulty - deep dive into NewBrain
• 📊 Scoring - how points are calculated
• ⚙️ Customization - tune the logic

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For Advanced Users

Modifying these algorithms can dramatically change game feel. Test extensively!