i like the idea a lot but finding the optimal configuration for a given piece set was absolutely a brute force affair. since it's solving for the optimal config, it would be nice if you added an upgrade that let the user see.. or at least get a hint at the optimal config.
That was implemented at some point, but I had to remove it. I see the solver as a guide, pushing the player to understand that he needs to (at least try to) optimize, even if he does not find the optimal configuration.
Also, having a “decent” configuration is often largely enough to unlock new upgrades / new cells to buy / new prestige perks pretty fast (less than a minute usually), which would make the “exact best” configuration obsolete already…
The hints could be efficient for very early stages, but at some point, there is no difference between providing the player nothing at all, and providing 1 or 2 exact piece positions, because the complexity is still enormous (the solver literally does billions of iterations for each solving round before it breaks). I would have to almost provide the solution itself. Also this solver breaking is a reminder that brute force is not the appropriate way to solve it, because after that, you’re on your own to solve it.. This should indicate that there should be enough information on the board to exploit the pieces capabilities in various ways to obtain a “good enough” configuration to continue progressing at a good pace in the game.
I started with brute force indeed, then I tried to define some heuristics, but in fact the rules change pretty much every time you buy a perk, an upgrade, a piece or a new square, so the best solution can be pretty much anything for any position. So I gave up the idea of defining heuristics and focused on optimizing the brute force instead..