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Welcome to the 2048ish blog! This is where we’ll document our journey building AI agents for the classic sliding puzzle game.

But first, you need a solid foundation. Before we could teach machines to play 2048, we had to build a proper implementation of the game itself.

The Classic Implementation

Our implementation focuses on clean architecture and performance:

Game Engine

The core game logic is separated into distinct modules:

• Game Logic: Handles tile merging, movement validation, and win/lose conditions
• Renderer: Manages the visual presentation and animations
• Input Handler: Processes keyboard, touch, and swipe gestures
• Game Manager: Orchestrates the overall game state

interface GameState {
  board: number[][]
  score: number
  gameOver: boolean
  won: boolean
  moves: number
}

class GameController {
  private state: GameState
  private renderer: Renderer
  private inputHandler: InputHandler

  move(direction: Direction): boolean {
    const newBoard = this.calculateMove(direction)
    if (this.boardsEqual(this.state.board, newBoard)) {
      return false // No valid move
    }
    
    this.state.board = newBoard
    this.state.score += this.calculateScore(newBoard)
    this.addRandomTile()
    this.renderer.render(this.state)
    return true
  }
}

What Makes It Different

This isn’t just another 2048 clone. We built it with AI experimentation in mind:

• Deterministic replay: Every game can be perfectly replayed from a seed
• Move recording: Complete game histories for training data
• Performance optimized: Smooth 60fps animations even with AI making rapid moves
• Clean API: Easy for AI agents to interface with the game state

The Visual Experience

The interface combines the familiar 2048 aesthetic with modern touches:

• Smooth tile animations using CSS transforms
• Responsive design that works on mobile and desktop
• Clean typography and color palette inspired by the original
• Subtle visual feedback for successful moves and merges

Next Up: Teaching Machines to Play

With our solid foundation in place, the real fun begins. Coming up, we’ll explore how to build AI agents that can actually get good at this deceptively complex game.

Spoiler alert: it’s harder than it looks! 🎮

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Try out the classic mode to see the implementation in action.