Medieval Chess

A Feudal Hierarchy Chess Variant with RPG Elements.

Attribute	Details
Status	🚧 Phase 15: Frontend Integration (In Progress)
Core Logic	✅ Standard + Medieval + AI Engines (Minimax/Greedy)
API	✅ ASP.NET Core 9 / SignalR / AI Integration
Frontend	✅ 3D/2D Hybrid Board + Rich Narrative Log + AI Visualization
License	Custom (Educational Use w/ Attribution)
Docs	Architecture • Ruleset • Security

⚔️ Project Overview

Medieval Chess re-imagines the classic game by enforcing the social structures of the Middle Ages onto the board. Pieces are not just units; they are lords and vassals bound by loyalty, capable of defection, promotion, and performing tactical RPG-style abilities.

Key Features

• Feudal Loyalty System: Dynamic chains of command. Capturing a Lord (Queen/Bishop/Rook) causes their Vassals to waver or defect.
• RPG Progression: Pieces gain XP, level up, and unlock ability trees (e.g., Knights learn "Charge", Bishops learn "Sanctify").
• Asymmetric War: "King's Court" (Defensive) vs "Queen's Court" (Offensive) bonuses.
• AI Opponents: Integrated Minimax Bot with "Thinking" visualization.
• Game Modes:
  • Standard: Instant capture, focus on positioning.
  • Attrition: HP-based combat (activates late-game).

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🏗️ Technical Architecture

This project follows Clean Architecture and Domain-Driven Design (DDD) principles.

1. Core Domain (src/MedievalChess.Domain)

• Pure C# 12, zero external dependencies.
• Entities: Game, Piece, Board, LoyaltyRelationship, ActiveEffect, PieceAbility.
• Value Objects: Position, LoyaltyValue.
• Services: LoyaltyManager, AbilityManager, EngineService.

2. Application & API (src/MedievalChess.Application, src/MedievalChess.Api)

• CQRS: MediatR pattern (CreateGameCommand, GetGameQuery).
• REST API: Exposes game state management.
• Infrastructure: In-Memory persistence (Repository Pattern).
• Dependencies: References MedievalChess.Engine for AI logic.

3. Frontend Client (client/)

• React 18 + Vite: Fast SPA framework.
• React Three Fiber: Declarative 3D rendering.
• Zustand: Lightweight state management.

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🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• .NET 9.0 SDK
• Node.js 20+

1. Run the API (Backend)

Open a terminal in the root folder:

dotnet run --project src/MedievalChess.Api/MedievalChess.Api.csproj

The API will start on http://localhost:5267 (or similar).

2. Run the Game (Frontend)

Open a new terminal in the client/ folder:

cd client
npm run dev

Open the URL shown (e.g., http://localhost:5173). The game will automatically create a new match and load the board.

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🗺️ Roadmap & Progress

Current Status: Phase 15 (Frontend Integration).

For the full detailed project roadmap and phase tracking, please see Roadmap.

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📦 API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/Games	Create a new game
GET	/api/Games/{id}	Get game state (pieces, moves, check status)
POST	/api/Games/{id}/moves	Execute a move (with optional promotion piece)
POST	/api/Games/{id}/ai-move	Request AI to calculate and execute a move
GET	/api/Games/{id}/legal-moves/{from}	Get legal destinations for a piece
POST	/api/Games/{id}/resign	Resign the game
POST	/api/Games/{id}/offer-draw	Offer a draw