Simple Hex: A Two-Player Connection Game
Simple Hex is a captivating two-player connection game with straightforward rules, making it easy to learn. Players choose red or blue and take turns coloring empty cells on the board. The objective is to create a connected path of your colored cells linking opposite sides of the board. The first player to complete this connection wins.
The game offers several modes: Play with AI, Play with Friends, and Pass & Play. The AI mode features three difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard), and the AI can play as either the first or second player. Alternatively, "Play with Friends" allows for multiplayer using separate devices, while "Pass & Play" enables local multiplayer on a single device.
Simple Hex is deceptively challenging. While easy to pick up, mastering the game requires skill and strategy. An undo button lets you reverse your last move(s) – though this feature is currently unavailable in AI mode.
To balance the inherent advantage of the first player, a "Steal Move" option is available. After the first player's initial move, the second player can choose to switch places. This forces the first player to make a carefully considered opening move to avoid an immediate loss. Note that this option is also not available in AI mode.
Three board sizes (7x7, 9x9, and 11x11) provide a gradual increase in complexity, allowing players to progress to longer, more strategic games.
For more information on the game of Hex, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_(board_game)
We extend our gratitude to interns Saatvik Inampudi and Shoheb Shaik for their contributions to performance improvements in the AI algorithm of the initial version. The current AI utilizes a "stable" unbounded best-first minimax game technique. For more details, connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nsvemuri/
What's New in Version 0.45 (Last Updated Dec 18, 2024):
- The easy difficulty level has been adjusted to be genuinely easy, and the medium level is now slightly easier.
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