Simple Hex

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 "Play with AI," "Play with Friend," and "Pass & Play" modes. The AI mode features three difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard), and the AI can play first or second. Alternatively, "Play with Friend" allows for multiplayer gameplay using separate devices, while "Pass & Play" enables local multiplayer on a single device.

Simple Hex is deceptively challenging. While easy to grasp, mastering the game requires skill and strategy. An undo button allows you to revert your last move(s), although this feature is not yet available in AI mode.

Steal Move Feature: To balance the inherent advantage of the first player in Hex, a "Steal Move" option lets the second player switch places with the first player after the first move is made. This forces the first player to make a move that doesn't guarantee a win. This option is also unavailable in AI mode.

Three board sizes (7x7, 9x9, and 11x11) provide a gradual increase in complexity and playtime.

Learn more about Hex at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_(board_game)

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to interns Saatvik Inampudi and Shoheb Shaik for their work on performance improvements to the AI algorithm in the first version. The current AI uses a "stable" unbounded best-first minimax game technique. For more information on this, contact me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nsvemuri/

Version 0.45 (Updated Dec 18, 2024): This update makes the easy level truly easy and slightly reduces the difficulty of the medium level.