Simple Hex: A Two-Player Connection Game

Simple Hex is a captivating two-player connection game with straightforward rules, making it easy to learn and quickly master. Players choose red or blue and take turns coloring empty cells on the game 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 three modes: Play with AI, Play with Friends, and Pass & Play. The AI mode provides three difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard), with the AI able to play first or second. "Play with Friends" allows multiplayer gameplay using separate devices, while "Pass & Play" enables local multiplayer on a single device.

Undo Functionality: For those who wish to retract their last move(s), an undo button is available (currently unavailable in AI mode).

Steal Move Feature: To balance the inherent advantage of the first player, the second player can choose to switch positions after the first player's initial move. This forces the first player to consider moves that don't guarantee a win (not available in AI mode).

Board Sizes: Three board sizes (7x7, 9x9, and 11x11) are offered, allowing players to gradually progress to more challenging game lengths.

AI Algorithm: The AI in this version utilizes a "stable" unbounded best-first minimax game technique. For those interested in learning more about the algorithm, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/nsvemuri/. Special thanks to Saatvik Inampudi and Shoheb Shaik for their work on performance improvements to the AI algorithm.

More information about the game Hex can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_(board_game)

Version 0.45 Update (December 18, 2024): This update makes the easy level genuinely easy and slightly reduces the difficulty of the medium level.