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 game board. The objective? 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 gameplay modes: Play with AI, Play with a Friend, and Pass & Play. The AI mode features three difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard), and the AI can play first or second. Alternatively, you can play against a friend using separate devices ("Play with a Friend") or engage in local multiplayer using a single device ("Pass & Play").

While simple to grasp, Simple Hex offers a challenging strategic depth. An undo button lets you revert your last move(s) – a feature currently unavailable in AI mode.

Steal Move Feature:

To balance the inherent first-player advantage in Hex, the second player can opt to switch positions with the first player after the first move. This forces the first player to make a strategically sound opening move that doesn't guarantee a win. This feature is also unavailable in AI mode.

Three board sizes (7x7, 9x9, and 11x11) provide a gradual increase in complexity, allowing players to progress to longer, more intricate games.

Learn More:

For a deeper understanding of the game of Hex, visit: 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 initial version. The current AI uses a "stable" unbounded best-first minimax game technique. For more information on this, 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 truly easy, and the medium level is now slightly less challenging.