Unbeatable Tic-Tac-Toe with Minimax (Java Swing)

This project implements two versions of the classic game Tic-Tac-Toe:

1. TicTacToeClassic: A traditional two-player version where users take turns marking X's and O's.
2. TicTacToeAI: A single-player version where the user plays against an AI opponent powered by the Minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning. (Which is impossible to defeat, the best you can do is a draw)

Features

• Graphical User Interface (GUI): Uses Java Swing to create an interactive and visually appealing game board.
• AI Opponent (TicTacToeAI): Implements the Minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning for intelligent decision-making. The AI is designed to be unbeatable.
• Win/Loss/Draw Detection: Automatically determines the outcome of the game and displays a message accordingly.
• Scorekeeping: Keeps track of wins for both the player and the AI (in TicTacToeClassic).
• Clear Board Functionality: Allows resetting the game to start a new round.

Implementation Details

TicTacToeClassic

• JButton Array: Uses a 2D array of JButton components to represent the game board.
• ActionListener: Each button has an ActionListener to handle player moves, update the board, and check for wins/draws.
• checkWin Method: Iterates through rows, columns, and diagonals to check for winning combinations.
• winLogic Method: Handles the logic for displaying the winner and updating the score.
• clearBoard Method: Resets the board and clears the game state.

TicTacToeAI and Minimax

• Minimax Class: Implements the Minimax algorithm with alpha-beta pruning in a separate class.
• evaluate Method: Recursively evaluates the game tree to determine the best move for the AI.
• checkWin and checkDraw Methods: Helper functions to determine the game state.
• AIMove Method: Calls the Minimax class to calculate the optimal move and updates the board.

How to Play

• Here's a web representation of the GAME.

1. Clone the Repository:

git clone https://github.com/loftyyyy/TicTacSwing

2. Compile and Run:

javac org/example/*.java
java org.example.TicTacToeClassic  // For two-player mode
java org.example.TicTacToeAI       // For AI mode

Code Structure

• TicTacToeClassic: Main class for the two-player game.
• TicTacToeAI: Main class for the AI version.
• Minimax: Companion class for TicTacToeAI that implements the Minimax algorithm.
• BtnActionListener (in TicTacToeAI): ActionListener for button clicks.
• showMessage (in TicTacToeAI): Runnable to display the game result.
• ButtonActionListener (in TicTacToeClassic): ActionListener for button clicks.
• showWinDialog (in TicTacToeClassic): Runnable to display the game result.

Resources

• Minimax Algorithm Explanation: Algorithms Explained – minimax and alpha-beta pruning (Sebastian Lague)

Improvements and Future Work

• Improved UI: Consider using more modern-looking UI elements and enhancing the overall visual appeal of the game.
• Difficulty Levels: Implement different difficulty levels for the AI opponent by adjusting the depth of the Minimax search.
• User Interface: Consider adding a menu for choosing game modes (two-player or AI) and potentially customizing game settings.
• SFX: Implement different sound effects when an event happens.

Learnings

• I have learned how to implement, think outside the box, and search for resources online .
• Algorithms made me think of other ways to create a simple mechanism. It makes you think intuitively. For example, my logic for checking if a game state is in a draw.

Also check out my MIDI machine (https://github.com/loftyyyy/MIDI-Machine) Project

tictacai.mp4