HyperXO

HyperXO is an implementation of Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe with a minimax AI, peer-to-peer multiplayer, and a native desktop app.

Features

• Full Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe rules, including directed moves and board resolution
• React + TypeScript frontend with Tailwind CSS
• Minimax AI with alpha-beta pruning, iterative deepening, and transposition tables
• Three difficulty levels: Novax (Easy), Stratix (Medium), Terminus (Hard)
• Choose your symbol (X or O) when playing against AI
• Peer-to-peer friend matches with room codes and QR invites
• Native desktop app via Tauri with embedded signaling server
• Phone players can join by scanning a QR code from the desktop host
• Cross-platform builds (Linux, macOS, Windows) via GitHub Actions

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• Rust toolchain (for desktop builds)

Install dependencies

cd frontend
npm install

Running in the browser (dev mode)

cd frontend
npx vite --host

Navigate to the URL shown in the terminal. AI games work fully in the browser. For multiplayer, you'll need the Tauri desktop app running (it includes the signaling server).

Running the desktop app

cd frontend
npx tauri dev

Or build a release:

cd frontend
npx tauri build

The built executable is in frontend/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

Running tests

cd frontend
npx vitest run

Releasing

To create a new release with cross-platform desktop builds:

git tag v0.2.0
git push --tags

This triggers the CI workflow which builds for Linux, macOS (ARM + Intel), and Windows, then creates a GitHub release with the executables attached.

Architecture

frontend/
  src/
    engine/          # Client-side game engine + AI (TypeScript)
      game.ts        # Board state, moves, Zobrist hashing, make/unmake
      ai.ts          # Minimax with alpha-beta, TT, move ordering, evaluation
    components/      # React UI components
    api.ts           # Room signaling API (Tauri plugin or fetch)
  src-tauri/         # Tauri desktop app (Rust)
    src/
      lib.rs         # App entry, Tauri commands
      signaling.rs   # Embedded WebSocket signaling server (warp)

How it works

• AI games run entirely client-side — no server needed
• Multiplayer uses WebSocket signaling to connect two players:
  • Desktop app: embedded Rust signaling server on port 29170
  • Browser dev: proxied through Vite to a backend server
• The desktop app's signaling server also serves the frontend, so a phone can scan the QR code and load the game directly from the host