🎮 Connect-4 Game with Smart AI

🏆 Game Overview

Connect Four is a classic two-player strategy game:

• Players take turns dropping colored discs (Red/Yellow) into a 6×7 grid.
• Discs occupy the lowest available slot in a column.
• The goal: Connect four of your discs vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
• Game ends when the board is full; the player with the most connected-fours wins.

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🤖 AI Opponents

The game supports two advanced AI algorithms:

Algorithm	Description
Minimax	Evaluates all possible moves to an optimal depth. Thorough but slower.
Alpha-Beta Pruning	Optimized Minimax that skips irrelevant branches for faster computation.

AI Features:

• Configurable difficulty levels: Easy → Expert (depth 2–8)
• Real-time move evaluation per column
• Interactive decision-making visualization

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🎯 Features & Objectives

✅ Interactive Game Board:

• 6×7 grid with real-time piece visualization
• Highlights current player’s potential move

✅ AI Decision Panel:

• Displays algorithm type, search depth, thinking time
• Shows column-by-column move evaluation
• Includes visual bar graph of AI evaluation

✅ Game Setup Interface:

• Choose game mode: Human vs Human, Human vs AI, AI vs AI
• Select AI difficulty and algorithm

✅ Game Outcome:

• Clear victory announcement
• Highlight winning combination for immediate feedback

✅ Educational Value:

• Learn Minimax and Alpha-Beta Pruning in action
• Understand AI decision-making strategies

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🛠 Technical Details

• Core Algorithms:

  • Minimax (basic AI)
  • Alpha-Beta Pruning (optimized AI)

• Board Evaluation: Heuristic scoring of positions

• Gameplay Mechanics:

  • Valid move checking
  • Win condition detection (horizontal, vertical, diagonal)
  • Turn management & animations

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💡 Screenshots / Demo

(Include screenshots of the board, AI panel, and setup menu here)

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⚡ Installation & Running

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd Connect-4-game

2. Install dependencies:

pip install numpy pygame

3. Run the game:

python connect_four.py

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🌟 Future Enhancements

• Add sound effects and animations
• Allow custom board sizes and piece colors
• Implement online multiplayer mode
• Add save/load game state functionality

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🚀 Why This Project?

This project is more than a game:

• Combines strategy, AI, and interactive UI
• Great for learning game AI concepts
• Perfect for portfolio showcase with professional presentation