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Post: Building a Tic-Tac-Toe Game: A Comprehensive Guide with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Tic Tac Toe Game Overview – Tic Tac Toe game mechanics and scoring
The Tic Tac Toe game is a two-player game played on a 3×3 grid. The objective is for one player to get three of their marks in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) before the other player. The game can end in a win for one player or a tie if the grid is filled without any player achieving three in a row.
Gameplay Mechanics
- Grid Setup:
- The game grid is a 3×3 layout with each cell initially empty.
- Players take turns to place their marks (“X” for the player and “O” for the AI) in an empty cell.
- Player Move:
- When the player clicks on an empty cell, the
playerMovefunction is called. - This function updates the cell with the player’s mark (“X”) and checks if the player has won or if the game is tied.
- When the player clicks on an empty cell, the
- AI Move:
- If the player has not won and the game is not tied, the AI makes its move.
- The AI’s move is determined by the selected difficulty level:
- Beginner: The AI selects a random empty cell.
- Intermediate: The AI attempts to block the player’s winning move or selects a random move if no immediate threat is detected.
- Advanced: The AI uses the minimax algorithm to determine the optimal move.
- Winning Check:
- After each move, the game checks for a win using predefined winning patterns (rows, columns, and diagonals).
- If a winning pattern is found, the winning cells are highlighted.
- Game Over and Reset:
- The game ends when a player wins or the grid is filled (tie).
- Players can reset the game using the reset button, which clears the grid and resets the game state.
Scoring System
The scoring system awards points based on the AI difficulty level when the player wins:
- Beginner: 100 points
- Intermediate: 1000 points
- Advanced: 10000 points
The updateScore function updates the score based on the selected AI level and displays the new score.
AI Behavior – Tic Tac Toe game mechanics and scoring
- Beginner Level:
- The AI selects a move randomly from the available empty cells.
- This level provides the least challenge as it does not employ any strategy.
- Intermediate Level:
- The AI checks for any immediate winning moves for the player and blocks them.
- If no immediate threat is detected, the AI selects a random move.
- This level offers a moderate challenge, employing basic defensive strategy.
- Advanced Level:
- The AI uses the minimax algorithm to evaluate all possible moves and their outcomes.
- The minimax algorithm recursively simulates all potential moves and counter-moves to determine the best possible move for the AI.
- This level provides the highest challenge, employing optimal strategy.
Minimax Algorithm – Tic Tac Toe game mechanics and scoring
The minimax algorithm is a decision-making algorithm used for minimizing the possible loss in a worst-case scenario. It is commonly used in two-player games like Tic Tac Toe. Here’s how it works in this game:
- Evaluation:
- The algorithm evaluates the current state of the board for both the player and the AI.
- It assigns scores to terminal states (win, loss, tie).
- Simulation:
- The algorithm recursively simulates all possible moves for both players.
- It selects the move that maximizes the AI’s chances of winning while minimizing the player’s chances.
- Optimal Move Selection:
- The AI selects the move with the highest score from the minimax evaluation.
Summary – Tic Tac Toe game mechanics and scoring
The Tic Tac Toe game involves strategic placement of marks on a 3×3 grid to achieve three in a row. The game includes varying difficulty levels for the AI, each employing different strategies. The scoring system rewards players based on the difficulty level, and the minimax algorithm is used for the highest difficulty to ensure optimal AI performance. The game can end in a win for one player or a tie if the grid is filled without a winner.
Once you cut and paste the code into an HTML file it will work like this below:
Build Tic Tac Toe With JavaScript – Tutorial
Here is the entire games code. Just cut and paste into an HTML file. Enjoy.
Tic-Tac-Toe: A Timeless Strategy Game
Overview
Tic-tac-toe, also known as noughts and crosses (Commonwealth English) or Xs and Os (Canadian and Irish English), is a classic two-player game that uses a 3×3 grid. Players alternate placing Xs and Os with the goal of lining up three of their marks in a row—horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Though simple, the game holds rich educational and strategic value, particularly as an introductory tool in teaching logic and artificial intelligence.
Alternative Names
- Tic-tac-toe (U.S.) — also spelled “tick-tack-toe” or “tick-tat-toe”
- Noughts and crosses (U.K., Australia, India, South Africa, NZ)
- Xs and Os (informal usage)
Game Classification
- Type: Paper-and-pencil
- Players: 2
- Setup Time: Minimal
- Playing Time: ~1 minute
- Chance: None
- Skills: Strategy, observation, tactics
How It Works
Each player chooses a mark—X or O—and takes turns placing it in one of nine squares. The player who aligns three marks in a row first wins. If all squares are filled without either player winning, the game ends in a draw. This outcome is guaranteed with perfect play from both participants.
Strategic Gameplay
A player can ensure a win or a draw using the following strategy:
- Win: Complete a line of three.
- Block: Stop the opponent from winning.
- Fork: Create multiple paths to win.
- Block Fork: Prevent opponent from forking.
- Center: Take center if available.
- Opposite Corner: Take the corner opposite your opponent.
- Empty Corner: Prioritize unoccupied corners.
- Empty Side: Use the sides if no better move is available.
The opening move influences the game dramatically:
- Corner Start: Provides best chances to force mistakes.
- Center Start: Balanced, allows defensive or offensive flexibility.
- Edge Start: Least favorable due to more counters.
History
Ancient boards resembling tic-tac-toe date back to 1300 BC Egypt. Romans played a similar game, terni lapilli, where each player used only three pieces, moving them once placed. The modern names emerged later:
- “Noughts and crosses” was recorded in 1858.
- “Tick-tack-toe” appeared in 1884 but referred to a different game.
- The renaming to “tic-tac-toe” occurred in the 20th century.
In 1952, OXO became one of the first video games, created by Sandy Douglas for the EDSAC computer. In 1975, MIT demonstrated a Tinkertoy-powered computer that could play tic-tac-toe perfectly.
Mathematical Insights
Tic-tac-toe has 138 unique end-game positions after eliminating symmetrical duplicates. With optimal play:
- X wins: 91 scenarios
- O wins: 44 scenarios
- Draws: 3 scenarios
State space complexity: 765 unique positions
Game tree complexity: 26,830 possible games
Generalizations & Variants
Tic-tac-toe is part of the broader family of m,n,k-games, where players aim to connect k in a row on an m × n grid:
- 3D Tic-Tac-Toe: Played on a 3×3×3 board
- Qubic: 4×4×4 grid variant solved to favor the first player
- Numerical Tic-Tac-Toe: Uses numbers 1–9; winning line sums to 15
- Misère Tic-Tac-Toe: Goal is to avoid making three in a row
- Quantum Tic-Tac-Toe: Introduces quantum superposition into gameplay
- Wild Tic-Tac-Toe: Players can place either mark each turn
Isomorphic Games
- Number Scrabble / Pick15: Players choose numbers 1–9; win by selecting any three that sum to 15 (linked to 3×3 magic square)
- Word-Based Variants: Players select words that form a shared feature (e.g., same letter) arranged on a 3×3 grid
Cultural Impact
- Referenced in the 1983 film WarGames to represent unwinnable scenarios
- Used in academic AI demonstrations
- Inspired songs and appeared in arcade attractions with trained animals
- Basis for game shows like Hollywood Squares, Tic-Tac-Dough, and Secret X on The Price is Right
Educational Uses
Tic-tac-toe serves as a tool to:
- Teach strategic thinking and decision trees
- Demonstrate game theory and AI logic
- Introduce children to fair play and competitive reasoning
Final Thoughts
Though simple in design, tic-tac-toe’s depth lies in its strategic nuances, historical significance, and wide cultural presence. It’s a rare example of a game that spans education, entertainment, and early computational research—all within a 3×3 grid.
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About the Author: Bernard Aybout (Virii8)
