Help with game algorithm

[timkd127]

Im designing a GUI that is supposed to mimic the game connect four, which i have to design an AI for. I have a working build of the board but im having a hard time coming up with a good way to check for a winner without just brute forcing it with loops. Any help greatly appreciated.

package connectfour;

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;

/**
 *Tim McColgan
 * 
 */
public class Board extends Frame {

    final int row = 6;
    final int col = 7;
    int player = 1;
    int score = 0;
    final Panel game = new Panel();
    Button[][] buttons = new Button[row][col];
    Button newGame = new Button("RESTART");
    int[][] points = new int[row][col];

    Board() {
        super("Connect Four");

        addWindowListener(new WindowAdapter() {

            public void windowClosing(WindowEvent e) {
                System.exit(0);
            }
        });

        setSize(500, 500);
        setVisible(true);
        setLayout(new BorderLayout());
        game.setLayout(new GridLayout(row, col));
        for (int i = 0; i < row; i++) {
            for (int j = 0; j < col; j++) {
                buttons[i][j] = new Button();
                buttons[i][j].setBackground(Color.GRAY);
                buttons[i][j].addActionListener(new ButtonListener());
                points[i][j] = 0;
                game.add(buttons[i][j]);
            }//end j
        }//end i
        add(game, BorderLayout.CENTER);
        newGame.addActionListener(new ButtonListener());
        add(newGame, BorderLayout.NORTH);
    }//end Board()

    private class ButtonListener implements ActionListener {

        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
            boolean restart = false;
            if (e.getSource() == newGame) {
                newGame();
                restart = true;
                player = 1 - player;
            }
            player = 1 - player;

            int y = 0;
            int x = 0;
            if (!restart) {
                while (buttons[x][y] != e.getSource()) {
                    x++;
                    if (y == col) {
                        y = 0;
                    }
                    if (x == row) {
                        x = 0;
                        y++;
                    }//end if

                }//end while

                while (x < row - 1 
                        && buttons[x + 1][y].getBackground() != Color.red 
                        && buttons[x + 1][y].getBackground() != Color.blue
                        && !restart) {
                    
                    if (player == 0) {
                        buttons[x][y].setBackground(Color.BLUE);
                    } else {
                        buttons[x][y].setBackground(Color.RED);
                    }//end elseif
                    try {
                        Thread.sleep(75);//Animate piece drop.
                    } catch (Exception exc) {
                        System.out.println("!");
                    }//end try-catch
                    if (buttons[x][y].getBackground() != null) {
                        buttons[x][y].setBackground(Color.GRAY);
                        x++;
                    }// end if

                }//end while


                if (player == 0) {
                    buttons[x][y].setBackground(Color.blue);
                    points[x][y] = -1;
                } else {
                    buttons[x][y].setBackground(Color.red);
                    points[x][y] = 1;
                }//end elseif
                buttons[x][y].setEnabled(false);
            }
            score = gameScore();
            if ((score <= 4 && score >= 1) || (score >= -4 && score <= -1)) {
                System.out.println("Winz");
            }
        }//end if
    }//end actionPerformed()

    public int gameScore() {
        int status = 0;
        for (int i = row - 1; i > 1; i--) {
            for (int j = col - 1; j > 1; j--) {
                status += points[i][j];
                System.out.println(i+" "+j + "at point: "+points[i][j]);
            }
            if ((status <= 4 && status >= 1) || (status>= -4 && status <= -1)) {
                return status;
            }
            status = 0;
        }
 
        return status;
    }

    public void newGame() {
        for (int i = 0; i < row; i++) {
            for (int j = 0; j < col; j++) {
                buttons[i][j].setBackground(Color.GRAY);//reset buttons
                buttons[i][j].setEnabled(true);         //turn on buttons
            }//end j
            }//end i
        }//end newGame()
    }//end inner class
//}//end outer class

The for loop in the gameScore() calculates a win horizontally.

[toadaly]

There's nothing wrong with brute force when it makes sense to use it, but if you want an algorithm that finds line segments, consider the Hough transform. Treat the grid as if it were an image.

[JosAH]

Im designing a GUI that is supposed to mimic the game connect four, which i have to design an AI for. I have a working build of the board but im having a hard time coming up with a good way to check for a winner without just brute forcing it with loops. Any help greatly appreciated.

You can reduce the search space tremendously by applying a bit of reasoning: before the move was made there was no winner so the position of the last move must be part of the winning configuration. Search, starting from that last position in all eight (*) directions and count the number of coins that have the same colour as the current coin that are adjacent; if you find four or more that last move was a winning move and the game ends.

kind regards,

Jos

(*) actually there are seven directions because the current coin has to be the topmost coin so you don't need to search upwards.