NAME

gobang - Console-based Gomoku game

SYNOPSIS

gobang [-v | -h]

DESCRIPTION

gobang is a Gomoku game that runs in the console. Players can choose to play against another player or challenge an AI opponent with different difficulty levels. The game is played on a 15x15 board, with the goal of connecting five pieces horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

OPTIONS

-v

Display version information

-h

Display help information

-2

Start the game in player vs player mode

-1

Start the game in player vs AI mode

GAME MODES

1. Two-Player Mode

Two players take turns placing pieces on the board.

2. Player vs. AI

Player competes against AI, with selectable AI difficulty levels.

AI DIFFICULTY LEVELS

Easy

AI uses shallow search depth, suitable for beginners.

Medium

AI uses moderate search depth, providing a suitable challenge for most players.

Hard

AI uses deep search depth, offering a high-level challenge for experienced players.

CONTROLS

Players place pieces by inputting row and column coordinates. The coordinate format is "row column", e.g., "7 8" or "A B". Row coordinates range from 0-9 and A-E, column coordinates range from 0-9 and A-E. Enter 'q' or 'Q' to quit the game at any time. Enter '?' during your turn to get AI assistance for the best move.

GAME INTERFACE

The game interface is presented in the console using ASCII characters. The board consists of a 15x15 grid, with '·' representing intersections. Black pieces are represented by '●', and white pieces by '○'. The board edges are labeled with coordinates for easy player reference.

Here's an example of a game board in progress:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E
0 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
1 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
2 · · · ● · · · · · · · · · · ·
3 · · · · ○ · · · · · · · · · ·
4 · · · · · ● · · · · · · · · ·
5 · · · · · · ○ · · · · · · · ·
6 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
7 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
8 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
9 · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
A · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
B · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
C · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
D · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
E · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

EXAMPLES

Start a new game:

gobang

View version information:

gobang -v

View help information:

gobang -h

AUTHOR

Qiang Guo <bigdragonsoft@gmail.com>

COPYRIGHT

Copyright (C) 2024 BigDragonSoft (bigdragonsoft.com)

BUGS

If you find any bugs or have suggestions for improvements, please visit the project's GitHub page to submit an issue: https://github.com/bigdragonsoft/gobang