Connected 4 in 3D Prompt

Connected 4 in 3D Prompt

Connected 4 in 3D: Technical Approach and Game Logic

This document outlines the conceptual approach for building a 3D Connected 4 game for web browsers, focusing on a pure web-only implementation using JavaScript and Three.js for rendering.

Part 1: Technical Approach (Web-Only with Three.js)

The game will be a single-page web application built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Three.js will be used for all 3D rendering.

Proposed Architecture:

  1. HTML Structure (index.html):

    • Will contain the canvas element for Three.js rendering.
    • Will include basic UI elements for game status and controls (e.g., a reset button).

  2. Styling (style.css):

    • Will provide basic styling for the HTML elements and the canvas.

  3. Game Logic and 3D Rendering (script.js):

    • This single JavaScript file will encapsulate both the core game logic and the Three.js rendering.
    • Three.js Setup: Initialize the 3D scene, camera, and WebGL renderer.
    • 3D Board and Pieces: Create the 5x5x5 grid visually using Three.js geometries (e.g., cylinders for the board holes, spheres for the pieces).
    • User Interaction: Implement mouse event listeners and Three.js raycasting to detect user clicks on the 3D board, translating screen coordinates to 3D grid positions.
    • Game State Visualization: Update the 3D scene to reflect the current game state (e.g., adding a new piece, clearing the board).

Workflow Example:

  1. Web Page Loads: index.html loads, style.css applies styling, and script.js executes.
  2. Three.js Scene Initialization: script.js sets up the Three.js scene, renders the empty 3D grid, and sets up event listeners.
  3. User Clicks on 3D Board: A mouse click event is detected.
  4. Raycasting: Three.js performs a raycast from the click position into the 3D scene to determine which grid cell (x, z) was targeted.
  5. Game Logic Processing: The JavaScript game logic receives the (x, z) coordinates, determines the y (vertical) position for the piece, updates its internal board state, and checks for win/draw conditions.
  6. 3D Scene Update: The JavaScript code instructs Three.js to add a new 3D piece at the calculated (x, y, z) coordinates with the current player’s color.
  7. Game Status Update: The HTML UI is updated to reflect the current game status (e.g., next player’s turn, win/draw message).

Part 2: Core Game Logic (JavaScript)

The core game logic for Connected 4 in 3D will be implemented in JavaScript. This logic manages the game state, player turns, piece placement rules, and win/draw conditions.

The following outlines the current implementation of the core game logic:

1. Game Board Representation

The 3D game board is represented as a 3-dimensional array of integers:

let board; // Will be initialized as new Array(5).fill(0).map(() => new Array(5).fill(0).map(() => new Array(5).fill(0)));
  • board[x][y][z] represents a cell in the 5x5x5 cube.
  • x, y, z range from 0 to 4.
  • 0: Represents an empty cell.
  • 1: Represents a piece placed by Player 1 (e.g., Red).
  • 2: Represents a piece placed by Player 2 (e.g., Yellow).

2. Game State Management

The game state is managed by several variables:

  • let currentPlayer = 1;: Tracks whose turn it is (1 or 2).
  • let gameOver = false;: Indicates if the game has ended (win or draw).
  • let gameStatus = "Player 1's Turn";: A string to display the current game status (e.g., “Player 1’s Turn”, “Player 2 Wins!”, “It’s a Draw!”).

3. Game Initialization (initializeGame())

This method sets up a new game:

  • Resets the board to all zeros (empty).
  • Sets currentPlayer back to 1.
  • Sets gameOver to false.
  • Updates gameStatus to “Player 1’s Turn”.
  • Clears the 3D scene of all existing pieces.

4. Piece Placement Logic (addPiece(x, z)))

This method handles placing a piece in the game:

  • Input: Takes x (column) and z (depth) coordinates from user input.
  • Game Over Check: If gameOver is true, the method returns immediately.
  • Find Lowest Available y: It iterates from the bottom (y=0) upwards to find the first empty cell (board[x][i][z] == 0) in the selected column (x, z). This simulates gravity.
  • Place Piece: If an empty y position is found:
    • The board is updated with the currentPlayer’s value at board[x][y][z].
    • A new 3D piece is added to the Three.js scene at the calculated (x, y, z) coordinates with the current player’s color.
  • Check Win/Draw Conditions: After placing a piece, it calls checkWin() and checkDraw() to determine the next game state.
  • Update Game Status: Updates gameStatus based on the outcome (win, draw, or next player’s turn).
  • Switch Player: If the game is not over, currentPlayer is switched to the other player.

5. Win Condition Check (checkWin(x, y, z))

This is the most complex part of the game logic. It checks for 4 consecutive pieces of the currentPlayer’s color in any of the 13 possible 3D directions, starting from the newly placed piece at (x, y, z).

The 13 directions are:

  • 3 Axial Directions:
    • X-axis: (1, 0, 0)
    • Y-axis: (0, 1, 0)
    • Z-axis: (0, 0, 1)
  • 6 Planar Diagonal Directions:
    • XY-plane: (1, 1, 0), (1, -1, 0)
    • XZ-plane: (1, 0, 1), (1, 0, -1)
    • YZ-plane: (0, 1, 1), (0, 1, -1)
  • 4 Space Diagonal Directions:
    • (1, 1, 1)
    • (1, 1, -1)
    • (1, -1, 1)
    • (1, -1, -1)

The checkWin method calls checkLine for each of these directions.

6. Line Check (checkLine(x, y, z, dx, dy, dz))

This helper method checks for a win in a specific direction (dx, dy, dz) starting from a given (x, y, z) coordinate:

  • It iterates along the line defined by the starting point and direction, checking up to 4 positions in both positive and negative directions from the starting point.
  • It counts consecutive pieces of the currentPlayer’s color.
  • If 4 or more consecutive pieces are found, it returns true (win).
  • It handles boundary conditions (ensuring curX, curY, curZ stay within the 0-4 range).

7. Draw Condition Check (checkDraw())

This method determines if the game is a draw:

  • It iterates through every cell on the board.
  • If it finds any empty cell (0), it means the board is not full, and thus it’s not a draw, returning false.
  • If all cells are filled (no 0 found), it returns true (draw).

This detailed outline provides a clear understanding of the game’s structure and logic, which will be implemented using JavaScript and Three.js.

Share