Tic-Tac-Toe Game with Sockets

This C++ project is a networked Tic-Tac-Toe game that uses socket programming to allow client-server interaction. The server and client exchange game moves using TCP/IP sockets, and the game board is updated accordingly. The application demonstrates both socket communication and the implementation of the game logic using a functional approach, with an AI opponent powered by the Minimax algorithm.

Features

• Socket Communication: The game uses Winsock2 for communication between client and server over TCP/IP.
• Tic-Tac-Toe Game Logic: Implements a simple Tic-Tac-Toe game where the client plays with 'X' and the server plays with 'O'.
• Game Board Management: The game board is represented as a 3x3 matrix and is updated in real-time based on the players' moves.
• Minimax Algorithm: The AI opponent uses the Minimax algorithm to decide its moves, ensuring optimal gameplay for the server.
• Input Validation: Ensures that inputs are valid and handles cases where a cell is already occupied.
• Winner Detection: The game checks for winning conditions after every move and announces the winner.

Project Structure

• Matrix: The Tic-Tac-Toe board is represented as a 2D array (matrix[3][3]), where each cell is initially filled with numbers 1-9. As players make moves, the respective cells are updated with 'X' (client) or 'O' (server).

• Winsock Integration: The application uses Winsock2 to manage TCP/IP connections. The server listens for connections from a client, and the client sends/receives data (moves) to/from the server.

• Game Logic:

  • The client makes a move by sending a number (1-9) representing the cell they want to play in.
  • The server validates the move, updates the board, and sends the updated move back to the client.
  • The game checks for a winner after each move, verifying if there are any three matching marks in a row, column, or diagonal.

• Minimax Algorithm: The server AI uses the Minimax algorithm to calculate its moves. This ensures that the server always plays optimally, making the best possible move in each situation.

• Error Handling: The server and client handle errors like invalid inputs (out-of-bounds or non-numeric values) and already-occupied cells.

How to Build

1. Install Visual Studio (or another C++ compiler supporting Winsock).

2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/tic-tac-toe-sockets

3. Open the project in Visual Studio.

4. Ensure that Winsock libraries are linked properly:

#pragma comment (lib, "ws2_32.lib")

5. Compile and run both the server and client applications on separate terminals or machines.

How to Play

1. Start the server:

   • The server will wait for a connection from the client.

2. Start the client:

   • The client will connect to the server.

3. Players take turns entering numbers (1-9) representing the cells on the Tic-Tac-Toe board.

   • The server plays as 'O'.
   • The client plays as 'X'.

4. The game will continue until a player wins or all cells are filled.

Example

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

The players input numbers from 1 to 9 to place their 'X' or 'O' on the board.

X O X
O X O
7 8 9

Requirements

• Windows OS
• Visual Studio or any C++ compiler with Winsock support

License This project is open source and available under the MIT License.