SCS Connect Four

The classic game of Connect Four: A game so simple a small child can easily learn to play in minutes, yet involves the same type of logical thinking found in games such as Chess. Players take turns dropping their colored chips into a 7x6 grid, which pile up at the bottom. To win, a player must connect four of their chips in a row (horizonatally, vertically, or diagonally). At the same time, the opponent is trying to connect four of their own chips. You must balance defense (blocking off the opponents attempts at connecting four) and offence (connecting four of your own) in order to play succesfully.

Download SCS Connect Four 1.0.1 [988k]

SCS Connect Four has an array of artificial opponents to keep you occupied, from the not-so-smart to the impossible-to-beat. Or you can play against another human. Network and modem play will be added to future versions.
The 3D graphics and animations have been professionally rendered by artist PG Hurh of Leakey Faucet & Trailer Hitch.

The game even accepts plug in opponents written by other programmers.
I hereby challenge all programmers to write their own killer AI's for the game. Opponents can even be pitted against one another. Your goal is to make the smartest and fastest Connect Four AI. The current champion is the Altair opponent, written by Barry Day, the author of Altair 2.1.1 another excellent Connect Four type game for the Mac.

Additional Opponent Files

Flanagan is one of the most difficult opponent files written to date. Created by Charlie Dancey
Rector is another character somewhere in between Andrew and Lancelot.

The game of Connect Four

For a great page on the game of Connect Four, check out Keith Pomakis' Connect Four Page. Keith is the author of the "Waterloo" Opponent for SCS Connect Four. The source code for his Opponent is available from the page as well as links to play Connect Four over the web, and other interesting links.

Searching For Trivia

Attention everyone! I am looking for more information on the origins of Connect Four. How old is it? Where did it originate from? If you have any interesting facts about Connect Four, let me know!

Comments

The following are some comments from satisfied Connect Four players:

...I think your connect 4 is one of the most stylish and smooth shareware games I have ever seen. You turned a boring Mitlon Bradley travel game into a sleek multimedia wonder... --Sean Hennessy

Send comments to: Regulus@kagi.com