SCONNEX for C64, C16, PET, vic20, zx81, spectrum

by orac81

Last edited on 17 Jul 2025 by orac81. See all edits

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orac81 - 22:22 17 July 2025 #

SCONNEX is a version of the famous 4-in-a-line game, written to work on almost any computer. It can compile to work as an SDL2 app (PC or Android etc), or a zx81, Spectrum, C64, C16, Vic20, Pet, app, or as a C99 terminal program. It is open source, released under GPL3 licence.

COMMANDS

1-9,A-C: Make move
N: New game
X: Change board width
Y: Change board height
I: Change play level
G: Make computer play
T: Toggle 2-player mode
H: Help screen
Z: Auto-play, space stops
V: Change gfx mode.
Q: Quit

You can play any board size from 4x4 upto 12x12. You can use the program in two player mode for human v human games, or to set up a position for the computer to analyse.

Source, and scripts for building with VBCC (6502) and Z88DK (z80) included.

It is still a "Work in progress", I am still getting to grips with VBCC and z88dk. The search is a simple AlphaBeta tree I have published as a "sample" before, at some stage I will add sorting, iterative deepening, etc. As is its like the old chess programs where you choose search depth levels 1 to N.
Even so it plays quite well, even on a 1mhz 6502.

(BTW My first attempt at this program was published as a type in in PCW magazine Jan 1983!)

Anyway, more later, enjoy!