Minesweeper Game

Introduction

I built a playable Minesweeper game in Python with Pygame, plus a logic-based assistant that can suggest a safe move when the board gives it enough information.

Technologies Used

• Python: The core programming language for the project.
• Pygame: Used for rendering the board and handling user input.
• Minesweeper and AI Logic: Custom Python classes to handle the game logic and AI decision-making.

Game Features

• Standard Minesweeper Gameplay: Users can click to reveal cells and right-click to place flags on cells where they suspect mines are located.
• AI Integration: At any point during the game, players can invoke an AI agent to make a safe move or a random move if no obvious safe moves are available.
• Customizable Difficulty: The game’s grid size and the number of mines can be adjusted to change the difficulty level.
• Graphical Interface: The board shows mines, flags, and nearby mine counts clearly.

Development Process

1. Setting Up Pygame: The first step involved setting up Pygame and creating a basic window where the game would be played.
2. Designing the Game Board: I defined the game board using a grid system. Each cell in the grid could either contain a mine or a number indicating the count of adjacent mines.
3. Implementing Game Logic: The core logic of Minesweeper, including mine placement and game rules (revealing cells, game win/loss conditions), was implemented.
4. AI Agent Development: I developed an AI agent using logical reasoning. The AI uses knowledge about safe and mined cells to make informed decisions.
5. User Interface Design: I added a user-friendly interface, including buttons for user interactions like resetting the game or asking the AI for help.
6. Testing and Refinement: The final stage involved thorough testing and refining the game’s mechanics and AI’s decision-making process.

Challenges and Learnings

• AI Implementation: Developing an AI agent that makes decisions based on the current state of the game was challenging and required a good understanding of logical deduction and Minesweeper’s rules.
• Pygame Mechanics: I used Pygame for rendering, clicks, resets, and board updates.

Notes

The interesting part was translating Minesweeper rules into a small knowledge base: known safe cells, known mines, and sentences about unresolved cells.

Screenshots

Check Out the Code

The implementation, including the assistant player, is available on GitHub.

View the Minesweeper Project on GitHub

The repository includes the game logic, assistant logic, and Pygame interface.