Mastermind

Mastermind is code breaking game, and this game is normally for two persons to play. One is maker, who selects the secret colors (pegs) and responses to breakers guesses and the breaker, breaks the secret code by guessing the color code based on the response from maker. One may find many Mastermind game apps in different online app stores, but the uniqueness of this android app is: it helps you to play the game by using in-built heuristic based AI (Artificial Intelligence), yes you heard it correct, computer (mobile device) can play the game as a code breaker! You can try “Computer: As breaker” and “Interactive: Play with computer help” options.

Six colors to try, white color (key/peg) response means only correct color and the black, both color and position (slot) are correct. “Easy” option will have four distinct colors in secret code and “Difficult” can have any four combinations from six colors including blanks (no color). Computer will always be providing responses irrespective of who is maker/breaker, this is to avoid erroneous responses, and this essential means computer is the other player. I am providing the high level description of algorithm used for computer to play as code breaker.

First focus on getting all the four matching colors, by choosing colors from the previous row(s) based on the responses, and the remaining choose randomly not tried colors. Once colors are finalized, validate or check with the previous row(s) and ensure that the guesses match to the number of maker response keys. And also ensure colors are not placed in the same position, as much as possible.

Once all the colors are matching, look for black key only and/or white key only responses (if any) in previous row(s) and ensure colors are positioned appropriately. Next look for row(s) with black & white key responses, again here once the colors are finalized, validate or check with previous row(s) and ensure that the guesses match the number of maker black keys response for each row. And repeat the steps mentioned in this paragraph till all the four colors positions are matching. Computer uses dynamically built Possible Permutation and Combination.

In this version, “computer as breaker” can play only “Easy” option, but In future, based on the users responses; I may include “difficult” option in “Computer: as breaker” and “Interactive: Play with computer help”.