Connect 4

A 2-player alignment game in Java

Personal Project
A 2-player Connect 4 game using 2D arrays in Java. The game simulates a grid-based playfield and checks for horizontal, vertical, or diagonal alignments of length four to declare a winner. A tie is declared when the board fills up without any winning alignment.

This project deepened my understanding of:

  • Array-based data representation
  • Input handling with Scanner
  • Game loop mechanics and board visualization
  • Edge case handling for full columns and ties

💻 Gameplay Overview

Players alternate turns, choosing a column to drop their token:

  • Player 1 is 'O'
  • Player 2 is 'X'
  • The board updates automatically and checks for a winner

🔗 GitHub Repository

View Full Code on GitHub

🔍 Code Snippet

```java public char checkAlignment(int row, int column) { for (int i = 0; i <= 2; i++) { for (int j = 0; j <= 3; j++) { if (board[i][j] != empty && board[i][j] == board[i+1][j+1] && board[i+1][j+1] == board[i+2][j+2] && board[i+2][j+2] == board[i+3][j+3]) { return board[i][j]; } } } // [similar checks for other directions…] return empty; }