CarloConnect is a Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) based game artificial intelligence (AI) to play Connect Four - implemented in C++. The game of Connect Four using CarloConnect can be played online on https://carloconnect.com/.

The provided code of this repository can be compiled to a console application to play Connect Four against CarloConnect offline. Besides the MCTS approach utilized for CarloConnect, the code further contains a Monte Carlo Search (MCS) approach.

For further information about the game of Connect Four, the MCS, the MCTS, the implementation and the strength of CarloConnect, see my thesis.

The main.cpp file is the main file of the program. All configurations must be done there. By default, the computer's moves are calculated with the MCTS having a computing time limit of 1000 ms. To switch between the applied AI (MCS and MCTS), see Line 17, to modify the time limit, see Line 20.

In order to compile the code, the main file must be compiled. Therefore, solely a C++ compiler suffice. With the Windows PowerShell/Command Prompt or a Linux based Terminals the main.cpp can be compiled using g++ (Windows, Linux):

$ g++ main.cpp -std=c++14

Alternatively, the files of this repository can be added to project folders of C++ IDEs like VisualStudio or CLion and be run by compiling the main.cpp file inside the IDE.