🎯 Connect 4 Overview

Welcome! In this section, you’ll learn what skills Connect 4 teaches through hands-on game development.

What You’ll Build

A complete Connect 4 game that demonstrates essential programming concepts:

Core Skills You’ll Master

State Management

  • Board representation using 2D arrays
  • Player turn tracking and coin management
  • Timer system with real-time updates
  • Game lifecycle (start, play, win, restart)

Responsive UI Development

  • CSS Grid for 6Ă—7 game board layout
  • Dynamic DOM manipulation and updates
  • Smooth animations for falling pieces
  • Mobile-responsive design patterns

Algorithm Implementation

  • Gravity simulation for piece placement
  • Win detection across 4 directions (horizontal, vertical, diagonals)
  • Input validation and error handling
  • Game state transitions

Object-Oriented Programming

  • Class design with single responsibility principle
  • Encapsulation of game logic and data
  • Clean separation between UI and game logic
  • Modular, testable code architecture

Learning Path

This Connect 4 project is structured as a progressive learning experience:

  1. Overview (this lesson) - Understand the big picture
  2. OOP - Organize code with classes and objects
  3. Algorithms - Implement game logic and win detection
  4. Challenges - Add advanced features like undo, persistence, and AI

Why Connect 4?

Connect 4 is the perfect learning project because it:

  • Combines familiar game rules with programming fundamentals
  • Requires both logical thinking and visual design
  • Scales from simple concepts to advanced features
  • Teaches skills you’ll use in larger applications

What’s Next

Ready to dive in? The next lesson covers Object-Oriented Programming - you’ll learn how to structure your code using classes that make the game logic clean, testable, and easy to extend.