Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#1

Post by frading » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 6:48 PM UTC

I'm experimenting game mechanics that are usually seen on a typical grid, but transposed on an irregular one.

This is a first game based on Minesweeper.

The changes an irregular grid brings are that cells don't all have 8 neighbors. Some can have less, some can have more. So when you try and deduce if a tile has a mine, you have to pay closer attention at the number clues and which tiles neighbors it.

My intention is to make a very classic game a bit more challenging & fun.

I've also released a first version of Checkers/Draughts, and plan to test similar variants for Chess, Othello and Go.

Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid
polyreplay.com

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#2

Post by netsharc » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:08 PM UTC

Neat... but I'm missing the left+right click, in the Windows Minesweeper, say you have a square with 4, and you've marked 4 squares around it as bombs, you can left+right click on the 4-square and uncover all the unmarked squares around it, instead of going one by one.

Also "undo" is cool, but "lose 60s" seems backwards, considering one would get 60 seconds added to one's time.

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#3

Post by dorianmariefr » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:09 PM UTC

I got tricked, nice https://gist.github.com/dorianmariefr/652c1c6c5b84cc242b6692...

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#4

Post by dorianmariefr » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:13 PM UTC

And for the Checkers https://polyreplay.com/checkerstwist

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#5

Post by pjsg » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:30 PM UTC

I'd like to have the option to show "remaining" mines. I've played https://pwmarcz.pl/kaboom/ enough in "countdown mode" (i.e. where the numbers are the number of hidden mines) that I can't adjust to this....

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#6

Post by umvi » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:33 PM UTC

netsharc wrote: post #2

Neat... but I'm missing the left+right click, in the Windows Minesweeper, say you have a square with 4, and you've marked 4 squares around it as bombs, you can left+right click on the 4-square and uncover all the unmarked squares around it, instead of going one by one. Also "undo" is cool, but "lose 60s" seems backwards, considering one would get 60 seconds added to one's time.

left+right click reveal works for me (linux + chrome 120). Middle click also does the same as left+right click.

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#7

Post by mminer237 » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:37 PM UTC

Neat. Does this ensure there's no 50/50 guesses needed then? That seems easier when you can split a square in two.

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#8

Post by milicat » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:40 PM UTC

This is really cool. Fascinating how the intuition maps neatly onto this grid

As a notorious Minesweeper speedrunner I find the animation uncover animation when middle clicking to be a little slow as I find myself waiting it for it to finish for a second or so.

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#9

Post by ghostly_s » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:43 PM UTC

Cool, thanks for making it mobile-friendly—though on my (small) phone screen, the tutorial dialog covers half the play board and couldn't he completed. the actual game works fine.

Been awhile since I played actual minesweeper, but shouldn't revealing a tile with a number on it which otherwise has empty neighbors also uncover those neighbors? I could swear that's how the original works.

Re: Show HN: The classic Minesweeper on an irregular grid

#10

Post by polygotdomain » Fri, Feb 02, 2024, 8:46 PM UTC

I love this, and it brings an interesting twist to an old favorite. What initially tripped me up is the cells at the points are considered a neighbor. Of course as I write that it makes perfect sense, but because of the irregular nature it's a bit harder for me to register them as such. Not a complaint, just an intriguing side effect of the irregular grid.