Java Gomoku (Five in a Row) — CSC-1004 Course Project

A Gomoku game written in Java with both console and JavaFX GUI modes. Submitted as part of CSC-1004: Computational Laboratory Using Java, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-SZ).

Course context: the Java game assignment requires preliminary game rules, Java GUI, direct mouse control, and a time limit. 3

Features

Core engine (GomokuGame.java)

• Configurable board size (validated 5–20, default 20×20)
• Two players: Black(1) starts, White(2) follows
• Five-in-a-row win detection in horizontal/vertical/both diagonals
• Draw detection when the board is full
• Move counting and per-player longest-streak statistics
• Per-move time limit with timeout loss (default 30s)
• Cross-session score tracking: black wins / white wins / draws
• synchronized methods for thread-safe move and timer updates
• Board copy accessor to avoid external mutation

Console mode (GomokuGameConsole.java)

• ASCII board rendering
• Turn prompt, remaining-time display, input validation
• 0 0 to exit, automatic timer per move

JavaFX mode (GomokuGameFX.java)

• Intersection-based 20×20 board (stones placed on line crossings)
• Mouse click to place stones via transparent click areas
• Real-time status panel: current player, timers, moves, streaks, scores
• New Game / Exit buttons, menu bar, About dialog
• Win dialog and timeout dialog
• Star points and shadows for stones

Tech Stack

• Java SE OOP (model/service separation)
• JavaFX (Pane, Circle, Line, Rectangle, Timeline, Alert, MenuBar)
• java.util.Timer for console countdown

Project Structure

com/example/javagomokugame/ ├── GomokuGame.java # Rules, win check, timer, statistics ├── GomokuGameConsole.java# Text-based gameplay └── GomokuGameFX.java # JavaFX GUI gameplay

Requirements

• JDK 17 or 21 (JavaFX 21 recommended)
• JavaFX SDK or Maven JavaFX plugin

Run console mode

javac com/example/javagomokugame/*.java -d out java -cp out com.example.javagomokugame.GomokuGameConsole

Console input format: row column using 1-based indices, e.g. 8 8. Enter 0 0 to quit.

Run JavaFX mode (Maven, recommended)

If you use Maven, add the JavaFX dependencies and plugin, then:

mvn compile mvn javafx:run

Example plugin configuration:

org.openjfx javafx-maven-plugin 0.0.8 com.example.javagomokugame.GomokuGameFX

Then mvn javafx:run. 9

Run JavaFX mode (plain JDK + JavaFX SDK)

Set JAVA_HOME and JAVAFX_LIB to your JavaFX lib folder

javac --module-path $JAVAFX_LIB --add-modules javafx.controls
com/example/javagomokugame/*.java -d out

java --module-path $JAVAFX_LIB --add-modules javafx.controls
-cp out com.example.javagomokugame.GomokuGameFX

For JavaFX setup, download the SDK matching your JDK and add javafx.controls (and javafx.fxml if used) via --module-path / --add-modules. 10

How to play

1. Start JavaFX mode (or console mode).
2. Black places a stone on an empty intersection when it is Black’s turn.
3. White does the same on the next turn.
4. First to make five in a row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins.
5. If a player’s per-move timer reaches 0, the opponent wins by timeout.
6. Use “New Game” to reset the board and timers.

Notes for CSC-1004

• GUI + mouse control: JavaFX click areas on intersections.
• Time limit: 30s per move by default, configurable in GomokuGame.
• OOP: game model is independent from console/JavaFX views.
• Advanced options you can mention: timeout-by-timer, longest-streak stats, cross-game scoreboard, star-point rendering.

Repository: https://github.com/berserkross/JavaGomokuGame