JSmancala

JSmancala is a fantastic Javascript/DHTML implementation of the strategy board game, "Mancala". It allows players to indulge in a classic game of Mancala in their browsers effortlessly. Traditional Mancala involves small stones being placed on a wooden board with scooped-out little cups. The objective of the game is to gather as many stones as possible. The game has two players, and each player manages one side of the board that has six "cups" and one "jar." When the game starts, each "cup" has four stones, and every "jar" is empty.

The game begins when a player chooses a "cup" on their side of the board and takes out all the stones from it. One stone is then put into each "cup" on the player's side, moving towards the right. If there are still any stones left even after the last "cup" is filled, one stone is placed in the player's "jar." The redistribution of stones continues undeviatingly in a counterclockwise way till all of them have been placed. The opponent's side of the board then rejoins the play. A stone is never put into the opponent's "jar" when the player is making their move.

The game has two twists. The first is that if the last stone being redistributed lands in the player's "jar," the player receives an extra turn. The second twist is that if the last stone being redistributed lands in an empty "cup" on the player's side of the board and the corresponding "cup" on the opposite side of the board is clothed with stones, the stones in both "cups" are "captured." The captured stones are promptly removed from both cups and placed in the player's "jar." The game ends when there are no stones in any "cup" on one of the sides of the board, irrespective of the turn's ownership. A player's score is solely based on the sum of all the stones in their "cups" and "jar."

JSmancala is a modernized version of the classic Mancala game offering players the option to play against the computer, another human player, or even sit back and watch the computer play against itself. The computer opponents feature five levels of "intelligence," ranging from "foolish" to "wise". This version adds an "advice" button, which the player may tap at any time to get suggestions calculated based on the "computer intelligence level" set for them to help them make the best move. The advice will be highlighted on the board, giving the player an edge in the game. All of this creates an exciting and interesting gaming experience, and anyone who loves board games will enjoy playing JSmancala.