Author(s): Mohamed Elamine Bentarzi

Originally published on Towards AI.

Photo by DIGITALE on Unsplash

The sliding puzzle game solver is one of my favorite projects because it taught me about genetic algorithms. I wanted to argue with my teacher that it’s not a good method to solve the game because there isn’t much information that can be shared between generations. So, I ended up studying the algorithm well to come up with a good genome representation. I learned to never judge a book by its cover and that the hardest tasks, which often seem impossible, are what give experience.

The sliding puzzle game, also recognized as the sliding block puzzle, stands as a timeless challenge involving the rearrangement of a set of numbered square tiles within a rectangular grid. The initial arrangement of tiles is random, and the objective is to strategically slide them to achieve a predetermined configuration either in numerical order or to depict a specific image.

While the sliding puzzle game can come in various configurations with differing block counts, this article focuses on the 3 x 3 variant. Played on a 3 x 3 grid, this puzzle comprises 8 numbered tiles and one vacant space. The ultimate goal is to achieve a configuration where the tiles align in… Read the full blog for free on Medium.

Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming a sponsor.

Published via Towards AI