Fair Play

How we handle hidden information, AI opponents and dice

In HexaColony, AI opponents play with the same information and the same dice as you. This page explains how that works.

1.Hidden Information Stays Hidden

The server holds the game state and sends your screen only what you're allowed to see.

•For other players' resource and development cards, only the number of cards is sent (never what they are)
•The order of the development card deck and the dice card deck is never sent to anyone
•The development card you draw is shown only to you, and the resource taken by the robber only to the two players involved
•Spectators can't see anyone's hand
•In team games, you can see your teammate's hand only
•When a trade offer is declined automatically because you lack the resources, the reply is not instant (an instant reply would reveal your hand)

2.AI Opponents Play With What You Can See

AI opponents only use information that human players can see too.

What AI opponents use

•The board (buildings, tiles and numbers)
•Each player's score and number of cards in hand
•The dice rolled so far
•Development cards that have been played

AI opponents estimate what's in your hand from your card count and your production on the board. They never look at your hand.

No special advantages for AI

There is nothing that gives AI opponents extra resources, changes the dice or lets them see the deck order. Dice, decks and the card taken by the robber are decided the same way for players and AI.

Where players and AI are treated differently

Only in these two cases do we treat players and AI differently, to give players time to think and a chance to trade. In neither case does the AI see your hand or any other hidden information.

•When a trade offer includes a human player, AI players wait up to 10 seconds before replying (so AI players don't settle it among themselves before you've had time to think)
•When a trade offered by a Beginner or Intermediate AI is accepted by several players, a human player's acceptance takes priority (Advanced and stronger AIs make no distinction between players and AI)

3.The Server Rolls the Dice and Builds the Board

Dice rolls, card decks and boards are all decided by random numbers on the server, never in your browser.

Dice methods

•Normal: two dice are rolled fresh every time. Since each roll is independent of the last, the same number can come up several times in a row, and some numbers may not come up for a while
•Card deck: all 36 combinations of two dice are made into 2 sets of cards (72 cards), shuffled and drawn from the top. The deck is reshuffled when 15 or fewer remain. Rolls stay evenly spread

Solo Play, Ranked Match, Challenge and 1v1 Free Match use the card deck. 4-player Free Match uses normal dice. In Practice and rooms you choose when creating the game (Practice starts with the card deck, rooms with normal dice).

The board, turn order and development card deck are also created by the server when the game starts. The card taken by the robber is a random card from the victim's hand, for players and AI alike.

How boards are generated (Map Generation)

4.The Server Checks Every Move

Building, trading, development cards and every other move are applied only after the server checks the phase, whose turn it is, your resources and where you can build. Modifying the page can't push through a move that breaks the rules. Rapid repeated actions are also rate-limited.

5.Where You Can Use the AI Coach

During a game, the AI Coach suggests moves only in Practice. It isn't available during Solo Play, Ranked Match, Free Match, rooms or Challenge. You can use it when reviewing any finished game. The coach also uses only public information about your opponents, such as scores, card counts and buildings.

Learn more about the AI Coach

6.If Something Seems Off

If you notice anything strange, send it from "Feedback" in the sidebar. Including when it happened and what was going on helps us look into it.

7.FAQ

Can AI opponents see my hand?

No. Like human players, they only receive the number of cards in your hand. They estimate what's in it from that number and the board.

The dice feel streaky

Normal dice are rolled fresh every time, so streaks happen over short stretches (the same number repeating, or a number not showing up for a while). If you want rolls spread more evenly, choose the card deck. Solo Play, Ranked Match and Challenge always use the card deck.

Are there settings that favor AI opponents?

No. Resources, dice, decks and stolen cards are decided the same way for players and AI. The only differences are how long AI players wait before replying to trades and how Beginner and Intermediate AIs choose a trade partner, and both exist to give human players a chance.

Can I tell which players are AI?

AI opponents are shown by their character names (such as Zenith), and the game start screen marks them as "AI". Ranked Match never includes AI.