🌟 Introduction

Quantictactoe (also known as Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe) is a board game made up of nine tic-tac-toe boards arranged in a 3×3 grid. Players take turns placing symbols on the smaller tic-tac-toe boards until one of them wins on the larger grid. Compared to traditional tic-tac-toe, the strategy here is different, players can send their opponent to play in the specific grid they choose.

We made this little game as a duo, trying to find new mechanics to add to the regular Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe.

My goal was simple: find some fun tweaks to refresh the game we all know. We also wanted to experiment with things like symbol customization, special mechanics, maybe even quests.

👾 Gameplay

The gameplay is easy to understand once you start playing. Basically, it’s tic-tac-toe times three, with a twist.

Two players take turns placing their symbol on a small square (which we call the tic-tac-toe cases).

Here’s the trick: the game has 9 tic-tac-toe grids. So if Player 1 plays in the middle-left grid and places their symbol in the center square, Player 2 is then sent to play in the center grid.

The micro-objective is to complete a line of 3 symbols in a small grid. Once that’s done, the player earns a symbol on the larger Quantictactoe grid.

The twist is that you can send your opponent to a specific grid by choosing where you play, but if you send them to a grid that’s already completed (by either player), they’re free to play anywhere on the board.

It’s a smart balance of strategy and anticipation. You have to think ahead, avoid sending your opponent to grids you want to win, or deliberately send them to ones you don’t care about.

• The twist

  Since Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe already existed, our first idea was to build a multiplayer version using the Steam API.

  But we ended up wanting to add our own twist, the “Quantic” mechanic, where you send your opponent to a specific grid based on your move.

  (Example: if Player 1 plays in the center square of the top-right grid, Player 2 must play in the center grid.)

• UI of the lobby

  We wanted the main menu UI to be juicy and easy to understand.

  We split the screen in two, one side for each player. Their profile picture and name are automatically linked to their Steam account.

  The “Ready” button sits in the center, crossing the dividing line. When Player 1 clicks it, their side lights up with color and effects. Same for Player 2.

  Once both players are ready, a 3-second countdown starts before the game launches. Then a coin flip animation randomly decides who plays first.

  Players can still click the “Ready” button during the countdown to cancel if they change their mind.

📌 Lessons Learned

⚡ Quick infos