The Mathematics of 2048: Optimal Play with Markov Decision Processes
I feel compelled to write every time 2048 comes up: 2048 is a shameless rip-off of another game called "Threes" which came out just before it. "Threes" is more or less a game-design masterpiece, far superior in every way (graphics, sound, design, gameplay, you name it) to 2048. The reason 2048 is more popular is that it was a free clone of Threes!, and people refuse to pay even a little bit of money on mobile platforms for games.<p>This is nothing against this article, of course, which is an excellent write-up. But: if you like 2048, you'll like Threes better, and the creators of Threes deserves to be rewarded for coming up with the design.