Assignment X - Game Project

Objective

Task

Details

1. You may choose from a variety of board games or 1-player solo games listed here, or you may request a game that is not on the list, but it must be approved in advance.
   • Send me an e-mail indicating whether you want to work solo or in a group (and who your partner is, if a group), as well as which game you want to do (you should indicate a second choice, in case your first is already taken).
   • If you want to request a game that is not already on the list of approved games, include this in your e-mail, along with a description of the game and/or link to online instructions for the game (if you can find some). Essentially, I want to ensure that each group is doing a game that is of an appropriate level. (Tic-tac-toe, for example, is too simple, and there's already an applet example of this one on the Applet notes page).
   
    
2. The minimum requirement is to write a game, as an application and/or an applet, that can be played by 1 or more human players on the computer. It should have a usable interface, and it should implement the standard set of rules for your chosen game. In the event that you have a game with some rule variations, you should include information in your README file (described below) that clarifies what version of the rules you are implementing.
    
3. General Guidelines for Grading: Since you have the freedom to implement the design, grading for this project will be largely subjective. However, here are some general guidelines I will be using:
   • To qualify for an A: Rules of game implemented correctly, GUI interface, playable game, well-designed interface that is intuitive for the user, program fairly robust (erroneous inputs handled, for instance), well-designed code.
      
   • To qualify for a B: Rules of game implemented correctly, GUI interface, playable game, reasonably good code design. (Here, for instance, a GUI interface where all the inputs are Dialog Box popups would earn less credit than something more intuitive, like drag-and-drop on the game pieces). This would be a playable game that had a less-intuitive interface, but was still usable.
      
   • To qualify for a C: Rules of game implemented correctly, reasonably good code design, robust handling of erroneous input, playable game on a console interface (I'm leaving this as an option in case somebody has extreme trouble with the GUI interface, but the point of this assignment is to build the program with a GUI interface -- since most people prefer to play games in that sort of environment!)
      
   • Overall, for a better grade, implement a better program!
   
    
4. Guidelines for researching resources
   • You may use any of the Java libraries in the Java 1.4.2 API (unless you happen to find a package like java.game.monopoly, for instance).
   • It would probably be a good idea to look at many other GUI examples and look at the tutorials on the java.sun web site, to help you find techniques and tips for implementing GUI interfaces
   • If you find a resource that gives you some ideas -- and especially if you model a portion of your code after another example -- be sure to cite your source in your documentation
   • The coding, however, must be yours. You are to implement your own game logic (i.e. you may not just find an existing implementation of the game and use code found on web searches).
   • You may use icons, graphics pictures, sounds, etc that you find online. If and when possible, cite your source, and be sure to pay attention to any copyright notices regarding such resources.
   
    
5. Extra Credit Opportunities -- I'm leaving this wide open. There will be plenty of chances to earn extra credit on this assignment. The minimum requirements is to implement a playable version of your chosen game. Anything above and beyond can be done for extra credit. Be sure to list anything extra you do in your README file, so I know to look for it. Here are just a few possible things you could try, just to give you some ideas (but certainly not limited to these):
   • Make the game usable as both an application and an applet, with appropriate features and setups for each
   • Save/Open feature, for saving games in progress (only will work on applications)
   • For a game with rule variations, implement the ability to play using one or more of the variations (or a menu to choose rule settings, if appropriate).
   • More creative and fun visual layouts, possibly incorporating graphics, sounds, animations, etc.
   
    

Resources

• Boardgamecentral.com - a site that might help give ideas for games to choose
• Java Look and Feel Graphics Repository - a Sun site reference containing a collection of common toolbar button graphics
• "The Really Bix Index" of java tutorials - links to tons of tutorials on the java.sun web site.
• Direct link to the "Writing Applets" tutorials (on java.sun.com).
• How to Make Applets (with swing components)

Deliverables:

• All necessary .class files and resource files that make your program work
• All source code files (.java files) for your program
• A README file (this can be in text format or in html format) that contains any extra documentation for your project. This should include
  • Any details regarding instructions for the game that are not obvious from the set of standard known instructions
  • A description of how to use the interface
  • Whether you implemented the game as an applet, application, or both
  • Descriptions of any extra features implemented
  • If working with a partner, include a description of the separation of work (who was responsible for what pieces of the program).
• If your program is an applet, you should also submit an html file that embeds the applet.

  java -jar hwx.jar

E-mail this jar file to me (myers@cs.fsu.edu) by the due date. Your e-mail subject should be GAME-SUBMIT. Include your name (both names, if working with a partner) and section in the e-mail body. Please only submit ONCE, unless you make a mistake and need to correct it (before the due date) -- and minimize this. Only the last submission will be graded.