Assignment 11: Spampede!
Due Tuesday, December 9th by 11:59 pm

Please read the following carefully. There is a lot here!

Starter files:    are in this hw11files.zip archive

You'll make your changes in the hw11files directory and then re-zip that file into hw11files.zip to submit for this assignment. That way all of the files we need to run your code will be there!

Getting started:

This startercode.html page explains how to start a new Java project with a folder of provided files, such as the one above. If you're already familiar and want a reminder, the steps are

• Be sure to unzip the starting archive (into hw11files)
• Within Eclipse, start a new Java Project...
• Perhaps name it hw11 and click Next instead of finish ...
• Choose Link Additional Source and link the folder ...
• Then, Under Add Library, add the JUnit 4 library...
• You should be set!

Running the files:

From the default package, open up the Spampede.java file.
Right-click on the file and choose Run As ... Java Applet.
It will be too small! Go back and choose Run As ... Run Configurations, click the Parameters tag, and set the width and height to be 600 each. Then click Apply and Run - it should be the correct size.
You're ready to make changes from here...

Notes for the Spampede assignment:

1. Pair programming is permitted on all parts of this week's assignment.  


2. You will be submitting several files for this assignment. Please zip all of your files into a single zip file named hw11files.zip and then submit that zip file for your assignment. That way, we know we'll be able to run your applet!


3. This week, we ask that you also submit a file that is typically submitted in any large software project: A text file called README. We have provided a basic README file on the main assignment page. You should edit this file and submit it. The README file will constitute part of your score on this assignment. We ask that you to list your working features, missing features (if any), and any additions to the game that you've created.
4. Previous students have identified some common mistakes that we think might be helpful to you!
   
   
   • Check your x/y consistency! We typically describe the values changing along the x (horizontal) direction "columns" and typically call the values changing along the y (vertical) direction "rows."
     Note that that means "columns" themselves are vertical (though their index changes in the horizontal direction) and "rows" themselves are horizontal (as their index changes along the vertical direction).
   • Speaking of which, remember that the row index on top is 0 and the row index at the bottom is the height-1. This is the reverse of the traditional mathematical x-y axes.
   • Remember to reset your pede after crashing - including all of the state inside Spampede.java and SpamMaze.java.

Overview

• Maze.java: Responsible for storing the walls and spam in the maze  You extended the Maze class to incorporate more of the game's functionality.
• SpamMaze.java: A subclass of Maze that does everything a Maze does AND keeps track of the spam that populates the board and location of the centepede.  This is the class that has all of the functionality for playing the game including moving the pede, populating the board with spam, determining whether the pede has hit a wall, etc.
• Spampede.java: A class that controls the functionality of the Applet.  This class is responsible for displaying the board to the user, handling the user's key strokes, and controlling the timesteps that move the pede forward.It accomplishes some of these tasks by extending the class SpampedeBase

An overview of SpamMaze.java

In this part of the assignment you will create a derived class named SpamMaze that handles the model for the applet. A derived class is simply an extension of the data and capabilities (methods) available in the base class. Thus, by starting the code as in the provided SpamMaze.java file:

import java.lang.Math;
import java.util.LinkedList;

class SpamMaze extends Maze
{
  // your code goes here...
}

The data

Because a SpamMaze object represents the model for the Spampede applet, it needs to keep track of (1) the maze, (2), the centipede, and (3) the spam in the environment. Remember that (1) is already taken care of because your SpamMaze is a derived class of Maze. To keep track of (2) and (3), you should use lists of MazeCells. In particular, you will declare two data members:

  // The data members representing the spam and the centipede
  private LinkedList<MazeCell> spamCells;
  private LinkedList<MazeCell> pedeCells;

How should we represent the head of the snake?    One way to do this is simply to decide that the first element of the pedeCells data member will always be the head of the snake. Equivalently, you could use the last element. Either way, it will be up to your code to make sure the head of the snake contains the 'S' character, that the other cells in the snake contain the 'P' character, and that the snake is updated appropriately.

Overview of Spampede.java

The Spampede applet gives a user control over a spam-seeking centipede. Key presses from the keyboard change the direction of the centipede's movement in order to intersect snacks (spam) that appear at random places on the screen. For each snack consumed, the centipede grows by one segment (a segment is simply one MazeCell). Variations are welcome (see the extra credit section below)!

Adding tests

For this project, there are a number of places where we will ask you to add at least one test that will verify some of your application's methods:

• You should add a test that uses smallMaze (see MazeTest.java) to test each of
  • Maze.getNorthNeighbor
  • Maze.getSouthNeighbor
  • Maze.getWestNeighbor
  • Maze.getEastNeighbor
  • Maze.getNeighborsNEWS
• In addition, later on, you should add nine tests that more thoroughly check the functionality of your multiBFS method in the SpamMaze class. Details on what these 9 tests should check appear below.

Getting started: a suggested order of tasks

Additional tips for various methods

• Be sure to create, in init and/or in reset, a SpamMaze and make sure it is in a suitable starting configuration. There is already a data member named this.themaze to hold the created object.


• Draw the contents of the SpamMaze within the drawEnvironment method already provided. This will require writing a nested loop to create the 2d array of 10x10 pixel squares that represent the maze. This drawEnvironment method will be called every so often by the cycle method to show the latest state of the maze. You should use different colors of your choice representing walls, empty space, the head of the centipede and the body of the centipede. You will want to use the fillRect command to accomplish this.


• Update the spam within the SpamMaze named themaze. Within updateSpam you can add (and/or remove) spam every so often -- though doing so every cycle will probably be too fast!. You can also add spam as needed (e.g., when one is eaten). But, you should make sure to have at least one spam on the board at all times.


• Keep track of the centipede (i.e., the "spampede"). The updatePede method is provided as a placeholder for where you would do this. You might want a data member that keeps track of the centipede's current direction so that advancePede can be called appropriately -- the provided code has a data member private char dir that you might use for this. In this case, key presses would simply change this internally-stored dir.
  
  Keep in mind that no MazeCells are moving as the centipede crawls through the maze! Rather, it's the data member named pedeCells of type LinkedList that's snaking its way through the 2d array of MazeCellss by changing the cells to which it refers.


• Handle key presses. You will see a method that prints out certain characters when track of the centipede (i.e., the "spampede"). When the user presses the following keys, the centipede should change direction as indicated:
  • r : reverse, switching its head's position to its tail
  • i : turn north
  • j : turn west
  • l : turn east
  • k : turn south
  • a : go into autonomous, spam-seeking mode ("AI")
  If the centipede is already heading in the direction that the user chooses, nothing changes. If the user changes the centipede's direction so that it is moving back on itself (from South to North, say, or West to East), you may reverse direction, ignore the command, or "terminate" the centipede.



• When you run Spampede.java in Eclipse, you will first get a very small window!

  To get the regular size window, you must go to the Run Configurations dialog box. You can do this by opening up the Spampede.java file and clicking Run - Run Configurations. In the Run Configuration menu (shown below), click on the "Parameter" tab and modify "Width" and "Height" to both be 600.

  

  Now if you run Spampede.java you should see this:

  

Reminder: What to Submit