Mastermind

In this project you’ll use Ruby to build an implementation of the classic game Mastermind.

Introduction

Learning Goals / Areas of Focus

• Apply principles of flow control across multiple methods
• Practice breaking a program into logical components
• Learn to implement a REPL interface
• Apply Enumerable techniques in a real context

Base Expectations

You are to build a playable game of Mastermind that runs in a REPL interface.

Starting a Game

• The player starts the game by running ruby mastermind.rb
• Then they see:

Welcome to MASTERMIND

Would you like to (p)lay, read the (i)nstructions, or (q)uit?
>

• If they enter p or play then they enter the game flow described below.
• If they enter i or instructions they should be presented with a short explanation of how the game is played.
• If they enter q or quit then the game should exit

Game Flow

Once the user starts a game they should see:

I have generated a beginner sequence with four elements made up of: (r)ed,
(g)reen, (b)lue, and (y)ellow. Use (q)uit at any time to end the game.
What's your guess?

They can then enter a guess in the form rrgb

• Guesses are case insensitive
• If it’s 'q' or 'quit' then exit the game
• If it’s 'c' or 'cheat' then print out the current secret code
• If it’s fewer than four letters, tell them it’s too short
• If it’s longer than four letters, tell them it’s too long
• If they guess the secret sequence, enter the end game flow below
• Otherwise give them feedback on the guess like this:

'RRGB' has 3 of the correct elements with 2 in the correct positions
You've taken 1 guess

Then let them guess again, repeating the game flow loop.

End Game

When the user correctly guesses the sequence, output the following:

Congratulations! You guessed the sequence 'GRRB' in 8 guesses over 4 minutes,
22 seconds.

Do you want to (p)lay again or (q)uit?

If they enter 'p' or 'play' then restart the game. 'q' or 'quit' ends the game.

Extensions

If you’re able to finish the base expectations, add on one or more of the following extensions:

Difficulty Levels

When the user is getting ready to start a game, ask them what difficulty level they’d like to play with the following adaptations:

• Beginner = 4 characters, 4 colors
• Intermediate = 6 characters, 5 colors
• Advanced = 8 characters, 6 colors

Record Tracking & Top 10

Use a file on the file system (like CSV, JSON, etc) to track completed games across runs of the program. When the user wins the game, output a message like this:

Congratulations! You've guessed the sequence! What's your name?

> Jeff

Jeff, you guessed the sequence 'GRRB' in 8 guesses over 4 minutes,
22 seconds. That's 1 minute, 10 seconds faster and two guesses fewer than the
average.

=== TOP 10 ===
1. Jeff solved 'GRRB' in 8 guesses over 4m22s
2. Jeff solved 'BRGG' in 11 guesses over 4m45s
3. Jorge solved 'BBBB' in 12 guesses over 4m15s
4. Jorge solved 'GGBB' in 12 guesses over 5m12s

Note that they’re ranked first by number of guesses then by time.

Package & Polish

Your game won’t be very popular if it’s hard to install and run.

Add a Command Line Wrapper

Create an executable script that allows the user to just run mastermind from their terminal without directly executing Ruby.

Other Ideas

• Add a history instruction to the gameplay which can be called before entering a guess and it’ll display all previous guesses and results in a compact form
• Visual Interface - add colors and ASCII graphics to make a more compelling visual experience
• Two-Player Mode - Add a game mode where players alternate guesses and whoever gets the sequence right first wins. Consider having their guesses hidden.

Evaluation Rubric

The project will be assessed with the following guidelines:

• 4: Above expectations
• 3: Meets expectations
• 2: Below expectations
• 1: Well-below expectations

Expectations:

1. Ruby Syntax & Style

• Applies appropriate attribute encapsulation
• Developer creates instance and local variables appropriately
• Naming follows convention (is idiomatic)
• Ruby methods used are logical and readable
• Code is indented properly
• Code does not exceed 80 characters per line
• Each class has correctly-named files and corresponding test files in the proper directories

2. Breaking Logic into Components

• Code is effectively broken into methods & classes
• Developer writes methods less than 10 lines
• No more than 3 methods break the principle of SRP

3. Test-Driven Development

• Each method is tested
• Tests implement Ruby syntax & style

4. Functionality

• Application meets all requirements

5. Git Workflow

• Project has at least 20 commits and uses Pull Request workflow.

Rubric