Battleship Instructions

battleship.md

#Battleship Instructions ##General Vision I looked this up on Wikipedia first, and after reading that it started as a pen-and-paper game, I started visualizing this game as based on a grid of squares, and the different states they might be in. I was thinking of things along these lines:

• Each side has the following:

  • Target Grid Squares
  • empty
  • hit enemy
  • missed enemy
  • Ocean Grid Squares
  • empty
  • with ship
    • Ship safe
    • Ship partially hit
    • Ship sunk
  • Game Status board
    • Game in progress: some squares empty
    • Game finished/someone won

• And then, I had all manner of thoughts about rules for how the computer would place ships on this grid, but for now, that's not really relevant.

##Actual Instructions Addressed to the computer itself

• OPENING SCREEN/END OF GAME
  • Wait for the user to click, "I'd like to play Battleship!" When they do, start with BOARD SETUP
• BOARD SETUP
  • Randomly arrange all your ships on the Ocean Grid.
  • Ask the user: "Please choose positions for all of your ships."
  • Check if they have placed all 5 ships.
    • If yes, do GAMEPLAY.
    • If no, wait 5 minutes, then ask, "Did you still want to play? Please place all 5 ships on your grid."
    • Keep checking every 5 minutes until GAMEPLAY begins.
• GAMEPLAY
  • PERSON'S TURN
    • Ask the user: "Take your best shot!"
    • Check the square with the coordinates they named
      • If the square contains a ship
        • (ship) = name of the appropriate ship
        • Tell them, "Oh no! My (ship) has been hit!"
        • If there are no more safe squares left on your ship
          • Tell them, "Curses! You sunk my (ship)!"
          • Give them a point on their Game Status board
            • If there are no more empty squares on their Game Status board
              • Tell them, "Alas! You've won!"
              • Ask them, "Do you want to play again?"
                • If yes, start again with BOARD SETUP
                • If no, do END OF GAME
      • If the square doesn't contain a ship, tell them, "Miss!"
  • COMPUTER'S TURN
    • Do not select a square that you've selected before.
    • Check if you have already hit any of their ships.
      • If the ships you've already hit are completely sunk || if you haven't gotten any hits
        • Randomly select a square to hit
      • If you have hit a ship before
        • Randomly select an adjoining square to hit
    • (coordinates) = Coordinates of the square you hit
    • Tell them, "(coordinates)!"
    • If you have hit their ship, record this as a hit in your Target Grid.
      • Check if there are still safe squares on their ship
        • If yes, repeat GAMEPLAY
        • Else
          • (ship) = name of the appropriate ship
          • Tell them, "What a delight! I've sunk your (ship)!"
          • Give yourself a point on your Game Status Board
            • If there are no more empty squares on your Game Status board
              • Tell them, "So there! I've won!"
              • Ask them, "Do you want to play again?"
                • If yes, start again with BOARD SETUP
                • If no, do END OF GAME
    • Else
      • Record this as a miss in your Target Grid
      • Repeat GAMEPLAY