Limiting Flag Placement in Minesweeper
Can we implement a feature to prevent players from placing more flags than there are bombs?
Absolutely! Implementing a feature to prevent players from placing more flags than there are bombs is a great way to enhance the gameplay and ensure that the game remains challenging yet fair.
Let's explore how we can implement this feature in our Minesweeper game.
Why Limit Flag Placement?
- Game Integrity: It maintains the integrity of the game by preventing players from flagging every cell.
- Strategy: It encourages players to think critically about where to place their flags.
- Realism: It mirrors the real Minesweeper game, where the number of flags is typically limited to the number of mines.
Implementation
We can modify our FlagCounter class to include this functionality. Here's an example of how we might implement this:
#include <iostream>
#include <stdexcept>
class FlagCounter {
public:
FlagCounter(int totalMines)
: totalMines{ totalMines }
, flagsPlaced{ 0 } {}
void PlaceFlag() {
if (flagsPlaced < totalMines) {
++flagsPlaced;
UpdateDisplay();
} else {
throw std::runtime_error(
"Cannot place more flags than mines");
}
}
void RemoveFlag() {
if (flagsPlaced > 0) {
--flagsPlaced;
UpdateDisplay();
}
}
int GetRemainingFlags() const {
return totalMines - flagsPlaced;
}
private:
int totalMines;
int flagsPlaced;
void UpdateDisplay() const {
std::cout << "Flags: " << flagsPlaced
<< " / " << totalMines
<< " (Remaining: "
<< GetRemainingFlags() << ")\n";
}
};
int main() {
FlagCounter counter{
3
}; // 3 total mines in the game
try {
counter.PlaceFlag();
counter.PlaceFlag();
counter.PlaceFlag();
counter.PlaceFlag(); // This should throw an
// exception
} catch (const std::exception& e) {
std::cout << "Error: " << e.what() << "\n";
}
counter.RemoveFlag();
counter.PlaceFlag(); // This should work now
}Flags: 1 / 3 (Remaining: 2)
Flags: 2 / 3 (Remaining: 1)
Flags: 3 / 3 (Remaining: 0)
Error: Cannot place more flags than mines
Flags: 2 / 3 (Remaining: 1)
Flags: 3 / 3 (Remaining: 0)In this implementation, we've made several improvements:
- The
PlaceFlag()method now checks if we've reached the maximum number of flags before allowing placement. - If a player tries to place more flags than there are mines, we throw an exception.
- We've added a
GetRemainingFlags()method to easily check how many more flags can be placed. - The
UpdateDisplay()method now shows the number of remaining flags as well.
Integration with MinesweeperCell
To fully implement this in our game, we'd need to integrate it with our MinesweeperCell class. Here's an example of how we might modify the HandleRightClick() method:
class MinesweeperCell : public Engine::Button {
public:
MinesweeperCell(FlagCounter& counter)
: flagCounter{ counter } {}
protected:
void HandleRightClick() override {
if (hasFlag) {
ReportEvent(UserEvents::FLAG_CLEARED);
hasFlag = false;
flagCounter.RemoveFlag();
} else {
try {
flagCounter.PlaceFlag();
ReportEvent(UserEvents::FLAG_PLACED);
hasFlag = true;
} catch (const std::exception& e) {
// Optionally, display a message to the
// user
std::cout << "Cannot place more flags: "
<< e.what() << "\n";
}
}
}
private:
bool hasFlag{ false };
FlagCounter& flagCounter;
};By implementing this feature, we ensure that players can't place more flags than there are mines, maintaining the challenge and integrity of the game.
It also provides clear feedback to the player about how many flags they have left to place, adding an extra layer of strategy to the gameplay.
Placing Flags
Implement flag placement and tracking to complete your Minesweeper project.