CPSC 233: Assignment 5 (Worth 8%)

Due Friday March 26

Extending the original Star Trek © Paramount game

Your mission for this assignment

You are to take your code from the previous assignment and to augment it by implementing special classes of ships that extend the basic StarShip class from the first assignment.  In the full version of the game the human player will control a Federation star ship while the computer controlled ships will include ones from: the Klingon empire, the Dominion and the Borg.

The Federation

The United Federation of Planets (or the Federation for short) is an egalitarian union of hundreds of different species and cultures.  To bring together such a large and diverse number of races under one governing body requires that something other than combat is used to settle differences of opinion.  One of the two founding races of the Federation and perhaps the most ubiquitous are humans.   Most humans are an equal parts of explorer and diplomat and provide the glue that holds the Federation together.   Their ships are well equipped with defensive and offensive weapons that are designed not to start a conflict but to end them.

The federation is a peaceful union of numerous races.  "To seek out new life, to explore new worlds."

The Klingon Empire

This warrior race has a genetic predisposition to hostility and a well-known streak of fatalism.   Klingons are also famous (or perhaps infamous) for their get-togethers in which a great deal of growling, wrestling, snarling where generally a lot of extroverted revelry takes place.   If you look beyond their boisterous and rather loud exteriors the Klingons are perhaps the most noble race of all: they hold honour above their own life.  Klingon ships are designed with powerful offensive capabilities that suit their aggressive natures.

A young Klingon warrior wielding a Bat'leth.  "Kapla!" (Success!)

The Dominion

The Dominion is a mighty planetary alliance composed of  several hundred dominated races led by a race of shape shifters (know as the "Founders"), administered by devious and cloned race (the "Vorta") and defended by a genetically bred race of soldiers (the "Jem'Hadar").  The founders are the dominion and dominion is the founders.  Their goals are simple: the imposition of (their) order on the galaxy.  Much like Klingon warships, the ships of the Dominion are built for a fight.

A Jem'Hadar soldier on guard. "Victory is life!"

The Borg

They are a cybernetic life-form which is part organic, part artificial life with a singular unifying goal, the consumption of useful technology.  They do this by "assimilating" other species (i.e., turning them into Borg) which they claim will, "..raise the quality of life for that species."¹ The Borg skill at assimilating new technology allows their ships to adapt their defensive systems which will reduce the effectiveness of some enemy attacks over time.  Each attack on a Borg ship allows them to assimilate more information about the energy used in the attack which allows the Borg to adapt their defences to the attack.  In addition the Borg are not native to quadrant (quarter) of the galaxy where the Federation is situated: only the advanced Borg propulsion systems in their ships have made contact between humans and the Borg possible.

An attacking Borg drone. "You will be assimilated."

Grading: Working submissions

Some of the new classes needed for this assignment

1. FederationStarShip
2. KlingonAttackCruiser
3. JemHadarBattleship
4. BorgCube

Basic submission (C-):  

Required functions from Assignment 4

• Your program implements all the required classes from the previous assignment
• Classes are instantiated and properly initialized e.g., For class galaxy the human player always starts off in the Terrain sector while the starting positions for the computer controlled ships is randomly determined.
• The program displays the galaxy along with the bounding boxes around each sector and numbering for each row and column. 
• The program displays the movement menu and the attack menu.
• The human player's ship can warp to any adjacent and unoccupied square.
• The user can put the program into debug mode from either the attack or movement menu.  The program should indicate when it is in debug mode.  Because of the many new features to implemented for this assignment, the information displayed while debug mode is turned on is now more specific than was with the previous assignment.  This was done to help speed up marking when you demonstrate what features are working in your program to your TA.
• The user can quit the game from either the movement or the attack menu.
• The human player's ship and computer controlled ships can attack each other if they are adjacent.
• The program can detect and indicate to the user when the game is lost (the human controlled ship is destroyed) or won (all computer controlled ships destroyed).  A player can also quit the game without the win or lose condition being met.

Extra function for Assignment 5

• Cheat mode has been expanded so that when the user enters 'C' or 'c' at the attack or movement menu,  a third menu will come up (the "cheat menu"):

Menu option	Effect
Invulnerability (option 'I')	The player's ship becomes immune to all attacks until the player invokes the cheat menu again and turns off invulnerability mode.
Invoke the quantum slip stream drive (option 'S')	A very high speed means of travel allowing the player's ship to move to any unoccupied sector in the galaxy. When invoked the program will prompt the person to enter the destination row, column values and if the sector is unoccupied the player's ship will move to the new sector.  This is a separate means of propulsion from the regular engine and conceivably both can be invoked during a turn e.g., during the movement phase the player moves on sector using the warp drive while for the attack phase the player invokes the slip stream drive and moves to yet another sector.
Fire the photonic cannon (option 'P')	The player's ship discharges a high-energy burst that will totally destroy any ship anywhere in the galaxy (except for the player's ship of course).  The weapon is not automatically fired during the regular attack phase, the player must enter cheat mode and select the 'P' option each time that he or she wishes to employ this weapon. The firing of the photonic cannon is independent of the firing of the other weapon(s).  If the player invokes cheat mode during the movement menu and fires the photonic cannon, the phasers and the quantum torpedo (for the latter weapon refer to the description of the Federation star ship) can also be fired during the attack phase.

• Note:  These extra features that listed in the cheat mode menu apply only the star ship controlled by the human player and not to the computer-controlled ships.

Extra features

1. Implement the code for a Federation star ship (worth 2 letter steps).    You are to implement a new class, "FederationStarShip", that extends class "StarShip".  This ship will replace the basic star ship that was controlled by the human player in the fourth assignment.  The Federation star ship has all the features of the basic star ship except:

• It has an onscreen appearance of 'F'.
• The shield to hull ratio is 15 instead of 10.  (The hull value is still 400 points but now the maximum shield value is 400 x 15 = 6000 points).
• Regenerative shielding:  If the current shield value is less than the maximum of 6000, at the end of each turn the shields will regenerate by 10% of the maximum shield value up to the original maximum shield value.  Because regeneration occurs at the end of the turn (after the combat phase) a ship that has been destroyed will not have it's shields regenerate.  This applies to the shield value only, the hull of a Federation ship does not regenerate.
• Quantum torpedo: In addition to the standard phasers of a star ship, Federation ships are armed with an unlimited number of quantum torpedoes.  The attack phase will now allow the player to fire two weapons.  At the beginning of this phase the program will first ask the row and column coordinates of the ship that he or she wishes to target with the torpedo.  Assuming that these coordinates are valid (the sector is adjacent, there is actually a ship in that sector, the bounds of the galaxy haven't been exceeded) then the enemy ship at the location will be hit by the torpedo and it's shields will be totally destroyed.   (The shield value will be set to zero if it was positive, there will be no effect if shields were already down).  This applies even when targeting a Borg cube (see the description of the Borg ship below).  After firing the torpedo, program will then allow the player to fire the phasers: a) It will ask the player for the row and column coordinates of the ship to target b) It will check to see if the sector is valid c) Assuming that the sector is a valid one, the program will generate the damage for the phasers (80 - 880) and deduct it from the hull value of the enemy ship.  Only one torpedo may be fired each turn although the player may pass on the firing of the torpedo in the same way that he or she may pass on the firing of the phasers.
• Example: At the beginning of a turn we have a Federation star ship that is adjacent to two computer controlled star ships (instances of the old StarShip class from the fourth assignment).

	0	1
0		C
1	F	C
2

 

Computer-controlled ship at (0,1)
Ship's system	Point value
Shields	2150
Hull	400

 

Computer-controlled ship at (1,1)
Ship's system	Point value
Shields	4000
Hull	400

The person controlling the Federation ship chooses to fire the quantum torpedo at the first ship and enters (0, 1) for the (row, column) value.  Next comes the targeting of the phasers.  Although the player can (and probably should) attack the same ship he or she is not required to do so and in this example enters (1, 1) for the (row, column) value and inflicts 880 points of damage on the shields of the second ship.  After this combat phase the computer-controlled ships end up at the following state:

Computer-controlled ship at (0,1)
Ship's system	Point value
Shields	0 (down)
Hull	400

 

Computer-controlled ship at (1,1)
Ship's system	Point value
Shields	3120
Hull	400

 

A Sovereign class star ship.

When debug mode is turned on the program should show the shield value of the targeted enemy before the torpedo was fired (point value before being hit by the torpedo) and the shield value after it was fired (it should now be zero).

2. Implement the code for a Jem'Hadar battleship (worth 1 letter step).  You are to implement a new class "JemHadarBattleship" that extends class "StarShip".  This ship will replace one of the 3 computer-controlled star ships from the game you wrote for the fourth assignment.  The Jem'Hadar battleship has all the features of the basic star ship except:

• It has an onscreen appearance of a 'J'.
• The Dominion uses a different type of phaser than the one used on most other star ships and emits a charged beam of anti-protons. This weapon will inflict 200 to 800 points of damage per attack (possible values: 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 or 800).  The beam can be fired once per attack phase.  Worse still (for the target) is that shields will have no effect against this type of energy weapon.   Regardless of what the current shield value of the target is, the anti-proton beam will directly reduce the hull value of the target.  The shield value of the ship being targeted by the Jem'Hadar ship will remain unchanged.

A Jem'Hadar battleship.

When the program is in debug mode it should show the amount of damage generated by the Jem'Hadar anti-proton beam, the shield and hull value of the player's ship before and after the attack.

3. Implement the code for a Borg cube (worth 2 letter steps).  You are to implement a new class "BorgCube" that extends class "StarShip".  This ship will replace one of the 3 computer-controlled star ships from the game that you implemented for the fourth assignment.  For example, if you already implemented the code for Jem'Hadar battleship there will still be 3 computer-controlled ships: a Jem'Hadar battleship, a Borg cube and an instance of one of the standard star ships from assignment 4.  The Borg cube has all the features of the basic star ship except:

• It has an onscreen appearance of a 'B'.
• The cube is larger than the other ships in the game so it has double the hull and shield values of a regular star ship (800 points for the hull and 8000 for the shields).  However, the Borg ship in the game is represented by just one character just like the other ships.
• Borg ships have the most advanced propulsion system in the game, called "transwarp".  Instead of having a maximum travel range of one sector like everyone else, Borg cubes can move up to 3 sectors per turn.   This means that when you are randomly generating the distance to be travel the change in the row or column value will be equal to 0, 1, 2 or up to 3 sectors.  (It can be quite a nasty jolt to have a Borg ship suddenly come along when you are already in the middle of a pitched battle with someone else).

A Borg sphere ship travelling at transwarp (faster than warp) speed.

• As Borg ships are attacked they are able to adapt the technology on their ship to reduce the effectiveness of the enemy's energy weapons so that successive hits will inflict less and less damage over time. 

First hit by opponent during the game	No damage reduction
Second hit by same opponent	Damage is reduced by 25%
Third hit by same opponent	Damage is halved
Fourth and successive hits during a game	Damage is reduced by 75%

All fractional values are removed when determining damage.  For example, if 355 points of damage were randomly generated by a phaser hit on a Borg cube and this were the 4th attack then the damage inflicted would equal 88 points (355 / 4 = 88.75 which is rounded down to 88 points).

Example: The human player is controlling one of the old star ships from the previous assignment (an instance of class StarShip).  The first time that the player tangles with the Borg her phasers generate 880 points of damage.  All of this damage will be deducted from either the shields or hull of the cube depending on whether the shields are still up or not. The next turn the player fires on the cube again.  Her ship generates 800 points of damage.  A quarter of the energy is dissipated by the Borg's defensive systems (200 points) while the remaining 600 points are again deducted from the shields or hull of the cube.  The player fires a third time on the cube and phasers generate 100 points of damage but now the cube absorbs only 50 points of damage, the other 50 points have been dissipated.  By now the player has had enough and flees the battle.  Should she try to tangle with the Borg again the phasers on her ship will do only a quarter damage to the Borg.

Note however that the Borg ability to adapt applies to energy based weapons like the phaser.  It will have no effect on either the quantum torpedo or the photonic cannon. 

A Borg cube under attack by a Federation task force

When the program is in debug mode the program should show the full amount of damage generated by the player's phasers, the number of times that the Borg ship was hit by the player's ship and the damage that will actually be inflicted on the cube.

4. Implement the code for a Klingon attack cruiser (worth 2 letter steps).  You are to implement a new class "KlingonAttackCruiser" that extends class "StarShip".  This ship will replace one of the 3 computer-controlled star ships from the game you implemented for the fourth assignment.  For example, if you already implemented the code for Jem'Hadar battleship and the Borg cube then there will still be 3 computer-controlled ships: a Jem'Hadar battleship, a Borg cube and now the Klingon ship replaces the last instance of the old-style star ship from Assignment 4.   The Klingon attack cruiser has all the features of the basic star ship except:

• All Klingon ships are equipped with an invisibility shield (called a "cloaking device") that not only bends visible light rays but also distorts the scanning devices of other star ships.  The drawback is that this device uses up so much energy that a ship cannot fire it's weapons while cloaked.  In terms of this game the cloaking device will provide the Klingon ship with the advantage of attacking before anybody else.  Thus the damage inflicted by the Klingon ship will be displayed before the other player's get to attack.  The main implication is that the Klingon ship has the ability to destroy the player's star ship before the player can fire.  If this is the case then the game will display the damage inflicted and then it will end indicating that the player has lost.
• The Klingon ship will not show up when the galaxy is displayed until the attack portion of each turn.   Instead a blank space is displayed in the grid.
• During the attack phase the ship has an onscreen appearance of a 'K'.  After the attack phase is over the ship will cloak and disappear again (a blank space gets displayed in that sector).
• Klingon warships do not use phasers as their primary energy-based weapon but instead use disruptors that wreak havoc on the shields of the enemy.  The damage for Klingon disruptors is calculated in the same way that phaser damage is calculated in the previous assignment (ranges from 80 - 880).  However the damage deducted for disruptor fire on the shields is doubled.  Damage deducted from the hull value is normal.

Example: The human player is controlling one of the standard star ships from the previous assignment and is taking on a Klingon attack cruiser.

Human player's ship
Ship's system	Point value
Shields	600
Hull	400

The damage generated for the cruiser's disruptor fire is 700 points.  Because the disruptor fire has double the effect on shields, only 300 points of damage are required to cause the shields on the human player's ship to go down.  That leaves 400 points of disruptor energy left.  This damage is now deducted from the hull of the human player reducing it zero.  Because Klingon ships attack first the human player's ship is destroyed and he or she has lost the game.  The results of the attack on the human player's ship is displayed and the game now ends indicating that it was lost.  

A Negh'var class attack cruiser de-cloaking for attack

If the game is in cheat mode then the game should display: 1) The amount of disruptor damage generated 2) The amount deducted from the shields 3) The amount deducted from the hull (if any).

5. Implementing the full cheat menu by adding an extra option (worth 1 letter step).

Menu option

Effect

Activate covert sensors (menu option 'C')

Detailed information about the three computer controlled ships will be shown onscreen: The row, column coordinates in the galaxy (handy for ferreting out cloaked vessels). The current shield and hull value. Unlike the photonic cannon, this cheat mode option will operate continuously (the information will be displayed while the covert sensors are turned on). During the movement phase all of the above information will be displayed. During the attack phase only the current shield and hull value will be shown. If this menu option is again selected when the sensors are turned on then they will be turned off (selecting it acts as an on/off toggle).

Grading: Non-working submissions

D submissions:

The student has invested considerable time and effort into the assignment, the program does not fulfill any of the above requirements but it does compile.

D- submissions:

The student has invested considerable time and effort into the assignment, the program does not fulfill any of the above requirements and it does not compile.

Submission requirements for this assignment

In addition to having fulfill the generic assignment requirements, the requirements specific to this assignment include:

1. Good coding style and documentation:  They will play a role in determining your final grade for this assignment.  Your grade can be reduced by a letter step or more (e.g., "A" to "A-" for poor programming style such as employing poor naming conventions for identifiers or for not properly employing inheritance).

2. Include a README file in your submission:  For this assignment your README file must indicate what features have been completed as well as the estimated grade level.   This will allow your marker to quickly determine what he or she must look for and speed up the marking process.  Be specific about the features, don't just list the letter grade but state the break down as well:

e.g., I completed the "C-" level requirements plus:

• The human player controls a Federation star ship rather than the standard star ship from Assignment 4 (+2)
• The full cheat menu was implemented (+1)

Total estimated grade = 1.7 + 2 steps = 2.3.

As with previous assignments you must indicate if you use any external libraries (other than the tio or the ones produced by Sun). 

3. Assignments (source code and the README file) must be electronically submitted via submit.  In addition a paper print out of the source code and the README file must be handed into the assignment drop box for the lab that you are registered in (located on the second floor of the Math Sciences building).  Electronically submitting the assignment allows your marker to run the code in order to quickly determine what features were implemented.  Providing a paper printout makes it easier for your marker to read and flip through your source code.  Much like the case with Assignment 4, you will later schedule some time in lab to show to your TA which features of the game that you actually implemented.

New Concepts to be applied for the assignment

1. Inheritance
2. Software reuse

External libraries that can be used

1. Libraries that allow for text-based (console) input and output.
2. Libraries that will randomly generate numbers (e.g., class Random or class Math).

Sources of information for this assignment

Note: The use of the Star Trek trademark © was for educational purposes only and not meant as a copy write challenge.

^{1 From Star Trek: The next generation, "The best of both worlds, Part II"}