CPSC 231: Assignment 2 (Problem solving using branches and loops)

Computer Science I for majors by James Tam

CPSC 231: Assignment 2

Due at 4 PM. For assignment due dates see the main schedule on the course webpage.

New Concepts to be applied for the assignment

Problem solving using branches and loops (not recursion) in Python

Description:

Write a text-based "choose your own" adventure game. There will be three 'rooms' in the game world, within each room the player will see a number of choices and the program will react to the player's selection. The game will repeatedly run the game via a main loop (this loop contains most of the instructions of the program) until the game has been won. The goal of this mini-game is to open the locked door to access the rest of the house. The door will only be unlocked if the player turns the key silver lock in the pantry to the 'right' position and turns the gold lock in the kitchen to the 'left' position. When the door has been unlocked the player can return to the entrance room and open the door to the rest of the house satisfying the goal of this mini-game: the main loop ends and a suitable congratulatory message should be displayed.

Sample program output:

A text file "output_normal_play.txt" shows sample execution of my solution with a normal play through (no erroneous selections). Another text file "output_invalid_selections.txt" illustrates what should happen when the player selects an option that isn't listed. These files can be found in UNIX under /home/231/assignments/assignment2/output. Alternatively you can see the contents of the A2 directory via a [shortcut link].

Entrance room description

The player begins the game in the entrance. The door that brought the person into the house is gone (it's a "one-way portal"). When the player is in this room the game will describe the list of possible actions:

Try to open the door

Go through the left entryway

Go through the right entryway

As mentioned the player cannot open the door until it as been unlocked. The player can freely pass through either entryway with no conditions. Entering a non-existent selection will result in a suitable helpful error message (refer to the last section of the 'repetition' notes, rules of thumb for how to write good error messages) and the above options are displayed again. The program does not have to handle cases where an invalid type of information (e.g. string instead of number) has been entered. (However, the inability to handle invalid types should then be documented as a "program limitation"). As long as the player remains in the room the program will repeatedly display the above menu options (using a loop) after each time the user enters his/her selection.

Pantry description

As shown in the above map the player can freely pass between the entrance and the pantry. When the player is in the pantry, the game will display the list of possible actions:

Turn the silver lock to the left position

Turn the silver lock to the right position

Turn the silver lock to the center position

Don't change the position! Return to entranceway

Each time the above menu options are displayed the program must show the current position of the lock e.g. "The silver lock is currently set to the right position.". The starting default is the 'left' position. Similar to the entrance if the player enters an invalid selection in the pantry, a suitable and helpful error message should be displayed and the list of options for the pantry will be shown again. As long as the player remains in the room the program will repeatedly display the above menu options and lock status (using a loop) after each time that the user enters his/her selection.

Kitchen description

As shown in the above map the player can freely pass between the entrance and the kitchen. When the player is in the kitchen, the game will display the list of possible actions:

Turn the gold lock to the left position

Turn the gold lock to the right position

Turn the gold lock to the center position

Don't change the position! Return to entranceway

Similar to the pantry, the program should show the current lock position each time the options are presented i.e., "The gold lock is currently set to the center position.". The starting default is the 'center' position. Similar to the entrance if the player enters an invalid selection in the kitchen, a suitable and helpful error message should be displayed and then the list of options for the kitchen (along with the lock position) will be shown again. As long as the player remains in the room the program will repeatedly display the above menu options (using a loop) after each time that the user enters his/her selection.

In addition to grading on whether the above functionality was correctly implemented TAs will also look at style and documentation.

Documentation (synopsis from the intro to programming notes)

Contact information (name, student ID, tutorial number)
Header documentation (top of program): summarize the functionality of program
Inline documentation (positioned inline with the relevant code): for each room describe the specific features from the assignment description that were implemented for the room
Program limitations (when/if applicable)

Style (synopsis from the intro to programming notes)

Good naming conventions
The use of named constants as appropriate
Clear expressions (mathematical, Boolean)
Appropriate use of whitespace (not too much or too little) in the source code
Of course if a student implements an extreme case of inefficient code (e.g. multiple loops or branches are used when one will do) then penalties may be applied but this is generally rare

D2L configuration:

Multiple submissions are possible for each assignment (may not apply for all assignments but I have the same configuration to be consistent(: You can and should submit many times before the due date. However, this means that TAs will only mark the latest versions of each file submitted via D2L. Even if the version of a document that you want marked has been uploaded into D2L if it isn't the latest version then you will only get marks for the latest version. (It's unfair to have the TAs check versions or to remark assignments simply because you didn't check that the latest version was the correct one).
Important! Multiple files can be submitted for each assignment. I am allowing you to submit multiple files for each assignment so don't archive/compress multiple files using a utility such as zip otherwise your work may not be graded.

Marking

Assignments will be marked by your tutorial instructor (the "Teaching Assistant" or "TA"). When you have questions about marking this is the first person that you should be directing your questions towards. If you still have question after you have talked to your TA, then you can talk to your course (lecture) instructor.
As well as being marked on whether "your program works" for full assignments you will also be marked on non-functional requirements such as style and documentation (this is not the case with mini-assignments). This assignment will include a separate [marking checklist] so you can tell ahead of time how marks will allocated. As well you can see how marks were and were not awarded after marking is done. Besides seeing your grade point in D2L you can also see the detailed feedback that your TA will enter for each student. You can access the grading sheet in D2L under Assessments->Dropbox and then clicking on the appropriate assignment link. If you still cannot find the grading sheet then here is a [help link]

Points to keep in mind:

Due time: All assignments are due at 4 PM on the due dates listed on the course web page. Late assignments or components of assignments will not be accepted for marking without approval for an extension beforehand. Alternate submission mechanisms (non exhaustive list of examples: email, uploads to cloud-based systems such as Google drive, time-stamps, TA memories) cannot be used as alternatives if you have forgotten to submit work or otherwise have not properly submitted into D2L. Only files submitted into D2L by the due date is what will be marked, everything else will be awarded no credit.
Extensions may be granted for reasonable cases by the course instructor with the receipt of the appropriate documentation (e.g., a doctor's note). Typical examples of reasonable cases for an extension include: illness or a death in the family. Example cases where extensions will not be granted include situations that are typical of student life: having multiple due dates, work commitments etc. Tutorial instructors (TA's) will not be able to provide extension on their own and must receive permission from the course instructor first.
Method of submission: You are to submit your assignment using D2L [help link]. Make sure that you [check the contents of your submitted files] (e.g., is the file okay or was it corrupted, is it the correct version etc.). It's your responsibility to do this! (Make sure that you submit your assignment with enough time before it comes due for you to do a check).
Identifying information: All assignments should include contact information (full name, student ID number and tutorial section) at the very top of your program in the class where the 'main()' method resides (starting execution point). (Note other documentation is also required for most assignments). Not necessary graded for mini-assignments but still a good idea to do this.
Collaboration: Assignments must reflect individual work; group work is not allowed in this class nor can you copy the work of others. For more detailed information as to what constitutes academic misconduct (i.e., cheating) for this course please read the following [link].
Execution: programs must run on the computer science network running Python 3.x. If you write you code in the lab and work remotely using a remote login program such as Putty or SSH then you should be okay (assuming you don't login to a non-Linux computer). If you choose to install Python on your own computer then it is your responsibility to ensure that your program will run properly here. If it's not running in the lab computers using Python 3.x then it won't be awarded credit. It's not recommended that you use an IDE for writing your programs but if you use one then make sure that you submit your program in the form of text ".py" file or files.
Use of pre-created Python libraries: unless otherwise told you are to write the code yourself and not use any pre-created functions. For this assignment the usual acceptable functions include: print(), input() and the 'conversion' functions such as int(), float(), str(). Look at the particular assignment description for a list of other classes that you are allowed to use and still get credit in an assignment submission.