Assignment 2 (Problem solving using branches and loops)

CPSC 217: Assignment 2 (The Tam "Dungeon of Doom")

Due at 4 PM. For assignment due dates see the main schedule on the course webpage. The program must be written and run under python version 3.X.

New Concepts to be applied for the assignment

Problem solving using branches and loops in Python

Functional requirements (for the marks allocated for each feature see the marking spreadsheet)

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 (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 inner to access the rest of the house. 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 (which is to gain access the inner sanctum of the house). When this occurs 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 D2L under: Content->Assignment 2 decription->Sample outputs

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 inner 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 that 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

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. (The unlocked position is 'right'). 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 (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

The program should show the current lock position e.g. "The gold lock is currently set to the center position.". The starting default is the 'center' position. (The unlocked position is 'left'. 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 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.

Non -functional assignment requirements (style and documentation).

Naming conventions: You should employ good naming conventions for identifiers (variables and constants).
Documentation: contact information (your name, student identification number and tutorial number). This should be specified in the header of the program (very top in the form of Python documentation). In addition your documentation should specify:
- What does the program do.
- What are it's limitations e.g. the program doesn't perform type checking (crashes when non-numeric information is entered)
- The version number of the program (dates are acceptable)
Named constants should be used as appropriate.
The program code should have appropriate white space (specified in the "Intro to programming lecture') and alignment (specified throughout the lecture notes)
Finally your program should follow the 5 rules of thumb for designing software (Jakob Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics) which were included at the notes on 'Repetition' e.g. prompts to the user to enter the required information should be clear to the user as to what is required, good error messages should be provided for erroneous input etc.

Having at least one violation in one of the above 4 categories will result in -0.1 penalty to marking. Multiple violations in one category still results in a single penalty (e.g. 3 bad variable names will still result in a -0.1 penalty). However violations between categories will result in cumulative penalties (e.g. a program that includes poor variable names and no constants will receive a -0.2 penalty).

Submitting your work:

The document must be electronically submitted using D2L. This applies to on-time or late submissions.
D2L configuration for this course
- Multiple submissions are allowed for this assignment: You can (and really should) submit work as many times as you wish before the due date. Due dates are strict, only what is in D2L by the deadline is what will be marked. Other methods of verifying that your work was completed on time (e.g. checking timestamps, emailed files etc.) will NOT be accepted.
- Multiple files can be submitted for this assignment (e.g. A1_version1_May7, A1_version2_May8 etc.) Consequently all versions of your submissions will be retained. However only the latest versions of each individual document (for assignments that require multiple files to be submitted) are the ones that will be marked, everything else will be ignored (because it is not fair to your marker to sort through multiple versions of your files).

Do not use compression utilities (such as zip) or archiving utilities (such as tar) otherwise your submission may not be marked
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 your submit your assignment with enough time before it comes due for you to do a check)

Marking

Assignments will be marked by your tutorial instructor (the "Teaching Assistant" or "TA") for your tutorial section. 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" you will also be marked on non-functional requirements such as style and documentation. Consequently this assignment will include a separate [marking checklist]. 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.
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).
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 won't run using Python 3.x then it won't be awarded credit. It's up to you if you wish use the graphical program builder IDLE to write/run your programs but if you do 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.
Extensions may be granted for reasonable cases by the course instructor with the receipt of the appropriate documentation (e.g., a sworn declaration with a commissioner of oaths). 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 (TAs) will not be able to provide extension on their own and must receive permission from the course instructor first.
Questions about marking: Your Teaching Assistants will be marking the assignments so I will first direct your questions to them regarding the marking

Late submissions (no extension granted):

Submission received:	On time	Hours late : >0 and <=24	Hours late: >24 and <=48	Hours late: >48 and <=72	Hours late: >72 and <=96	Hours late: >96
Penalty:	None	-1 GPA	-2 GPA	-3 GPA	-4 GPA	No