/SimpleSmeeborg

Primary LanguageC#

SimpleSmeeborg Documentation

Kodable Game Developer Test

Instructions

Overview

This Unity application attempts to parse the contents of a .txt file based on the ASCII maze format provided in the instructions. If successful, it renders a corresponding maze as a grid of simple sprites. Next, it uses the A* search algorithm to find a path from the top left of the maze (0,0) to the bottom right (max, max). If one is found, the application animates a sprite following the path from start to finish.

Format

The application expects the ASCII maze to consist of a grid of rooms, or cells. Here's an example cell:

+--+
|   
+--+
  • The -- characters together represent a wall on the north or south side of the cell
  • The | character represents a wall on the east or west side of the cell
  • The blank space on the right, mirroring the | on the left, represents the absence of a wall, meaning this cell can be entered from the east.
  • The + characters represent the corners
  • The ASCII file, when parsed into a grid, is expected to have a uniform row length and a uniform column length (no standalone rooms protruding from one side of the maze)
  • If the inputted ASCII does not match these expectations, the application will likely produce unspecified results

Unity Version

Latest 2021 LTS: 2021.3.16.f1

Script Flow

MazeLoader (MonoBehaviour)

  • Holds a serialized reference to maze.txt, the provided example ASCII maze file
  • Initiates the process of parsing the ASCII and creating the Maze instance
  • Creates the CellBehaviour instances that visually represent the maze to the user
  • Invokes OnMazeInitialized, listened for by CameraAdjuster and FindPathAStar

Maze

  • Passes the ASCII string to the AsciiMaze constructor
  • Creates the 2D Cell matrix by requesting instances from AsciiMaze
  • Serves valid Cell neighbors to FindPathAStar later

AsciiMaze

  • Creates a 2D char matrix from the inputted ASCII string
  • Provides the Maze with Cell instances
  • Determines from which directions a Cell can be entered based on surrounding char values

Cell

  • Represents a room in the maze
  • Holds a room's coordinates, world position and the cardinal directions from which it is accessible

CellBehaviour (MonoBehaviour)

  • Responsible for the room's visuals
  • Toggles on an appropriate icon if the room is the start or finish room of the maze
  • Sets the SpriteRenderer Material's shader uniforms to display the room's walls, if any

FindPathAStar

  • Attempts to find the shortest possible path through the maze
  • Finds the costs of a room's neighbors as determined by the A* distance calculations
  • Manages the open and closed lists of PathNode instances, which are used to track which routes have been explored yet
  • If the finish room is found, chains together a complete path by retracing its steps through PathNode parent references

PathNode

  • Holds the current A* costs associated with a room
  • Stores the parent room that was selected before this room

Character (MonoBehaviour)

  • Caches the completed path if FindPathAStar successfully finds a path to the finish
  • Listens for a UnityEvent (invoked by ShowSolutionButton) to begin an animation
  • Leverages the DOTween package to tween from room to room along the path

ShowSolutionButton (MonoBehaviour)

  • Reveals the UI in the event that a path was successfully found
  • Invokes a UnityEvent when the user clicks the button, hiding the UI and triggering the Character instance's animation

Additional Scripts

`BoolExtensions

  • Provides a small method to convert the room access booleans to integers for the shader uniforms

CameraAdjuster (MonoBehaviour)

  • Sets the size of the Camera and the position of its GameObject, after the maze has been initialized

CellExtensions

  • A set of extension methods to check the directional relationship between two Cell instances

CellType (enum)

  • Used to identify the start and finish rooms

Possible Future Improvements

  • UI: Provide more information to the user through UI, including pathfinding error messages, maze data, ASCII format, etc
  • Feedback: Improve the character animation so it's more interesting, design and build a maze completion state, add sound effects that coincide with the character's actions
  • Input Flexibility: Refactor the input ASCII system so the text file can be received from an abstract source such as an interface. Create input interface implementations that allow for the ASCII to be received from any number of sources, like downloaded via an HTTP GET request, read from a local file or loaded from an Addressable asset
  • Format Options: Expand the ASCII parsing system to accomodate different maze formats that the user can select from
  • Robustness/Error Handling: Put checks in place to catch small typos, whitespace or other mistakes in the ASCII, design a way to either alert the end user of these discrepancies or handle them silently
  • Maze Generation: Implement procedural maze generation algorithms to improve testability and level design capabilities (this could be an editor-only feature for the team, a user-facing feature, or both)
  • Optimization: Investigate the potential payoff of optimization work through use of tools like the Unity Profiler, such as: preferable alternatives to the LINQ usage in the A* class, object pooling for CellBehaviour instances and/or loading the CellBehaviour prefab via Addressables, creating a class utilizing a HashSet<Material> so CellBehaviour instances can share identical Materials between them, when possible