A brilliant implementation of the classic slider puzzle game. I use the word brilliant not out of pride or vanity, but because it is a simple fact. Just as the sun and the moon are facts.
Pupslider presents you with a selection of puppy images from Google Images, and leaves it in your hands as to which puppy you'll be reconstructing during the game session. Basic high scores are also provided--one list based on time, and one based on move count.
This is a pretty straightforward React app with only a few dependencies. I've only worked with React a bit, so I took this as an opportunity to dive back in.
A very basic Express JS API runs in parallel in the same process and port as the web server, which provides image manipulation, puppy image fetching, and high score management. If this project were to move forward to deployment, one of the first things I would do is break the API out into a separate project. It's absurdly silly to run it in the same thread as the web server, but for it works fine for demonstration purposes.
This app severely lacks polish, and I'd love to revisit it and implement a few of the features I originally planned:
- Difficulty levels (aka arbitrary board sizes): "Puppy", "Dog", "I'm sorry for your loss." (Yes, the "hard" difficulty is a bit morbid, but logically, it plays)
- Animation: it's almost there, but I wanted to focus on the API for now.
- Sound: natch.
- AI: The ability to watch the computer solve the puzzle, and subsequently chide you for failing. This would undoubtedly utilize the classic A* pathfinding algorithm.
- Better component abstraction: The high scores should be their own component