Basically a Mastermind solver.
It can be used either as a library (e.g. for a Mastermind game with GUI) or standalone, using command line.
- Make sure you have
Javainstalled - Navigate to
buildfolder (cd build) - Start the program
Mastermind.jarusing Java (java -jar Mastermind.jar)
<Some_path>\Mastermind>cd build
<Some_path>\Mastermind\build>java -jar Mastermind.jar
Enter position count:
After you start the program, it will ask for two values - number of positions (usually 5) and number of colors (usually 8).
Please enter only positive values (larger than zero).
Example:
Enter position count: 5
Enter color count: 8
Colors are represented as numbers from 0 to number of colors - 1 (For example, if we set number of colors to 8, we can use colors 0,...,7)
Now, the program will repeatedly give you its guess as a sequence of numbers (colors). For example sequence 0 0 1 7 4 means "position 4 has color 7".
You need to rate its guess using "correct position" points and "correct color" points according to the rules of the game.
Please enter only non-negative values (larger or equal to zero).
Example:
---------------------------
Guess: 1 6 7 7 2
Rate the guess:
Enter "correct position" count: 2
Enter "correct color" count: 3
Based on your answers, the program will narrow down the possibilities and finally either show you the solution or tell you that there is no solution.
Example 1:
---------------------------
Found solution!
Solution is 1 2 3 4 5
Example 2:
---------------------------
There is no solution.
Please enter positive integer!: you have to enter an integer number larger than zero
Please enter non-negative integer!: you have to enter an integer number larger or equal to zero
Points incorrect! (too small or too high): the sum of the "correct position" points and "correct color" points you entered is greater than number of positions (based on the rules of the game, the sum implicitly has to be less or equal)
I chose the secret code to be 1 2 3 4 5 and answered accordingly:
<Some_path>\Mastermind>cd build
<Some_path>\Mastermind\build>java -jar Mastermind.jar
Enter position count: 5
Enter color count: 8
---------------------------
Guess: 4 4 0 5 7
Rate the guess:
Enter "correct position" count:0
Enter "correct color" count:2
---------------------------
Guess: 5 1 7 3 6
Rate the guess:
Enter "correct position" count:0
Enter "correct color" count:3
---------------------------
Guess: 7 7 5 7 1
Rate the guess:
Enter "correct position" count:0
Enter "correct color" count:2
---------------------------
Guess: 3 0 3 1 5
Rate the guess:
Enter "correct position" count:2
Enter "correct color" count:1
---------------------------
Guess: 6 0 1 6 5
Rate the guess:
Enter "correct position" count:1
Enter "correct color" count:1
---------------------------
Guess: 1 2 3 4 5
Rate the guess:
Enter "correct position" count:5
Enter "correct color" count:0
---------------------------
Found solution!
Solution is 1 2 3 4 5
The program is designed using object oriented aproach. There are two classes, the main class Mastermind and a class State, which is used to hold data.
The object State contains one sequence of colors and an automatically calculated array containing the number of times each color occurs in the sequence (used for calculating points).
In order to use this solver, you first need to create a Mastermind object with number of positions and number of colors as parameters and then control the game using getGuess() and rateGuess() functions.
Call the createGame() function to create Mastermind object. Both parameters number of positions or number of colors need to be positive (larger than zero), funtion will return null otherwise. If both parameters are positive, function will call the Mastermind constructor, which will create and populate the possibilities ArrayList with all the possible combinations, based on the parameters.
Now, you can call the object's functions getGuess() and rateGuess().
Function getGuess() returns random guess from the possibilities list. If there no more possibilities (possibilities list is empty), function returns null (this shouldn't happen in a correct implementation - see main()).
Function rateGuess() receives three parameters: guess, points for positions and points for colors. After some error checking, it iterates through the remaining possibilities (the possibilities list) removing those that don't fit the parameters (see Deciding whether possibilities fit the parameters section). Function returns the current game state (see Return codes from rateGuess() section).
The intended use is to first call the getGuess() function to get the guess, rate it and call rateGuess() function with the guess (from getGuess()) and points.
Function rateGuess() receives three parameters: guess, points for positions and points for colors.
For every possiblity from possibilities list, rateGuess() will rate guess based on possibility as a hypothetical secret and compare points with the parameters. If they don't match, the possibility doesn't fit and gets deleted.
In other words, "if possibility was the secret, would guess get the same score as the score passed in parameteres?"
Function rateGuess() returns value from enum type GameState. Possible values are:
OK: all parameters were correct and there are still at least two possible answers (in other words, continue playing)
ERROR_INCORRECT_STATE: the State parameter isn't on the possibilities list (you are supposed to send the object you got from getGuess() function)
ERROR_INCORRECT_POINTS: either one of the points values was negative or the sum of both was greater than number of positions (based on the rules of the game, the sum implicitly has to be less or equal)
FOUND_SOLUTION: program found the answer, you can call getGuess() function to get it (in other words, possibilities list has one value in it)
NO_SOLUTION: there is no possible solution based on the points you awarded (in other words, possibilities list is empty)
- Generate all possibilities (based on number of positions and number of colors).
- With each guess and rating, remove the options that don't fit the rating.
- You are left with either one (solution) or no possibilities.
The main() function is an example of the usage of the Mastermind class.
- Get number of positions and number of colors from user.
- Initialize game with the values.
- Get guess from the game and show it to the user.
- Get user's rating and send it to the game.
- If the game returns
NO_SOLUTION, tell the user there is no solution and exit. - If the game returns
FOUND_SOLUTION, get it usinggetGuess(), show it to the user and exit. - Goto 3.