CS 112 Homework #2: Simple 5-Card Poker Game

CS 112 Homework #2: Simple 5-Card Poker Game In this assignment, you will develop a simple poker game, complete with basic AI, using the object oriented programming principles discussed in class.

This assignment involves creating a simplified 5-card poker game that includes features such as card dealing, player and computer hands, options for exchanging cards, automatic decision-making for the computer, and determining the winner based on poker hand rankings. The implementation must adhere to object-oriented principles and utilize specific classes including Card, Deck, Hand, and PokerGame, each with their respective attributes and methods as outlined below.

The Card class should encapsulate individual playing cards, maintaining fields for suit, value, and name. The Deck class manages a collection of 52 unique cards, with methods for building, shuffling, and drawing the next card. The Hand class holds five cards for each player and includes helper methods to determine the strength of the hand, such as checking for pairs, three kinds, straights, and flushes. The PokerGame class orchestrates the entire game flow, handling dealing, exchanging, AI decision-making, and evaluating results based on standard poker rankings.

The gameplay flow includes initial dealing, user prompt for exchange choices with input validation, replacement of selected cards, dealing of computer's hand with AI-based exchange decisions, and final comparison to declare the winner based on hand rankings. The program must produce a user-friendly console output, display the hands before and after exchanges, and clearly indicate the game outcome.

Additionally, your submission must include a reflective essay of at least 350 words, describing your experiences: challenges faced, unresolved issues, advice for future students, and insights gained. Your code must be error-free, follow style guidelines, and include all required classes, methods, and gameplay components. The program should be compiled with either CodeBlocks or Visual Studio, and your submission must be uploaded via Canvas by the deadline specified.

Paper For Above instruction

Developing a simple 5-card poker game in an object-oriented programming environment was both an engaging and educational experience that deepened my understanding of class design, data encapsulation, and game logic. The process involved creating four core classes—Card, Deck, Hand, and PokerGame—each playing a crucial role in emulating a real poker game, while adhering to the principles of code modularity and reusability.

One of the most rewarding aspects was designing the Card class, which required careful thought to properly encapsulate the attributes of a playing card, including suit, value, and a descriptive name. This class served as the foundation for the entire game, and implementing methods such as getSuit(), setSuit(), getValue(), and getName() enabled flexible and dynamic interactions with individual cards.

Constructing the Deck class presented interesting challenges, especially in initializing a fresh deck with all 52 unique cards and selecting a robust shuffle method. Implementing the buildDeck() function involved iterating through suits and values systematically to create every card, ensuring complete and non-repetitive deck composition. The shuffleDeck() method required the use of a randomization algorithm, like Fisher-Yates, which proved to be both a technical challenge and a satisfying accomplishment when successfully randomized the deck.

The Hand class represented a more nuanced component of the project. It required auxiliary methods to evaluate hand strength, such as hasPair(), hasTwoPair(), hasThreeOfAKind(), hasStraight(), hasFlush(), hasFullHouse(), and hasFourOfAKind(). These methods involved complex logic to analyze the combinations of the five cards, which was intellectually stimulating. This was particularly tricky when handling edge cases, such as distinguishing between a straight flush and a regular straight.

The most intricate part of the project was coding the game logic within the PokerGame class, especially the decision-making process for the computer’s card exchange, which had to follow the specified rules based on the current hand's strength. Implementing a decision tree that automatically determines whether the computer should exchange zero, one, two, three, or five cards depending on its hand required careful attention. This automated AI added an interesting challenge, pushing me to develop a set of heuristics that mimicked strategic reasoning.

Handling user input for exchanging cards was another challenging aspect, particularly in validating entries and managing incorrect inputs gracefully. Ensuring that the program responded correctly to inputs like invalid card positions or duplicate selections enhanced the user experience and robustness of the code.

Evaluating and comparing the final hands to declare the winner based on poker rankings involved designing a comparative method that correctly prioritized the various hand types. Ensuring that the evaluations were accurate and match standard poker rules was a critical and intellectually stimulating component.

Throughout the project, I encountered several technical hurdles, such as implementing the card shuffling logic, hand evaluation methods, and managing game flow. However, these challenges provided valuable insights into simulating real-world decision-making processes through programming and reinforced the importance of writing clear, maintainable code.

In conclusion, this project significantly enhanced my understanding of object-oriented programming in the context of game development. It helped me appreciate the importance of modular design, rigorous testing, and strategic thinking. My advice to future students is to start early, break down the problem into manageable classes and functions, and thoroughly test each component before integrating everything into the full game. Emphasizing clean code, proper validation, and adherence to game rules will result in a more polished and professional project.

References

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