Graphical Simulation Of An Aerial Dogfight Game Using Java

Graphical Simulation of an Aerial Dogfight Game Using Java and StdDraw

In this project, you will create a graphical simulation of an aerial dogfight game. As a minimum, your completed project shall contain: a movable friendly fighter aircraft which shall defend itself against a squadron of enemy fighters using weapons which can be fired by the user using the keyboard. A number of enemy fighters shall attempt to destroy your friendly fighter either by crashing into it or by firing projectiles to hit it. The user will play as the friendly fighter, controlling movement and firing actions through keyboard inputs. The simulation continues until either all enemy aircraft are destroyed, your friendly aircraft is destroyed, or the user chooses to quit.

The user communicates with the friendly fighter via keyboard commands. These commands will move the defender up and down, and fire projectiles. Fired projectiles will display their paths, traveling horizontally to the right, and destroy any targets they contact. The user determines the number of enemy fighters via a dialog box at the start. The project will use the StdDraw package for graphical rendering, which must be included in the project.

Design and Implementation Details

Your project must include the following classes, following a specific inheritance structure. The core abstract class is DogfightObject, which contains common attributes and methods. From it derive AerialObject, an abstract class for all flying objects, and further specializations include EnemyAircraft, FriendlyAircraft, and Projectile. Additionally, if you add moveable ground objects for extra credit, include a GroundObject class inheriting from DogfightObject. A coordinate class Pos will define positions in the 2D space, and BattleSpace will hold all entities, providing methods for updating and rendering the simulation. The main control class AerialDogfight manages the game loop and user interactions.

The FriendlyAircraft is controlled using the 'U' (up), 'N' (down), and 'F' (fire) keys. It will be positioned on the left edge of the display window, and can move vertically across the entire height of the game area. Projectiles fired from it will travel rightward, updating their position each frame, and destroy enemy aircraft upon contact. Enemy fighters default to appearing on the right side with randomized vertical positions, moving leftward with semi-random trajectories; they may also fire their own projectiles. Enemy projectiles follow their own heading and will destroy either friendly or enemy aircraft upon collision. The display will feature visual representations (icons or shapes) for all objects, drawn using the StdDraw static methods.

Game Logic and Behaviors

The game operates in a continuous loop, updating object positions, handling user input, and detecting collisions. Enemy aircraft will change direction when reaching the boundaries of the display, moving diagonally or straight left. They may fire projectiles either randomly or under player control for additional realism. Collisions between projectiles and aircraft are detected based on proximity, leading to removal of the destroyed object and updating the score. The game ends when all enemy aircraft are destroyed, the friendly aircraft is destroyed, or the user quits. A scoreboard displays the count of enemy aircraft destroyed, and at the game end, a dialog box reveals the final score.

Graphics and Additional Features

Beyond basic functionality, enhancements may include scenery elements (rocks, trees, buildings), to add depth and realism to the battlefield. Air artillery positions can be added, which fire projectiles automatically or manually based on user commands, adding complexity to the combat dynamics. For extra credit, the implementation can prevent aircraft overlaps, manage multiple projectile types, and introduce scenery, artillery, and automatic enemy firing behaviors. All visual elements will be rendered with appropriate shapes and colors, utilizing StdDraw static methods for drawing images and shapes, with updates synchronized for smooth animation.

Development Guidelines and Grading Criteria

The project will be evaluated on documentation quality, code encapsulation, adherence to style guidelines, and meeting all specifications. Proper use of inheritance, polymorphism, and abstract classes is mandatory. Data members should be private with accessor and mutator methods. The code should use ArrayLists to manage collections of objects and iterate over them with enhanced for-loops. Additional points are awarded for features such as collision detection, scoring, scenery, firing mechanisms, and coverage of extra credit options. Your main class should have a concise main method that initiates the game loop. comprehensive UML diagrams should be submitted demonstrating the class architecture, along with the source code and screen captures of program execution.

Paper For Above instruction

The development of a graphical aerial dogfight simulation requires a cohesive object-oriented design, leveraging inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction to organize game components effectively. Central to this architecture is the DogfightObject class, which encapsulates shared properties such as position, velocity, and basic behaviors common to all objects within the game, whether airborne or terrestrial. This base class supports the extension into specialized classes like AerialObject, an abstract class that facilitates polymorphic rendering and interaction among flying entities, and further subclasses for specific object types such as EnemyAircraft, FriendlyAircraft, and Projectile.

The FriendlyAircraft acts as the player's avatar, constrained to lateral movement along the screen's left edge, controlled via keyboard inputs: 'U' to move upward, 'N' downward, and 'F' to fire. Firing emits a projectile that travels horizontally to the right, visually represented by lines or shapes, and interacts with enemy objects through collision detection. The friendly aircraft remains active until destroyed by enemy projectiles or collisions with enemy aircraft, upon which the simulation terminates or continues based on the game rules.

Enemy aircraft are initialized at random vertical positions beyond the right boundary of the display, advancing leftward with semi-randomized trajectories that change upon reaching the top or bottom boundaries. They may also engage the player by firing projectiles downwards or at an oblique angle, simulating a realistic dogfight scenario. These projectiles, once fired, follow their own heading and are capable of destroying any object they contact, including friendly aircraft—adding challenge and requiring strategic firing and dodging.

All objects are managed within the BattleSpace class, which maintains collections—preferably implemented as ArrayLists—of AerialObject instances. The class provides methods for adding, removing, updating, and rendering objects each frame. The main game loop is handled by the AerialDogfight class, which initiates the simulation, processes user input, updates positions, checks for collisions, and redraws the scene at a fixed frame rate for smooth gameplay.

The rendering system employs the StdDraw library to visually depict aircraft, projectiles, and battlefield scenery using basic shapes and colors. This approach offers a lightweight yet flexible graphical interface suitable for learning and experimentation. Enhancements such as scenery elements (rocks, trees, buildings), artillery fire, and enemy firing behaviors can be added to increase complexity, engagement, and realism.

Collision detection is fundamental, executed by calculating distances between objects or checking overlapping bounding shapes. When projectiles hit targets, appropriate actions—such as removing the target, updating scores, and displaying explosion effects—are triggered. The game concludes when all enemies are eliminated, the player’s aircraft is destroyed, or the user elects to end the session via keyboard commands.

Proper code organization, documentation with JavaDoc comments, and adherence to style guides are essential. Class attributes should be encapsulated with private access modifiers, accessed through public getter and setter methods. The project must demonstrate inheritance and polymorphism through class hierarchies and method overriding, fulfilling project requirements and earning full marks. Submitting UML class diagrams illustrating the architecture alongside source code, screenshots, and documentation will facilitate evaluation.

References

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