Watson Game, Fall 2004:

1

• Watson Game, Fall 2004
• The Server Group

2
1. The Protocol

• Joseph Wong

3
WAG Protocol

• TCP Connection
• Port 1500
• Communication between
• Server and Client
• Server and Database

4
Watson Game Protocol

• Data stream format
• CMDCMD_IDPARAM1ARG1PARAMkARGk\n
• used as the delimiter
• Both client/server talk in same format

5
Commands

• Command Numbers
• 1 Login
• 2 Logout
• 3 Create
• 4 Load Player
• 5 Load Game State
• 6 Save
• 7 Load Challenge
• 8 Complete Challenge
• 9 Get DARs
• Examples
• Can be found in previous semesters PowerPoint
  slides.

6
Scoring Module

• Old Scoring Module
• Fake GPA
• Number of question correct / Number of questions
  4 GPA
• Example
• 11 correct, 15 questions
• GPA (11/15) 4 2.933
• Required a score of 4.0 to beat the game.

7
Scoring Module

• New Scoring Module
• More efficient and real
• Requires a 2.0 GPA to graduate

8
2. The Score Module

• Martin Goldman

9
In the Current Scoring System...

• Course grades are precise numeric representations
• GPA (Class1Grade Class2Grade ...
  ClassNGrade) (4/5N)
• Example Class1Grade 3/5, Class2Grade 3/5,
  Class3Grade 5/5
• (335)(4/5(3)) 2.933

10
In Real Life...

• Course grades are letters -- loose
  representations
• The new scoring module will attempt to simulate
  this concept more closely
• GPA (Class1GradeValue Class2GradeValue ...
  ClassNGradeValue) / N

11
An Example

• Example Class1Grade 5/5, Class2Grade 3/5,
  Class3Grade 3/5
• Pick a grading scale, e.g. A5/5, B4/5, C3/5,
  D2/5, F1/5 or 0/5
• Class1Grade 3/5, Class2Grade 3/5, Class3Grade
  5/5
• Class1GradeValue 2.0, Class2GradeValue 2.0,
  Class3GradeValue 4.0
• GPA (2.0 2.0 4.0) / 3 2.667

12
3. Game Statistics

• Ryan Andrew

13
Watson Game Server

• Has five global singleton objects
• ChallengeDispatcher
• DatabaseObject
• Scorer
• WGListener
• GameKeeper manages the game statistics
• I will focus on this object

14
Watson GameKeeper

• getPosition() / setPosition()
• addNewItem() / dropItem()
• addNewPlayer() / dropPlayer()
• getTotal()
• setWorldDescription() / getWorldDescription()
• showAll() - // debug
• showItems() - // debug

15
To Be Added

• Statistics button to Client
• When pressed, GameKeeper receives a request for
  statistics of all players in the database
  currently logged onto the Watson Game
• GameKeeper does a database query through the
  DatabaseObject
• Format results and send back to the Client for
  the player to view

16
To Be Added

• Statistics to return to Client about currently
  logged on players
• Total time logged on this game session
• Total time logged on in total
• Total number of times player has logged on
• Proper fields must be added to the database
• With timestamp and calculations

17
My Responsibilities

• Debug showItems(), and showAll() if necessary
• Interact with Client and Database groups to
  design Statistics button handling and database
  field creation
• add necessary functions to display and track
  these new statistics

18
4. Challenge Dispatching(Part 1)

• Gene Cumm

19
Challenge Dispatching

• Seems complete
• Ensure functionality of current dependencies
• WatsonGameServer.getDatabaseObject()
• DatabaseObject.getChallenge()
• WGCommand.getCmdID()
• WGConnection.writeToClient()
• WatsonResultSet .nextRow(), .getData(),
  .hasMoreRows()

20
Challenge Dispatching

• Ensure functionality with client
• Output matches Protocol Client expects
• Ensure that the Table attribute names are correct
• Matches with Database
• Work with WGConnection owner to integrate
  ChallengeDispatcher

21
5. Challenge Dispatching(Part 2)

• Larisse Voufo

22
Input and Dispatching Visualization
23
Process and Output Methods Used

• getChallengeInfo
• Text and choices
• Correct answer
• Major
• checkChallengeAnswer
• Right answer?
• Return correct answer to client?
• Allow second-chance if wrong?

24
Future

• Incorporate the level and type of challenge while
  getting the Information?
• Players level vs. Challenges difficulty level
• Add True/False questions.

25
6. Challenge Trigger Handler

• Roy Chung

26
Goals

• New hot spots will have to be defined.
• Some will be constant, for example, the elevator
  button, opening/closing doors.
• Others hot spots will be at specific points, i.e.
  a specific corner or a certain wall.
• A challenge will be generated depending on the
  hot spot.

27
Handler Duties

• Client will send a message stating that the
  player has triggered a challenge.
• The handler will determine whether the challenge
  is academic or a residential life challenge.
• This can be identified by keeping track of the
  hot spot ID.

28
Handler Duties

• The handler will respond with the appropriate
  type of challenge.
• A query will be made to the database to get the
  appropriate challenge.
• The handler will then send the challenge back to
  the client.
• Since players can only attempt one challenge,
  other current challenges will have to be
  suspended.

29
Implementation Ideas

• New challenges will have to be devised and
  entered into the database.
• May need a new field to designate the type of
  challenge (academic or residential life).
• Have specific ID numbers assigned to hot spot,
  i.e. academic starts with 1 and residential
  life challenges start with 2

30
New Challenges

• Possible new residential challenge ideas
• Bumping into the wall that causes damage to
  laptop which will require repairs.
• Delivering packages to other professors or
  teaching assistants and possibly getting a reward
  (like money).
• This will allow players to familiarize themselves
  with the environment.

31
New Challenges

• Posting flyers on bulletin boards around the
  building
• Buying items from vendors, i.e. extra pencil or
  paper.
• Other ideas?

32
7. Login-Logout Support

• Steve Safranek

33

• What the LoginLogout Class Does
• Handles logging in the player
• Authenticates player
• Logs player out

34

• How the Class Accomplishes This
• User enters name and password
• These are sent to database
• Database returns int value for one of three cases
• User exists and password is correct, 1
• A logged in message sent from db connection
• User exists and password is incorrect, 0
• Message sent telling user incorrect password has
  been entered
• User does not exist, -1n
• Message sent to user asking if they are new to
  the game

35
8. Player Maintenance Character Creation
Support

• Priyal Shah

36
PlayerMaintenance Class

• Purpose keep track of user activity
• If a character in the database has not played the
  game for three months, activity status turns to
  Inactive
• No activity for six months leads to account
  deletion

37
Player Maintenance (2)

• Implementation Requirements
• Need a Date field in Character Table of the
  database to keep track of most recent user login
• Another Number field in Character Table to keep
  track of user activity
• 0 Active 1- InActive
• methods in DatabaseObject class
• lastLoginDate(String username)
• activityStatus(String username)

38
Player Maintenance (3)

• Variables
• Two final int variables ACTIVE INACTIVE
• DatabaseObject to connect to the database
• Methods
• getLastLogin(String username)
• setActivityStatus(int activity)
• getActivityStatus(String username)
• deleteAccount(String username)
• activate(string username)

39
Player Maintenance (4)

• When is it used
• While internal Maintenance is run
• On Login
• Checks if the user is active
• If active Normal process path
• If inactive sends a message to client, so that
  it can prompt the user to activate the account
  before he/she can login

40
Character Creation support

• Currently, code for character creation is stubbed
  off in WGConnection.
• Fix code in WGConnection
• Test the support code in CharacterCreation,
• LoginLogout, ChallengeDispatcher classes
• Fix code where needed

41
9. Game Status InfoDatabase Object Support

• Brian Wolf

42
Wrap-up

• Time is short we wish to especially update
  comments documentation
• Many hands make work light
• Bugs commented out code now examined by new eyes

43
The End

• (Applause)