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Shawn2208
Shawn2208

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Building a Maze Game in Node.js

#javascript #beginners #tutorial #codenewbie

Hi in this tutorial i will show you how to create a simple maze game in Node.js. The player will have to navigate through a field of holes to find their hat or whatever you want it to be without falling into any holes. This project is ideal for people that have a basic understanding of JavaScript and wanting to grow you're skills.

Before we start coding, here's what you need to know:

No External Dependencies: This game uses only Node.js. There are no external libraries or frameworks to install.
Single File Setup: The entire game is contained within a single JavaScript file.
Pre-requisites: Ensure you have Node.js installed on your computer. You can download it from Node.js official website if it's not already installed.

All you need to do is create a new JavaScript file (mazeGame.js) and follow along with this tutorial.

Step 1: Setting Up
First, we need to import the readline module to handle command line input:

const readline = require('readline');
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Step 2: Defining the Game Characters
We'll use different characters to represent elements in the game:

const hat = '^'; // The hat const hole = 'O'; // The holes const fieldCharacter = '░'; // Open field const pathCharacter = '*'; // The path taken
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Step 3: Creating the Field
The initializeField function generates the maze:

function initializeField(height, width, percentage) { // Create a 2D array representing the field const field = new Array(height).fill(0).map(el => new Array(width)); // Fill the field with holes and open spaces for (let y = 0; y < height; y++) { for (let x = 0; x < width; x++) { const prob = Math.random(); field[y][x] = prob > percentage ? fieldCharacter : hole; } } return field; }
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Step 4: Placing the Hat
The setHatLocation function places the hat randomly in the field:

function setHatLocation(field, height, width) { let hatLocation; // Ensure the hat is not at the starting position do { hatLocation = { x: Math.floor(Math.random() * width), y: Math.floor(Math.random() * height) }; } while (hatLocation.x === 0 && hatLocation.y === 0); field[hatLocation.y][hatLocation.x] = hat; return field; }
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Step 5: Displaying the Field
The printField function prints the current state of the field:

function printField(field) { const displayString = field.map(row => row.join('')).join('\n'); console.log(displayString); }
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Step 6: Running the Game
The runGame function contains the main game loop:

// Main function to run the game. function runGame(field) { let locationX = 0; let locationY = 0; field[0][0] = pathCharacter; // Set the starting point. let playing = true; printField(field); // Initialize readline interface for user input. const rl = readline.createInterface({ input: process.stdin, output: process.stdout }); // Function to handle user input. const handleInput = (answer) => { field[locationY][locationX] = fieldCharacter; // Clear the previous path character. // Move the player based on input. switch (answer.toUpperCase()) { case 'U': locationY -= 1; break; case 'D': locationY += 1; break; case 'L': locationX -= 1; break; case 'R': locationX += 1; break; default: console.log('Enter U, D, L, or R.'); rl.prompt(); return; } // Check for various conditions (out of bounds, falling in a hole, finding the hat). if (!isInBounds(field, locationX, locationY)) { console.log('Out of bounds instruction!'); playing = false; } else if (isHole(field, locationX, locationY)) { console.log('Sorry, you fell down a hole!'); playing = false; } else if (isHat(field, locationX, locationY)) { console.log('Congrats, you found your hat!'); playing = false; } // Continue the game or end it based on the player's state. if (playing) { field[locationY][locationX] = pathCharacter; printField(field); rl.prompt(); } else { rl.close(); } }; // Set up readline to listen for user input. rl.on('line', handleInput); rl.setPrompt('Which way? '); rl.prompt(); }
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Step 7: Helper Functions
We use isInBounds, isHat, and isHole to check the player's status:

// Helper functions to check the player's state. function isInBounds(field, x, y) { return y >= 0 && x >= 0 && y < field.length && x < field[0].length; } function isHat(field, x, y) { return field[y][x] === hat; } function isHole(field, x, y) { return field[y][x] === hole; }
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Step 8: Starting the Game
Finally, we initialize the game with the field size and start it:

// Game settings. const height = 10; const width = 10; const percentage = 0.2; // Initialize the game field and start the game. const myField = setHatLocation(initializeField(height, width, percentage), height, width); runGame(myField);
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There you have it only about 130 lines of code and it's a fun game to play and also make and build on it make it you're own and i hope this improves you're skills. Feel free to comment on how you have built on it and made it bigger and better.

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