Java recursive function below what is the problem? - java

public static int score(int[][] array, int win, int turn) {
int score = 0;
if (GamePrinciples.gameEnd(array, win)) {
if (GamePrinciples.draw(array)) {
score = 0;
} else if (GamePrinciples.winningBoard(array, win)[0] == 1) {
score = 1;
} else {
score = -1;
}
} else {
for (int[][] i : children(array, win, turn)) {
score += score(i, win, GamePrinciples.nextPlayer(turn));
}
}
return score;
}
briefly this program is part of my minimax algorithm. So the problem is that I get a stack over flow. Where am I going wrong?
if an array is in ending mode then if it is a draw it gives a score of zero if player one wins then a score of one and if player two wins it gives a score of two.
if the array is however not in the ending state we get the children of the array (immediate children that is the boards that result from the current board with only one move). The score of the board will be the sum of the score of each of its children. The logic seems okay and the other methods such as children, nextPlayer, winningBoard, draw all work fine with testing. So I am guessing there is problem with this kind of recursive implementation. Can anyone help? Thanks in advance

Your code seems wrong in the loop:
for (int[][] i : children(array, win, turn)) {
I haven’t tested, but you should call the method children() outside the for.
By calling the method within the for clause, you are always returning the initial array instead of iterating through it.
So try putting the children() method return to a variable and iterate through this variable.
Something like:
… c = children(…)
for(int[][] i : c) {
…

Related

MinMax - generating game tree

I try to write a MinMax program in Java for connect-four game, but this program should also be applicable to other games. But, I encountered a problem, which I cannot pass for few days. The values for nodes are not set properly. I am sharing my piece of code which is responsible for generating a tree.
Maybe you will notice where I made a mistake.
If anyone could help me with this, I will be very happy.
public Node generateTree(Board board, int depth) {
Node rootNode = new Node(board);
generateSubtree(rootNode, depth);
minMax(rootNode, depth);
return rootNode;
}
private void generateSubtree(Node subRootNode, int depth) {
Board board = subRootNode.getBoard();
if (depth == 0) {
subRootNode.setValue(board.evaluateBoard());
return;
}
for (Move move : board.generateMoves()) {
Board tempBoard = board.makeMove(move);
Node tempNode = new Node(tempBoard);
subRootNode.addChild(tempNode);
generateSubtree(tempNode, depth - 1);
}
}
public void minMax(Node rootNode, int depth) {
maxMove(rootNode, depth);
}
public int maxMove(Node node, int depth) {
if (depth == 0) {
return node.getValue();
}
int bestValue = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
for (Node childNode : node.getChildren()) {
int tempValue = minMove(childNode, depth - 1);
childNode.setValue(tempValue);
if (tempValue > bestValue) {
bestValue = tempValue;
}
}
return bestValue;
}
public int minMove(Node node, int depth) {
if (depth == 0) {
return node.getValue();
}
int bestValue = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
for (Node childNode : node.getChildren()) {
int tempValue = maxMove(childNode, depth - 1);
childNode.setValue(tempValue);
if (tempValue < bestValue) {
bestValue = tempValue;
}
}
return bestValue;
}
Board class is the representation of the board state.
Move class hold the move to perform (integer [0-8] for tic-tac-toe, [0-6] for Connect Four).
Node class holds the Move and value how good given move is. Also, holds all its children.
In the code I use this method like this:
Node newNode = minmax.generateTree(board, depth, board.getPlayer());
Move newMove = new TicTacToeMove(board.getPlayer(), newNode.getBestMove().getMove(), depth);
board = board.makeMove(newMove);
And when it's obvious that given move is a losing move (or winning), I do not receive this move.
Alright, you did make a couple of mistakes. About 3-4, depending on how you count ;) Took me a bit of debugging to figure it all out, but I finally got an answer for you :D
Mistake #1: All your parents always get twins (that poor mother)
This is only the case with the code you uploaded, not the code in your question, so maybe we count it as half a mistake?
Since your trees aren't that big yet and it won't destroy your algorithm, this was the least important one anyway. Still, it's something to watch out for.
In your uploaded code, you do this in your generateSubtree method:
Node tempNode = new Node(tempBoard, move, subRootNode);
subRootNode.addChild(tempNode);
As that constructor already adds the child to the subRootNode, the second line always adds it a second time.
Mistake #2: That darn depth
If you haven't reached your desired depth yet, but the game is already decided, you completely ignore that. So in your provided example that won't work, if - for example - you look at making move 7 instead of 3 (which would be the 'right' move) and then the opponent does move 3, you don't count it as -10 points because you haven't reached your depth yet. It still won't get any children, so even in your minmax, it will never realize it's a screwed up way to go.
Which is why every move is 'possible' in this scenario and you just get the first one returned.
In the previous moves, there was luckily always a way to reach a losing move with your opponents third move (aka move #5), which is why those were called correctly.
Alright, so how do we fix it?
private void generateSubtree(Node subRootNode, int depth, int player) {
Board board = subRootNode.getBoard();
List<Move> moveList = board.generateMoves();
if (depth == 0 || moveList.isEmpty()) {
subRootNode.setValue(board.evaluateBoard(player));
return;
}
for (Move move : moveList) {
Board tempBoard = board.makeMove(move);
Node tempNode = new Node(tempBoard, move, subRootNode);
generateSubtree(tempNode, depth - 1, player);
}
}
Just get the move list beforehand and then look if it's empty (your generateMoves() method of the Board class (thank god you provided that by the way ;)) already checks if the game is over, so if it is, there won't be any moves generated. Perfect time to check the score).
Mistake #3: That darn depth again
Didn't we just go over this?
Sadly, your Min Max algorithm itself has the same problem. It will only even look at your values if you have reached the desired depth. You need to change that.
However, this is a bit more complicated, since you don't have a nice little method that already checks if the game is finished for you.
You could check to see if your value was set, but here's the problem: It might be set to 0 and you need to take that into account as well (so you can't just do if (node.getValue() != 0)).
I just set the initial value of each node to -1 instead and did a check against -1. It's not... you know... pretty. But it works.
public class Node {
private Board board;
private Move move;
private Node parent;
private List<Node> children = new ArrayList<Node>();;
private boolean isRootNode = false;
private int value = -1;
...
And this in the maxMove:
public int maxMove(Node node, int depth) {
if (depth == 0 || node.getValue() != -1) {
return node.getValue();
}
int bestValue = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
for (Node childNode : node.getChildren()) {
int tempValue = minMove(childNode, depth - 1);
childNode.setValue(tempValue);
if (tempValue > bestValue) {
bestValue = tempValue;
}
}
return bestValue;
}
It works the same for minMove of course.
Mistake #4: The player is screwing with you
Once I changed all that, it took me a moment with the debugger to realize why it still wouldn't work.
This last mistake was not in the code you provided in the question btw. Shame on you! ;)
Turns out it was this wonderful piece of code in your TicTacToeBoard class:
#Override
public int getPlayer() {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
return 0;
}
And since you called
MinMax minmax = new MinMax();
Node newNode = minmax.generateTree(board, (Integer) spinner.getValue(), board.getPlayer());
in your makeMove method of TicTacToeMainWindow, you would always start out with the wrong player.
As you can probably guess yourself, you just need to change it to:
public int getPlayer() {
return this.player;
}
And it should do the trick.
Also:
Just a couple of things I'd like to remark at this point:
Clean up your imports! Your TicTacToe actually still imports your ConnectFour classes! And for no reason.
Your board is rotated and mirrored in your board array. WHY? You know how annoying that is to debug? I mean, I guess you probably do :D Also, if you're having problems with your code and you need to debug it's extremely helpful to overwrite your boards toString() method, because that will give you a very nice and easy way to look at your board in the debugger. You can even use it to rotate it again, so you see don't have to look at it lying on the side ;)
While we're at the subject of the board... this is just me but... I always tried clicking on the painted surface first and then had to remember: Oh yeah, there were buttons :D I mean... why not just put the images on the buttons or implement a MouseListener so you can actually just click on the painted surface?
When providing code and/or example images, please take out your test outputs. I'm talking about the Player 1 won!s of course ;)
Please learn what a complete, verifiable and minimal example is for the next time you ask a question on StackOverflow. The one in your question wasn't complete or verifiable and the one you provided on github was... well... not complete (the images were missing), but complete enough. It was also verifiable, but it was NOT minimal. You will get answers a LOT sooner if you follow the guidelines.

Battleship stuck on battle board implementation

we recently somewhat learned Object Oriented Programming and already have a project on it due soon, so I am not too familiar with OOP. However, we were assigned a project of creating a Battleship game.
I have created a ship, square, and battle board class. I have tested all three, and all tests have also passed except for one method on Battleboard classs. To test each class, I used a toString method. This is in my battle board's toString method:
for (int i = 0; i < squares.length; i++) {
Just a couple of problems that I spotted, there can be more as the code is still incomplete:
A. In the very beginning of
public boolean addShip(int length, boolean isHorizontal, int startRow, int startCol) {
there is
square = new Square();
It seems logical to check whether a ship exists at the square to which you add it, but instead you check whether it exists in a brand new square. We don't have Square code, but I assume that it does not have a ship initially.
B. In the same method there is the following code:
if (isHorizontal == true) {
ship = new Ship(length, isHorizontal, startRow, startCol);
for (int i = 0; i < ship.getLength(); i++) {
if (startCol > numberOfColumns) {
return false;
} else {
square.addShip(ship);
startCol++;
}
}
}
So the ship is being repeatedly added to the same brand new square which is not related to the board. Later, that square is not added anywhere and now used anyhow.
I'm not sure how to fix this, but probably all the squares should have been inialized before this method is called, no squares should been created in this method; instead, you need to find a square corresponding to the current iteration`.
C. The following code
} else if (!square.hasBeenHit() && square.hasShip()) {
//Returns length of ship if there is a ship that hasn't been hit
if (ship.getLength() == 1) {
toString += "1 ";
} else if (ship.getLength() == 2) {
toString += "2 ";
} else if (ship.getLength() == 3) {
toString += "3 ";
} else if (ship.getLength() == 4) {
toString += "4 ";
}
}
uses the same ship on all iterations, so it behaves in the same way on all the iterations (appends 1). The correct thing would be to find a ship belonging to the current square (i, j), if it exists, and use it.
D. A brand new square is created on each loop, again, although you are iterating over squares! It would be more logical to write square = squares[i][j] instead of square = new Square().
I'd recommend you to use a debugger to see what happens in your code.

Shortest path in Rat in a Maze with option to remove one wall

This is the problem:
You have maps of parts of the space station, each starting at a prison exit and ending at the door to an escape pod. The map is represented as a matrix of 0s and 1s, where 0s are passable space and 1s are impassable walls. The door out of the prison is at the top left (0,0) and the door into an escape pod is at the bottom right (w-1,h-1).
Write a function answer(map) that generates the length of the shortest path from the prison door to the escape pod, where you are allowed to remove one wall as part of your remodeling plans. The path length is the total number of nodes you pass through, counting both the entrance and exit nodes. The starting and ending positions are always passable (0). The map will always be solvable, though you may or may not need to remove a wall. The height and width of the map can be from 2 to 20. Moves can only be made in cardinal directions; no diagonal moves are allowed.
To Summarize the problem: It is a simple rat in a maze problem with rat starting at (0,0) in matrix and should reach (w-1,h-1). Maze is a matrix of 0s and 1s. 0 means path and 1 means wall.You have the ability to remove one wall(change it from 0 to 1). Find the shortest path.
I've solved the problem but 3 of 5 testcases fail and I don't know what those test cases are. and I'm unable to figure out why. Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks in Advance. Here is my code:
import java.util.*;
class Maze{//Each cell in matrix will be this object
Maze(int i,int j){
this.flag=false;
this.distance=0;
this.x=i;
this.y=j;
}
boolean flag;
int distance;
int x;
int y;
}
class Google4_v2{
public static boolean isPresent(int x,int y,int r,int c)
{
if((x>=0&&x<r)&&(y>=0&&y<c))
return true;
else
return false;
}
public static int solveMaze(int[][] m,int x,int y,int loop)
{
int r=m.length;
int c=m[0].length;
int result=r*c;
int min=r*c;
Maze[][] maze=new Maze[r][c];//Array of objects
for(int i=0;i<r;i++)
{
for(int j=0;j<c;j++)
{
maze[i][j]=new Maze(i,j);
}
}
Queue<Maze> q=new LinkedList<Maze>();
Maze start=maze[x][y];
Maze[][] spare=new Maze[r][c];
q.add(start);//Adding source to queue
int i=start.x,j=start.y;
while(!q.isEmpty())
{
Maze temp=q.remove();
i=temp.x;j=temp.y;
int d=temp.distance;//distance of a cell from source
if(i==r-1 &&j==c-1)
{
result=maze[i][j].distance+1;
break;
}
maze[i][j].flag=true;
if(isPresent(i+1,j,r,c)&&maze[i+1][j].flag!=true)//check down of current cell
{
if(m[i+1][j]==0)//if there is path, add it to queue
{
maze[i+1][j].distance+=1+d;
q.add(maze[i+1][j]);
}
if(m[i+1][j]==1 && maze[i+1][j].flag==false && loop==0)//if there is no path, see if breaking the wall gives a path.
{
int test=solveMaze(m,i+1,j,1);
if(test>0)
{
test+=d+1;
min=(test<min)?test:min;
}
maze[i+1][j].flag=true;
}
}
if(isPresent(i,j+1,r,c)&&maze[i][j+1].flag!=true)//check right of current cell
{
if(m[i][j+1]==0)
{
maze[i][j+1].distance+=1+d;
q.add(maze[i][j+1]);
}
if(m[i][j+1]==1 && maze[i][j+1].flag==false && loop==0)
{
int test=solveMaze(m,i,j+1,1);
if(test>0)
{
test+=d+1;
min=(test<min)?test:min;
}
maze[i][j+1].flag=true;
}
}
if(isPresent(i-1,j,r,c)&&maze[i-1][j].flag!=true)//check up of current cell
{
if(m[i-1][j]==0)
{
maze[i-1][j].distance+=1+d;
q.add(maze[i-1][j]);
}
if(m[i-1][j]==1 && maze[i-1][j].flag==false && loop==0)
{
int test=solveMaze(m,i-1,j,1);
if(test>0)
{
test+=d+1;
min=(test<min)?test:min;
}
maze[i-1][j].flag=true;
}
}
if(isPresent(i,j-1,r,c)&&maze[i][j-1].flag!=true)//check left of current cell
{
if(m[i][j-1]==0)
{
maze[i][j-1].distance+=1+d;
q.add(maze[i][j-1]);
}
if(m[i][j-1]==1 && maze[i][j-1].flag==false && loop==0)
{
int test=solveMaze(m,i,j-1,1);
if(test>0)
{
test+=d+1;
min=(test<min)?test:min;
}
maze[i][j-1].flag=true;
}
}
}
return ((result<min)?result:min);
}
public static int answer(int[][] m)
{
int count;
int r=m.length;
int c=m[0].length;
count=solveMaze(m,0,0,0);
return count;
}
public static void main(String[] args)
{
Scanner sc=new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.println("enter row size ");
int m=sc.nextInt();
System.out.println("enter column size ");
int n=sc.nextInt();
int[][] maze=new int[m][n];
System.out.println("Please enter values for maze");
for(int i=0;i<m;i++)
{
for(int j=0;j<n;j++)
{
maze[i][j]=sc.nextInt();
}
}
int d=answer(maze);
System.out.println("The maze can be solved in "+d+" steps");
}
}
Found the problem. maze[i][j].flag=true; needs to be put as soon as the cell is visited, inside the if(m[i+1][j]==0) condition. Otherwise, the distance for same cell can be added by more than one cells
Unfortunately it's quite hard to help you because your code is very difficult to read. The variables are generally single characters which makes it impossible to know what they are supposed to represent. Debugging it would be more help than most of us are willing to give :-)
I suggest you go about debugging your code as follows:
Split your solveMaze method into a number of smaller methods that each perform much simpler functions. For example, you have very similar code repeated 4 times for each direction. Work to get that code in a single method which can be called 4 times. Move your code to create the array into a new method. Basically each method should do one simple thing. This approach makes it much easier to find problems when they arise.
Write unit tests to ensure each of those methods do exactly what you expect before attempting to calculate the answer for entire mazes.
Once all the methods are working correctly, generate some mazes starting from very simple cases to very complex cases.
When a case fails, use an interactive debugger to walk through your code and see where it is going wrong.
Good luck.

java: Two Possible int Values: Score Tracker for a Game

I'm working on a project to create a Space Invaders style game:
I need to be able to keep score when a player hits the target (+1 point) or misses (-1 point).
I will call the recordScore() method when the player shoots at the alien entity, however, I am unsure how to set it up so that my value (int point) can either be 1 or -1.
This is what I currently have:
public void recordScore(int point){
if(/*an alien ship is hit*/){
point = 1;
}
else{
point = -1;
}
I will call the method as such:
//if there is a hit
recordScore(1)
//if there is no hit
recordScore(-1)
...which I feel is a hint but I feel like using the loop is incorrect as I feel that would not work with how the method will be called but I can't currently think of any other way to initialize the variable to two values (or fill the if clause).
This is thinking backwards:
public void recordScore(int point){
if(/*an alien ship is hit*/){
point = 1;
}
else{
point = -1;
}
You are trying to assign a value to a method parameter which is the exact opposite of what you should be doing. Remember that point is coming into this method with a value assigned and passed into it.
Instead use the value that the parameter holds to assign to the value of a class field, or in your case to increment or decrement the value of a field.
So something like:
public void recordScore(int point) {
score += point; // similar to score = score + point;
}
is closer to what you need. I have no idea if you have a score field and you may name it something else.
Note that you state:
I feel like using the loop is incorrect
If you're referring to to the if/else structure, please understand that this is not a loop but rather a program control flow statement or logic block. A loop would make code repeat itself, and examples include for loops and while loops.
If you will only want to increment or decrement score by 1, another option is to use a method that uses a boolean parameter. For example
public void attemptHit(boolean hitSuccessful) {
if (hitSuccessful) {
score++;
else {
score--;
}
}
and you'd call it like:
attemptHit(true); // for a successful hit
attemptHit(false); // for a miss
This will prevent nonsense but valid code from being created such as
recordScore(-23020);

Minimax value issue - Java

I have looked everywhere for answers for fixing my code but after long hours spent trying to debug it I find myself hopelessly stuck. The problem is that my minimax function will not return the correct values for the best possible move, I even attempted to fix it by storing the best first moves (when depth = 0), but if the solution is not obvious, then the algorithm fails horribly. I also tried modifying the return values from the base cases in order to prioritize earlier wins, but this didn't solve the problem.
Currently I am testing the function on a TicTacToe board and the helper classes (Eg getMoves() or getWinner are working properly), I know my style is not the most efficient but I needed the code to be fairly explicit.
By adding a bunch of print statements I realized that under some circumstances my bestFinalMoves ArrayList was not modified, so this may be related to the issue. Another related problem is that unless the algorithm finds a direct win (in the next move), then instead of choosing a move that may lead to a future win or tie by blocking a square that leads to an immediate block, it just yields the space for the minimizing player to win.
For example on the board:
aBoard= new int[][] {
{0,1,0}, // 1 is MAX (AI), -1 is MIN (Human)
{-1,0,0},
{-1,0,0}
};
Yields the incorrect result of 2,0, where it is obvious that it should be 0,0, so that it blocks the win for the minimizing player, and the bestFinalMoves ArrayList is empty.
private result miniMaxEnd2(Board tmpGame, int depth){
String winner = tmpGame.whoWon();
ArrayList<Move> myMoves = tmpGame.getMoves();
if (winner == 'computer'){ //Base Cases
return new result(1000);
}else if (winner == 'human'){
return new result(-1000);
}
else if (winner == 'tie'){
return new result(0);
}
if (tmpGame.ComputerTurn) {//MAX
bestScore = -99999;
for (Move m : tmpGame.getMoves()){
Board newGame = new Board(tmpGame,!tmpGame.ComputerTurn, m);
result aScore = miniMaxEnd2(newGame, depth+1);
if (aScore.score > bestScore) {
bestScore = aScore.score;
bestMove = m;
if (depth == 0) {
bestFinalMoves.add(m);
}
}
}
return new result(bestScore, bestMove);
} else {//MIN
bestScore = 99999;
for (Move m : tmpGame.getMoves()) {
Board newGame = new Board(tmpGame,!tmpGame.ComputerTurn, m);
result aScore = miniMaxEnd2(newGame, depth + 1);
if (aScore.score < bestScore) {
bestScore = aScore.score;
bestMove = m;
}
}
return new result(bestScore,bestMove);
}
}
I know this was a long post, but I really appreciate your help. The full code can be accessed at https://github.com/serch037/UTC_Connect
The bestScore and bestMove variables must be declared as local variables inside the miniMaxEnd2 method for this logic to work properly.
Those variables' values are being replaced by the recursive call.

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