ProjectReport

on

iSnakeMultiplayerIntelligentSnakeGame
http://isnake.sourceforge.net

Submittedto
InterCollegeUndergraduateProjectCompetition
KUCCSoftwareMeet2008
Mar.7,2008

by

AbhishekDutta

JitendraHarlalka

SurajSapkota

adutta.np@gmail.com

jitendra.harlalka@gmail.com

ssapkota@gmail.com

cell:9841559669

cell:9803395335

cell:9841579381

TableofContents
1
2
3
4
5

Acknowledgment..................................................................................................................................1
Abstract.................................................................................................................................................2
Objectives.............................................................................................................................................3
Programming Environment...................................................................................................................4
Methodology.........................................................................................................................................5
5.1 iSnake Client Application..............................................................................................................6
5.1.1 Client Encoder/Decoder.........................................................................................................6
5.1.2 Client Network Interface........................................................................................................6
5.1.3 Input Handler..........................................................................................................................6
5.1.4 Game Field Matrix.................................................................................................................7
5.1.5 Game Field Canvas.................................................................................................................7
5.1.6 User Interface Components....................................................................................................7
5.1.7 Game Controller.....................................................................................................................7
5.2 iSnake Game Server......................................................................................................................8
5.2.1 Server Encoder/Decoder.........................................................................................................8
5.2.2 Server Network Interface........................................................................................................8
5.2.3 Virtual Game Field.................................................................................................................9
5.2.4 Player Information Manager...................................................................................................9
5.2.5 Random Number Pool............................................................................................................9
5.2.6 Status Server...........................................................................................................................9
5.2.7 Server Core...........................................................................................................................10
5.3 Intelligent Autonomous Opponent Snakes..................................................................................10
5.4 iSnake Game Server Manager (GSM) @ SF.net.........................................................................13
6 Project Management...........................................................................................................................14
7 Documentation....................................................................................................................................16
8 Limitations..........................................................................................................................................16
9 Future Enhancements..........................................................................................................................17
10 Conclusion........................................................................................................................................17
11 References.........................................................................................................................................18
12 ANNEX A: Blackmamba path finding algorithm
13 ANNEX B: Viper path finding algorithm
14 ANNEX C: Program Flow
15 ANNEX D: Inter Snake Communication Protocol (ISCP)

1 Acknowledgment
WeoffergratitudetoprojectsupervisorAsst.Prof.JayaramTimsina(DeputyHOD,Dept.Of
Electronics&ComputerEngineering,IOEPulchowkCampus)forguidingusthroughoutthe
project.
We would like to thank all those forum members at JavaGaming.org
[http://www.javagaming.org] andSunJavaForum [http://forum.java.sun.com] whoreplied
toourendlessquerieswithoutanycomplain.
We acknowledge the creators of Quantum Random Bit Generator Service [QRBG
http://random.irb.hr],whichprovidesourgameserverwithhighqualityrandomnumbers.

2 Abstract
Thisprojectaimstobringthefunandsimplicityofsnakegamewithsomenewfeatures.Itwill
includecomputercontrolledintelligentopponentswhoseaimwillbetochallengethehuman
players.Itwillalsohavethemultiplayerfeaturethatwillallowmorethanoneplayerstoplay
thegameoveranetwork.
This project explores a new dimension in the traditional snake game to make it more
interesting and challenging. The simplicity of this game makes it an ideal candidate for a
minor project as we can focus on advanced topics like multiplayer functionality and
implementationofcomputercontrolledintelligentopponents.

3 Objectives
Thisgameaimstochangethewaypeoplethinkoftraditionalsnakegame.Itwillofferthe
experienceofcommercialmultilayergamestotheplayerretainingthesimplicityoftraditional
snakegame.
Themajorobjectivesofthisprojectare:

Createasnakegamethatwillhaveallthefunctionalityoftraditionalsnakegames.

Introducemultilayerfunctionalityinthegamethatwillallowseveralplayerstoplaya
gamesimultaneously.Itshouldbeabletogivetheexperienceofarealtimemultiplayer
gametotheplayers.

Introducecomputercontrolledintelligentopponent(uniquefeatureofthisgame)to
makethegamemorechallengingandinteresting.Themovementandactionofthese
intelligentopponentswillbecontrolledbycomputerwhoseaimwillbetoeatthefood
beforehumanplayerscaptureit.

4 ProgrammingEnvironment
Weusedseveralopensourcetoolstodevelopthisproject:

Netbeans5.5IDE
All the developers of iSnake team used Netbeans IDE for the development of this
project.

Inkscape0.45andGimp2.2
ThesegraphicsdevelopmenttoolswereextensivelyusedforthedevelopmentofUser
Interfacecomponents.Theillustrationspresentedinthisreporthavealsobeenprepared
usingtheseopensourcetools.

Gnuplot
Thedataobtainedduringprofilingoftwopathfindingalgorithmsviz.Blackmambaand
Viperwasplottedusinggnuplot.

OpenOfficeWriter2.2
AlltheprojectdocumentsandthisreportwerepreparedusingOpenOfficeWriter2.2.

WiresharkNetworkTrafficAnalyzer0.99.6
DuringthedevelopmentofiSnakeGameServerManager(GSM)@SF.net,Wireshark
toolwasusedtoanalyzethenetworktraffic.

5 Methodology
iSnakeisamultiplayerversionoftraditionalsnakegame(popularamongcellphonegamers)
withcomputercontrolledintelligentopponentsthatchallengesthehumanplayers.
Theplayerwhohoststhegameserveriscalledlocalplayer.TheiSnakeClientApplication
andGameServerruninseparateexecutiondomains.TheiSnakeClientApp.forlocalplayer
communicateswiththegameserverthroughnetworklayer,justlikeotherremoteplayers,as
showninillustration1.

Illustration 1: iSnake block diagram

ThecompleteiSnakeapplicationisdividedintofourmajorcomponents:

iSnakeClientApplication

iSnakeGameServer

IntelligentAutonomousOpponentSnakes

iSnakeGameServerManager(GSM)@SF.net

5.1 iSnakeClientApplication
iSnakeclientapplicationreferstotheapplicationusedtoplaysnakegame.Aplayerjoins
analreadyexistingiSnakegameserverusingthisapplication.

Illustration 2: Block diagram of iSnake Client Application

ThemaincomponentsofiSnakeClientapplicationare:

5.1.1 ClientEncoder/Decoder
Thismoduleperformstheencodinganddecodingofmessagesleaving/arrivingthe
clientnetworkinterfacemoduleusingtheprotocolstandarddescribedinANNEXD:Inter
SnakeCommunicationProtocol.

5.1.2 ClientNetworkInterface
ItprovidesaninterfacetotheGameControllermoduleforcommunicationwiththe
game server hosted at local/remote computer. It is responsible for triggering of
appropriatemethodsofGameControllerwhenmessagefromGameServerisreceived.

5.1.3 InputHandler
Itmanagesthetaskofsamplingkeystrokesfromlocalplayerandforwardingitto
GameControllerwhenrequested.Itmaintainsaqueueofsize2sothatquickkeystrokes
arenotlost.Itisactiveonlywhenthegameisinrunningmode.

5.1.4 GameFieldMatrix
GameControllermaintainsthecompletestateofthegameusinggamefieldmatrix.
Itisa2Darrayofsize58x58(equaltothegamefielddimensions).Eachgamefieldobject
hasauniqueidentifierinthegamefield.GameControllerupdatesthecellsofthismatrix
ineachcycletoregisterthechangesthatoccurinthegame.

5.1.5 GameFieldCanvas
Itrepresentsthegamefieldasseenbytheplayer.GameControlleranalyzesthe
gamefieldmatrixineachcycleandupdatesthegamefieldcanvastorepresentthestateof
gameinthatgamecycle.DoubleBuffering[usingjava.awt.Canvas.createBufferStrategy()]
hasbeenimplementedtoavoidflickeringofgamefield.Eachblockinthegamefieldhas
dimension10x10pixels.
The update of game field canvas occurs in the way similar to the refreshing
techniqueofacathoderaymonitor.Thegamefieldmatrixandgamefieldcanvasare
updated in separate thread. The update of game field canvas starts by scanning each
columnofthe1strowinthegamefieldmatrix,then2ndrowandsoonuptothe58throw.
Thegamefieldisrefreshedtwiceduringeachgamecycle(tworefreshcycleforgamefield
canvas for each game cycle). This is done make the movements in the game field
smoother.

5.1.6 UserInterfaceComponents
Thismoduleincludesallthecomponents,exceptgamefield,visibletotheplayer.
Thelookandfeelofdefaultswingcomponentshavebeenoverriddentogivethefeelofa
game to the players. MIT OCW's course1 [6.831] User Interface Design and
Implementationwasveryhelpfulduringdesignofmostoftheuserinterfacecomponents
ofthisgame.

5.1.7 GameController
ItisthemostimportantcomponentoftheiSnakeclientapplication.Itcoordinates
the working of all the other modules in the application and handles all the messages
1 See References [Website]

receivedfromthegameserver.GameControllermaintainsthegamecyclewhenthegame
isrunning.Thisgamecycleissynchronizedwiththegamecycleofthegameserver.Allthe
updatestogamefieldmatrixaredoneduringthiscycletime.Afterexpiryofeachgame
cyclethegamefieldisrepaintedtoreflectthechangesinthegamefield.

5.2 iSnakeGameServer
iSnake game server handles the multiplayer feature of this game and allows multiple
iSnakeclientapplicationstoplaythegamehostedbythatparticulargameserver.

Illustration 3: Block diagram of iSnake Game Server

ThemaincomponentsofiSnakeGameServerare:

5.2.1 ServerEncoder/Decoder
Thismoduleperformstheencodinganddecodingofmessagesleaving/arrivingthe
servernetworkinterfacemoduleusingtheprotocolstandarddescribedinANNEXD:Inter
SnakeCommunicationProtocol.

5.2.2 ServerNetworkInterface
It provides aninterface to the Server Core module for communication with the
remote/local players of the game being hosted. It is responsible for triggering of
appropriatemethodsofServerCorewhenmessagefromremote/localplayersisreceived.

5.2.3 VirtualGameField
Gameservermaintainsthestateofthegameusinga2Darrayofsize58x58(similar
tothatusedbyGameControllerreferto5.1.4).
Itismaintainedbythegameservertocheckwhetherthefoodhasbeeneatenand
whetheranyplayerhascollidewiththewall.Itmaintainstheheadcoordinate(notthe
coordinatesfortails)ofeachplayer.Theheadcoordinateofplayersismovedineachgame
cycleandcheckedforthepresenceofwall/foodinthatcoordinateposition.ServerCore
generates corresponding event (collide or food eaten) and all the active players are
informedabouttheeventinthesamecycle.

5.2.4 PlayerInformationManager
It manages the information about the players involved in the game. Player
information like name, location, score, snake's starting position, snake color, etc are
maintained.Anewentryisaddedwheneveranewplayerjoinsthegame.Similarly,when
theplayerleavesthegame,itisremoved.

5.2.5 RandomNumberPool
Game server maintains a buffer of random numbers obtained from Quantum
RandomBitGeneratorservice[QRBGhttp://random.irb.hr].Thisgivesthegameserver
accesstotruerandomnumber.Theserandomdataisusedtogeneratethepositionoffood
andthestartingcoordinateofeachplayer'ssnake.
If the random number service is unreachable pseudo random numbers are
generatedusingjava.util.RandomclassprovidedbyJava.

5.2.6 StatusServer
Statusservermaintainsalltheinformationrequiredtoreplythecurrentstatusof
the game server. The service of status server is utilized by iSnake Game Server
Manager(iSnakeGSM)2hostedathttp://isnake.sf.net.Theresponseofstatusserverisa
wellformedXMLdocumentthatisparsedbyiSnakeGSMtodisplayinformationabout
thegameserverinthewebsite.
2 Refer to 5.4 iSnake Game Server Manager (GSM) @ SF.net

AtypicalresponseofStatusServerisgivenbelow:
<?xmlversion=1.0encoding=UTF8?>
<iSnake>
<GameServerData>
<GameServerAddress>124.41.228.219</GameServerAddress>
<GameServerPort>9669</GameServerPort>
<NoOfPlayersOnline>5</GameServerLocation>
<GameServerStatus>Waiting</GameServerStatus>
</GameServerData>
</iSnake>

5.2.7 ServerCore
ItisthemostimportantcomponentoftheiSnakeGameServer.Itcoordinatesthe
workingofalltheothermodulesintheapplicationandhandlesallthemessagesreceived
fromtheremoteplayers.
When the game is in "Waiting" mode, Server Core provides the facility of chat
messagingtothegameplayers.Duringthisstatenewplayerscanjointhegame.
Whenalltheplayershavesentsignaltostartthegame,theServerCorechanges
state to Running mode. If a new player tries to join the game, it receives a NAK
response.Inthismode,ServerCoremaintainsagamecycletimeduringwhichitreceives
themovementcoordinates(intermsofdeltaXanddeltaY)fromtheplayers.Ifaplayer
doesnotsendanypacketduringthiscycletime,serverconsidersthemovementcoordinate
sent in last cycle for the current game cycle. After expiry of cycle time, game server
broadcastsapacketcontainingmovementcoordinatesofeachplayertoalltheplayers
activeinthegame.Thegameserveralsochecksifanyplayerhaseatenthefoodorifany
playershavecollidedtothewallineachcycle.

5.3 IntelligentAutonomousOpponentSnakes
Thesearecomputercontrolledsnakes,inthegame,whoseaimistochallengethe
human players. We have two implementations of path finding algorithms to create
intelligent autonomous opponent snakes. These algorithms return the shortest possible
10

pathfromgivensource(S)andtarget(T)coordinatepairconsideringtheobstacles(if
any)presentinthegamefield.Thecodename3forthesetwoimplementationsare:

Blackmamba(refertoANNEXA)

Viper(refertoANNEXB)
A detailed paper describing the algorithm used by these two implementation is

presentin ANNEXAandANNEXB.Themoduleimplementingthesetwopathfinding
algorithm easily fits into the existing design of iSnake Client Application as shown in
Illustration4

Illustration 4: Module implementing two path finding algorithms replaces the Input Handler
module of standard iSnake Client application.

To know which of the two implementations perform better, we profiled them using a
simpleJUnittestandtheresultswereplottedusinggnuplot:

3 Named after two popular species of venomous snakes

11

Illustration 5: Turn around time for two

path finding algorithms

Illustration 6: Length of path returned by

the two path finding algorithms

Turnaroundtimeplot
Thetimeelapsedbetweentheinstantofsupplyingthe(source,target)coordinate
pair(S,T)tothealgorithmandtheinstantwhenitreturnsapathforsupplied(S,T)pairis
calledturnaroundtime.Fromtheplotofillustration5,itisclearthattheturnaround
timeforViperisalwayssmallerascomparedtoBlackmamba.
PathLengthplot
Thelengthofpath(computedbycountingthenumberofgamefieldcoordinatesin
the path) returned by the two path finding algorithms is depicted by the plot of
illustration6.ItisclearfromtheplotthatViperimplementationresultsinsmallerpaths
(andhenceefficient)ascomparedtoBlackmambaimplementation.
NOTE:Thevalueofturnaroundtimeandpathlengthforthecoordinatepairs5,7,8have
negativevaluesforBlackmamba.Thissuggeststhatthealgorithmwasnotabletocomputea
pathforgiven(S,T)pairingiventimeoutperiod(250msforthistest).

12

5.4 iSnakeGameServerManager(GSM)@SF.net
iSnakeGameServerManager(iSnakeGSM)hostedathttp://isnake.sf.netisusedto
managealltheinformationaboutiSnakegameserversbeinghostedovertheInternet.

Illustration 7: Block diagram of iSnake Game Server Manager at http://isnake.sf.net

TheiSnakeGSMhasbeendevelopedusingPHP.JavaWebStarttechnologyhasbeen
usedtodeployiSnakeapplicationatourwebsitewhichautomaticallydownloads/installs
iSnakeapplicationanditslibrarydependencies.Thisprovidesthegamerswiththefacility
ofoneclicklaunchoftheiSnakeapplication.Italsomakethedistributionofupdatesof
theiSnakeapplicationtotheendusersveryconvenient.
TheiSnakeapplicationdeployedatourwebsitehasbeendigitallysignedbythe
iSnaketeamtoaddressthesecurityissuesrelatedtolaunchofInternetapplications.

13

6 ProjectManagement
The first thing we did before starting the work on iSnake was to register a project at
Sourceforge4.Apartfromhostingservices,itprovidedusseveralcodeandprojectmanagement
services.

Illustration 8: Commit statistics for iSnake subversion repository at

http://isnake.svn.sourceforge.net

Illustration8showsthesvncommitstatisticsfortheisnakecoderepositoryatsourceforge.We
collaboratedonprojectdocuments(includingprototypedesigns,projectplan,TODOlist,etc)
usingWIKI(http://isnake.wiki.sourceforge.net).
JUnittestsweredevelopedtoindependentlytestsomeofthemodulesbeforeintegration.The
integrationofmodulesdevelopedbythethreedeveloperswasperformedinthreephases:

Phase 1 Integration (Sep. 28, 2007) chat functionality of the game was tested
successfully

4 http://www.sourceforge.net

14

Phase2Integration(Oct.06,2007)successfultestingofbasicversionofmultiplayer
snakegame

Phase3Integration(Feb1726,2008)integrationofallthemodulesforiSnake0.1
Betarelease.

7 Documentation
Documentationofeverytaskbeingdoneintheprojectwasapriorityforalltheteammembers.
Almost every portion of the source code contains full code documentation conforming to
Javadocstandards.

Illustration 9: Screen shot of a snippet of source code showing method comments conforming to
javadoc standards.
Thereexiststwopathfindingalgorithmsthatimplementsintelligentopponentinthegameviz
BlackmambaandViper.Thesetwoalgorithmshavebeenfullydocumentedwithillustrations5.
The protocol devised for communication between game server and clients has been
documentedinANNEXD.

8 Limitations
ThelimitationsofpresentimplementationofiSnakeare:

ThepresentimplementationofiSnakecanonlybeplayedinLAN.Duetolargelatency
timeandbandwidthlimitation,itcannotbeplayedovertheInternet.

Pathfindingalgorithms(BlackmambaandViper)implementedinthisgamehavetheir
owncomputationlimitationswhichhasbeendescribeinANNEXA,B.

5 Refer to ANNEX A,B

Fullstresstestoftheapplicationhasnotbeendoneyet.Hence,theresponseofgame
serverinunpredictablesituationscannotbehandledproperly.

iSnake'sGameServerManager(iSnakeGSM)locatedathttp://isnake.sf.netisstillin
itsearlydevelopmentphase.Therearesomeunresolvedsecurityissues.

9 FutureEnhancements

PortiSnaketocellphoneplatformandOneLaptopPerChildOLPC(whichusesSugar
Desktopenvironment).Thepresenceofseveralconnectivityoptions(Bluetooth,WIFI,
GPRS,CDMA)incellphonesmakesitaveryattractiveplatformforamultiplayergame
likeiSnake.LocalWIFInetworkformedbykidsusingOLPClaptopscanbeusedasa
platformforiSnake'sdeployment.

AsiSnakegameservercommunicateswithremoteplayingusingawelldefinedand
very simple protocol (Refer to ANNEX D), iSnake clients programmed in other
programmingplatformlikeFlash,Python,etccanbedeveloped.

10 Conclusion
Weweresuccessfulincreatingamultiplayerversionoftraditionalsnakegame.Thecomputer
controlledintelligentopponentshavebeensuccessfullytestedinthegameisauniquefeature
ofiSnake.
We learned several project management techniques used by professionals to develop large
scale project. The experience of working in team and integration of modules developed
independently,withjustrequirementspecifications,isaveryimportantachievementforthe
iSnaketeam.

11 References
Books
1. TheJavaProgrammingLanguage,byKenArnold,JamesGosling,DavidHolmes
ADDISONWESLEY,2000,ISBN8178081482
2. JavaThreads,SecondEdition,byScottOaks,HenryWong
O'REILLY,1997,ISBN8173660573
3. CoreJavaVolumeI/II,SeventhEdition,byCayS.Horstmann,GaryCornell
PEARSONEDUCATION,2005,ISBN8129709325
4. Introduction to Algorithms, Second Edition, by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E.
Leiserson,RonaldL.Rivest,CliffordStein
MITPRESS,2001,ISBN8120321413
5. HeadFirstJava,SecondEdition,byKathySierra,BertBates
O'REILLY,May2003,ISBN8173666024

Websites
1. NetbeansCommunityDocs
http://wiki.netbeans.org/wiki/view/CommunityDocs
2. TheInkscapeTutorialsBlog
http://inkscapetutorials.wordpress.com/
3. SmashingMagazineOnlinemagazinefordesigners
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/
4. TheJavaTutorials
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/
5. TimingFramework
https://timingframework.dev.java.net/

6. JavaGaming.org'sForum
http://www.javagaming.org/forums/index.php
7. MITOpenCourseWare6.831UserInterfaceDesignandImplementation
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/ElectricalEngineeringandComputerScience/6831Fall
2004/CourseHome/index.htm
8. Amit'sA*PageTutorialonA*Pathfindingalgorithms
http://theory.stanford.edu/~amitp/GameProgramming/
9. Arianneamultiplayeronlinegamesframework
http://arianne.sourceforge.net/
10. JavaDesktopCommunityBlog
http://community.java.net/javadesktop/
11. JavaForum
http://forum.java.sun.com
12. BlogofRomainGuycoauthorofFilthyRichClients
http://www.curiouscreature.org/
13. FilthyRichClientsExamples
http://www.filthyrichclients.com/
14. ADistributedMultiplayerGameServerSystem
http://warriors.eecs.umich.edu/games/papers/quakefinal.pdf
15. TheJavaDevelopersAlmanac1.4
http://www.exampledepot.com/
16. ApacheMINASampleprogramsandtutorials
http://mina.apache.org/
17. PHPDocumentationforXMLlibrary
http://www.php.net/

18. QuantumRandomBitGeneratorService(QRBG)
http://random.irb.hr/

ANNEXA:Blackmambapathfindingalgorithm
Proposedby:AbhishekDutta

1Somedefinitionsandnotations
1.1BoundingRectangle(br)
Itisarectangleinwhichthesourceandthetargetlieattwooppositecornersofthe
rectangle.SourceBoundingRectangle(sbr0)andTargetBoundingRectangle(tbr0)
representtheboundingrectanglesfromsourceandtargetwhicharethesame
rectangle.

1.2PartialBoundingRectangle(pbr):
These rectangles touch either the source or the target node and not both. Two
partial bounding rectangles touching 'S' and 'T' form paths from source to the
targetnode.
SourcePartialBoundingRectangle(spbr)
Thepbrtouchingthesourcenode'S'.
TargetPartialBoundingRectangle(tpbr)
Thepbrtouchingthetargetnode'T'.
RefertoIllustration10

1.3Notations:
1.3.1brNM
denotesaboundingrectanglethatspans(ortouches)Nnodesalongthexaxis
andMnodesalongtheyaxis.

ANNEXA

A1

1.3.2spbrNM
denotesasourcepartialboundingrectanglethatspans(ortouches)Nnodes
alongthexaxisandMnodesalongtheyaxis.

1.3.3tpbrNM
denotesatargetpartialboundingrectanglethatspans(ortouches)Nnodes
alongthexaxisandMnodesalongtheyaxis.

1.3.4hpNM
denotesahoppingpoint(coordinatespecifiedwithreferencetosource)along
which spbrNM and tpbrNM are formed.This coordinate point is common to
bothspbrNMandtpbrNM

1.3.5NumberingofPaths
Foranygivenboundingrectangle(br)thereareonlytwopossiblepathsasshow
inIllustration11.Pathnumberingconventionappliedis:
Path1: The xcoordinate of the path first changes followed by change in y
coordinate
Path2: The ycoordinate of the path first changes followed by change in x
coordinate
Asource(S)andtarget(T)canbeplacedinfourpossiblewayssuchthatthey
lieonoppositeendsofthediagonal.Consideringthefourposition(A,B,C,D)as
depictedinIllustration11,wehavethefollowingfourcases:
1.3.5.1'S'placedatpositionAand'T'placedatpositionC
Path1=ABC,Path2=ADC
1.3.5.2'S'placedatpositionBand'T'placedatpositionD
Path1=BAD,Path2=BCD
1.3.5.3'S'placedatpositionCand'T'placedatpositionA
Path1=CDA,Path2=CBA
ANNEXA

A2

1.3.5.4'S'placedatpositionDand'T'placedatpositionB
Path1=DCB,Path2=DAB

Illustration 10: Bounding rectangle (br - dotted

gray), Source bounding rectangle (spbr - dotted
red) and Target bounding rectangle (tpbr dotted green)

Illustration 11: Two possible paths along the

edges of the bounding rectangle (dotted red line
rectangle) provided no obstacles exists along the
path

2Basisofthisalgorithm
Inabsenceofanyobstacles, the costofmoving from onenodetoanother isconstant
throughoutthegamefield.Hence,theshortestpathisalongtheboundingrectangleedges
ifnoobstaclesarepresentinthepathasshowninIllustration11.
Bothpath1andpath2haveequaltravelingcost providedthatnoobstaclesarepresent
alongthosepaths.Foranygivenbr,ifthereexistsapathfromsourcetotargetinsidethe
brthenitwillbetheshortestpath.

3Pathsgeneratedbypartialboundingrectangles
Four paths aregenerated bythe source and target partial bounding rectanglesfor the
givenhoppingpointasshowninIllustration12.

ANNEXA

A3

Illustration 12: Four possible paths generated by

source and target partial bounding rectangles
(spbr,tpbr - depicted using red and green dotted
lines respectively) for a given hopping point
Foranygiven(S,T)pair,wemovethehoppingpointalongthediagonaljoiningSandT.
Specialconsiderationsisrequiredwhen:

obstacles(wall)arepresentalongthepathsformedusingtheboundingandpartial
boundingrectangles.

Nopossiblepathcanbefoundusingallthepossiblecombinationsofthepartial
boundingrectangles.

theboundingrectangleisnotasquare(ie:forbrNM,NM)

4Descriptionofthealgorithm
Instead of considering all the possible cases at once, let us consider the working of
algorithminseveralstages(withincreasingcomplications).

4.1[A]SymmetricBoundingRectangles(SimpleCase)
Forillustrationpurpose,letusfirstconsideragamefieldof6x6nodeswheresource
andtargetareplacedat'S'and'T'respectivelyasshowninFigureA1.Thefollowing
seriesofstepsareexecutedtofindapathfromsourcetotarget.Ifobstacleisfoundin
ANNEXA

A4

allpossiblepathofanstagethenextstageischecked.Theseriesofstepstakento
obtainapathfrom'S'to'T'are:

4.1.1Procedureoffindingpathforagiven(S,T)pair
4.1.1.1FigureA2initiallythehoppingpointishp66(onthetarget).twopaths
formedalongtheboundingrectanglebr66(showninreddottedrectanglein
FigureA2)arecheckedforpresenceofobstacles.Ifnoobstaclesarefound,either
path1orpath2arechosen(refertoIllustration11).Asbothpath1andpath2
havesamepathlength,choicebetweenthesetwopathsismadebasedonsome
combinationofsubpathsandchoosingthepathwhoselengthisshortest.
4.1.1.2FigureA3fourpaths(refertoIllustration12)formedalongthesourceand
targetpartialboundingrectangle(spbr55,tpbr22)arecheckedforpresenceof
obstacle.
4.1.1.3FigureA4fourpaths(refertoIllustration12)formedalongthesourceand
targetpartialboundingrectangle(tpsbr44,ptbr33)arecheckedforpresenceof
obstacle.
4.1.1.4FigureA5fourpaths(refertoIllustration12)formedalongthesourceand
targetpartialboundingrectangle(tpsbr33,ptbr44)arecheckedforpresenceof
obstacle.
4.1.1.5FigureA6fourpaths(refertoIllustration12)formedalongthesourceand
targetpartialboundingrectangle(tpsbr22,ptbr55)arecheckedforpresenceof
obstacle.
4.1.1.6FigureA7Thisstepisnotnecessarytoexecuteasthetaskhasalready
beenperformedinStep1usingtheboundingrectangle(br66).
SeeIllustration13forillustrationofsteps1to6

Computationoverheadcalculations
Letthetimerequiredtocheckwhetherapartialboundingrectanglehasanobstacle
ANNEXA

A5

=T1
timerequiredtocheckwhetheraboundingrectanglehasanobstacle=T2
foragamefieldNxN(rowxcol)
alsolet(tocreatetheworstcase)
thesource'S'belocatedat(1,1)
thetarget'T'belocatedat (N,N)
Totalno.ofpossiblehoppingpoints(excludingthesource)=N1
Hence,total time required to calculate a path6 = T2 + N * T1

6 See section Requirements of this algorithm

ANNEXA

A6

ANNEXA
Illustration 13: Illustrations for [A] Symmetric Bounding Rectangles (Simple Case)

A7

4.1.2Backtracking
If4.1.1.1to4.1.1.6doesnotgiveapathfrom'S'to'T'thetechniqueofbacktracking
willbeapplied.Toillustratetheprocessofbacktrackingletusconsiderthescenario
showninIllustration14.

Illustration 14: Game field scenario when all the

paths formed by bounding and partial bounding
rectangles contain obstacle.
Thepathsgeneratedfromtheboundingrectangle(br44)andallthepossiblepartial
boundingrectanglescontainobstacle.Hencetheprocessdiscussedabovewillnot
resultinanypathfrom'S0'to'T'.Forsuchscenariowecanapplytheprocessof
backtracking.

ANNEXA

A8

Illustration 15: Next outer bounding rectangle

(br55) is checked for a path from node S1 to T.
Backtrackinginvolvesmovingtothenextouter(asinnerboundingrectanglesdonot
contain any path for sure) bounding rectangle a path to the target is found.
Illustration15showstheresultofbacktracking.BacktrackingfromS0toS1(the
nextouterboundingrectangle)resultsinaboundingrectanglebr55.Thisbounding
rectangledoesnotalsoresultinanypathfromS1toT.Hence,nextouterbounding
rectangleischecked.

Illustration 16: Next outer bounding rectangle

(br66) is checked for a path from node S2 to T.

The next outer bounding rectangle (br66) is formed at node S1 as shown in

ANNEXA

A9

Illustration16.ThisboundingrectanglehasapathfromS2toT.Hence,thepossible
pathiscalculatedtoreachfromS2toT.
AswenowhaveapathfromS2toT,weneedtocalculateapathfromS0toS2so
thatwecanultimatelyreachTfromS0.NowwecalculatethepossiblepathfromS0
toS2usingthestepsdiscussedaboveasshowninIllustration17.
Byjoiningthepathsformedfromtheabovetwostepscanbecombinedtoforma
pathfromS0toT.

Illustration 17: Path from node S0 to S2 is

calculated using the process discussed before
(after a path is found from S2 to T

4.1.2.1Determiningnextouterboundingrectangleduringbacktracking
Although the vertex for next outer bounding rectangle (required for
backtracking)canbethenextcoordinateontheextendeddiagonal(asshownin
Illustration 15,16), a simple technique can greatly reduce the number of
backtrackingstepsofbothsourceandtarget.
Letsource(S)andtarget(T)beplacedasshowninIllustration18.Apathfrom
S to T contains two edges. Path1 contains edge1 and edge2. Path2 contains
edge4 and edge3. While determining whether a path contains obstacle, the
algorithmmustalsodeterminewhichedgescontainsobstacles(ifany).
ANNEXA

A10

Illustration 18: Four edges (1-4) formed out of a

bounding rectangle and the possible backtracking
vertices for S and T
Wecanapplythefollowingalgorithmtodeterminetheouterrectanglesrequired
duringbacktrackingforsource.
if(edge1containsobstacle)

if(edge4containsobstacle)

sourceouterrectanglevertex=S'
}else

sourceouterrectanglevertex=S'''
}
}else

if(edge4containsobstacle)

sourceouterrectanglevertex=S''
}else

nobacktrackingrequired
}
}

Theouterrectanglefortarget,duringbacktracking,canbedeterminedbyapplying
similarlogicforedge2andedge3.
Thistechniqueworksfordifferentorientationofsourceandtargetasdescribedin
Section1.3.5NumberingofPaths

ANNEXA

A11

4.1.2.2Mergingthepathsformedwhilebacktracking
Whilebacktrackingseveralsubpathsarecreatedwhilerequirestobemergedto
formthefinalpathfromsourcetotarget.Letusconsideracaseasdepictedin
Illustration19.

Illustration 19: Sub paths formed during

backtracking. Final path from S to T obtained by
combining the sub paths.
Duetothepresenceofwall(greenblocks),SandThastobacktracktoS'andT'
positionsrespectively.Hereweobtainthreesubpathswhichare:
Path from S to S' : depicted by red colored line from S to S' (SubPath1)
PathfromS'toT:depictedbybluecoloredlinefromTtoT'(SubPath2)
PathfromT'toT:depictedbypinkcoloredlinefromT'toT(SubPath3)
We need to combine these three paths to obtain a final path from S to T
(depictedbythickblackline).Ifweaddthesethreepathsdirectly,thefinalpath
willcontainoverlappingpaths(whichisnotrequired).Thefollowingalgorithm
canbeappliedtocomputethefinalpath(thatdoesnotcontainanyoverlapping
regions).
START
Step1:InitializeFinalPathwiththecontentsofSubPath1
ANNEXA

A12

FinalPath=SubPath1
Step 2: Now perform the following operations for each cell coordinate
presentinSubPath2andSubPath2(K=2,3)
cellCoordinate=SubPathK.getCellCoordinate()
if(FinalPathcontainscellCoordinate)

removecellCoordinatefromFinalPath
}else {
addcellCoordinatetoFinalPath
}
Step3:FinalPathcontainsdiscontinuitiesatthebendsofpath.Searchfor
consecutivecellcoordinateforwhichbothxandyvaluesofthecoordinate
change(ie:|dx|=1,|dy|=1).
Step4:Correctthesediscontinuitiesbyaddingthemissingcellcoordinates.
END

4.2[B]AsymmetricBoundingRectangles
4.2.1SimpleCase
A problem arises when the bounding rectangle is asymmetric as shown in
Illustration20.

Illustration 20: Case of asymmetric bounding

rectangle (br63)
Thesolutiontothisproblemistoinsertrequirednumberofdummynodesbetween
'S' and 'T' so that the new bounding rectangle becomes symmetric as shown in
ANNEXA

A13

Illustration 21. The algorithm applied in [A] Symmetric Bounding Rectangles

(SimpleCase)can be now applied byconsidering thedummynodesas normal
gamefieldnodesfreefromanyobstacles.

Illustration 21: The bounding rectangle (br66) is

made symmetric by adding required no. of dummy
nodes

4.2.2SandTlyingonsamestraightline(verticalorhorizontal)
Thiscaseariseswhenboth'S'and'T'lieonsamestraightline(horizontalor
vertical)asshowninIllustration22.

Illustration 22: Another case of asymmetric

bounding rectangle (br61)
The case can be converted to [A] Symmetric Bounding Rectangle (Simple
Case)casebyaddingdummynodesasshowninIllustration23.

ANNEXA

A14

Illustration 23: The case can be converted to [A]

Symmetric Bounding Rectangle (Simple Case)
case by adding dummy nodes

5Requirements
5.1Constanttimealgorithmforobstacledetection
TheremustexistaconstanttimealgorithmthatcananswerthequestionDoesthe
given bounding or partial bounding rectangle contain any obstacle?. The
constant time algorithm requirement means that the YES/NO decision of this
algorithmshouldnotdependonthesizeofrectangleunderconsiderationorthe
numberofobstaclespresentinthegamefield.
AnimportantobservationforiSnakegameisthattheobstaclesinthegamearenot
dynamic.Inotherwords,theobstaclesremainconstantuntilagivenFOODiseaten
byoneoftheplayers.Hencewecanassumethattheobstacleisconstantduringthe
executionofthispathfindingalgorithm.
We apply the following algorithm to detect whether a given bounding rectangle
containsanyobstacles.
START

ANNEXA

A15

Step1:Let(x1,y1)=onecorneroftheboundingrectangle
(x2,y2)=diagonallyoppositecorneroftheboundingrectangle
obstacle=asetcoordinatesdefiningtheobstacle(wall)
Step2:Repeatstep2foreachcellcoordinateinobstacle
oc=obstacle.getCellCoordinate()
path1HasObstacle=true,path2HasObstacle=true
if(x>=x1andx<=x2){
if(!path1HasObstacle){
if(x1y1.ggggetY().equals(y))
path1HasObstacle=true
}
if(!path2HasObstacle){
if(x2y2.gggetY().equals(y))
path2HasObstacle=true
}
}
if(y>=y1andy<=y2){
if(!path1HasObstacle){
if(x2y2.getX().equals(x))
path1HasObstacle=true
}
if(!path2HasObstacle){
if(x1y1.getX().equals(x))
path2HasObstacle=true
}
}
Step3:if(path1HasObstacle){
if(path2HasObstacle)
returnNOPATHPOSSIBLE
else
returnPATH2isOBSTACLEFREE
}else{
ANNEXA

A16

if(path2HasObstacle)
returnPATH1 is OBSTACLE FREE
else
returnPATH1andPATH2are OBSTACLE FREE
}
END

6Limitations
6.1Thisalgorithmdoesnotconsiderthetransparentgamefieldboundary(entrytoone
sideofthefieldcausesexitintheoppositesideofthefieldasdepictedin Illustration
24)duringpathcalculation.Duetothislimitationthecomputedpathisnotoptimal.

Illustration 24: Transparent boundary of the game

field
6.2Thehoppingpointsarealwaystakenfromthediagonallinejoiningthesourceand
target.Becauseofpropertyofthealgorithm,itisnotabletocomputepathswhena
complexstructureofwall,asshowninIllustration25,ispresent.Thisisthereasonwhy
Blackmambaimplementationentersinfiniterecursionforsuchobstacles.

ANNEXA

A17

Illustration 25: Only 1 hopping point prevents this

algorithm from computing path in presence of a
complex structured wall

ANNEXA

A18

ANNEXB:Viperpathfindingalgorithm
Proposedby:SurajSapkota

1 Assumptions
Thisalgorithmassumesgamefieldasfollows:

The rectangle with the dotted boarder is the view port(vp) of each player. Other
rectangles attached with it in each side are the virtual view port(vvp) in their
correspondingsides.

Smallyellowboxisawallunit.Groupofattachedwallunitissaidtobewall.

Theborderofthegamefieldaretransparentunlessthereiswall.

Wallistheonlythingthatasnakecanstriketo.

Illustration 1: The game field (unfolded Envelop)

Therecanbemultiplewallinthesamegamefield.

ANNEXB

B1

Finally considering all these, the aim of this algorithm is to find all (there may be
multiplepathofsamedistance)shortestpathfromthesnake(head)tofood.However
asaresultitwillreturnonlyoneamongthosepaths.

2 Principalandimplementationofthisalgorithm.
Thisalgorithmwillnotdealwithfindingonlyoneshortestpathinsteaditcalculatesmultiple
pathbetweenthesourceandthedestination,andallofthesepathhavethesamedistance,the
shortestdistance.Actually theresultisnotintheformofmultiplepath,merelyitisa
collectionofthepointsthatitmustpassthrough.Itisthepositionofthepointsthatmake
thepathmultiple.Itisdescribedlaterinmoredetail.
Thealgorithmfollowsfollowingsteps:
1.Thisalgorithmbeginswithsplittingallthegamefieldintosmallrectangles(Fundamental
openrectangle7(FOR8)),sayR1,R2,R3,...Rn.Ifgamefield(onlyviewport),asawholeis
saidtobeG.Thenmathematicallythewall,Wcanbedefinedas:

W=GR1UR2UR3U...URn

Broadly,thisalgorithmdealswithsplittingthegamefieldintoseveral(asmany)rectangles
suchthat,theunionofallthesesmallrectanglesresultinthegamefieldthatexcludewall.ie,
thesnakecanmovesafelyfromanypointintherectangle(Ri)toanyotherpointwithinthe
samerectangle(Ri)andhencecalledOpenrectangles(OR).

7 Open rectangle is a rectangle that does not contain any wall. Within it snake can move freely.
8 The algorithm of generating FOR is discussed later.

ANNEXB

B2

Illustration 2: Slitted into 6 small

pieces of rectangle.
Illustration 3: "Illustration 2" in broader view
2.NextwedefineGate9(GateasinreallifeisawaytomovefromaFORtoanotheradjacent
FOR) calculatetheshortestdistancebetweeneachtwoGatesofeach FOR (eg:theshortest
distancebetweentherectanglesR1andR5aredeterminedbythedistancebetweenthetwo
gatesofR3sharedwithR1andR5respectively).
3.Afterthecalculationoftheshortestpath,agraphasshowninIllustration4isformed.

Illustration 4: Graph
Intheabovegraph
i. Thedottedlinesdefinesdirectconnection,thedirectpath.
ii. Thedarklineshowsa1stepindirectconnectionbetweenthoserectanglesthatarenot
connecteddirectly.
9

A gate must be common to only two FOR.

ANNEXB

B3

iii. Sij,besidewiththevertex,(ingraph)denotesthatFORiisconnectedtoFORjthrough
thisvertexandviceversa.Thiscanalsobecalledindirectpath.Anditpossesthepath
distance.
iv. There may be multiple indirect path. Eg: We can move form 2 to 5 (S25) in two
differentways:via3or5.
Somedatathatareassociatedwiththerectangle(nodeinthegraph)isshownbelow.

Illustration 5: Data associated with each node

4.Finallyafterallthesecalculation,wecancalculatethepathbetweentwoFOR's,thesource
andthedestinationwithshortestdistance.Whentwopoints(sourceandtarget)aregivenwe
candeterminetheFOR's,theylieinandcancomputethepathbetweenthem.

Illustration 6: Path for a sample case.

ANNEXB

Illustration 7: Zoomed view of "Illustration 6"

B4

The above sample case shown in illustration 6 and 7, shows the path calculated by the
algorithmfromthesnake(redonepointedbyanarrowA)tothefood(blueonepointedbyan
arrowF).ThepointspointedbythearrowsA,B,C,D,EandFarepoints(HopingPoints)that
theintelligentplayermustpassthrough.Andthusallowingmultiplepossibilityforpath.
Thepathismultiplebecause,thereexistmultiplewaytogofromAtoBandEtoF.Further
therectanglesasformedbythepointsAandB(EandF)canalsobecalledDerivedopen
rectangle(asitdoesn'tcontainanywall,andhenceallowsfreemovementofthesnakeinside
it).

3 FordividingtheGamefieldintofundamentalopen
rectangle:
Thealgorithminvolvesslicingthegamefieldincyclicorder
inanticlockwisedirectionstartingwiththeleftedge.Asthe
gamefieldinitiallyhasnoterminatingedge(asenvelope)we
startwith(visually)leftedgeofthegamefield.
Illustration 8: Step 1 (a)
1. InitiallystartingfromtheZerothcoordinatemoveto
bothsidesuntilitstriketowall(unit).NameitFundamentalOpenRectangle(FOR1and
FOR2orJustR1andR2).Illustration8and9.
2. Now the gamefield has shrinked to as shown in
Illustration10. (It now has changed to cylindrical
shapefromenvelopeshape.)

3. Moving in anticlockwise direction, Slice fromIllustration 9: Step 1 (b)

bottom in both direction (up and down) to get other two rectangle R3 and R4.
Illustration11.

ANNEXB

B5

Tillthissteptherectanglewasnotbounded(either

in

allfoursides(envelop)orintwosides(topandbottom)
(cylinder)).Fromthissteponwardthe sliced game
fieldwouldbebounded.

4. Now try to slice rectangle from top left, bottom

left,bottomrightandtoprightrespectively.Herewefail
toslicetherectanglefromtopleftandbottomrightas
thereiswall(unit)attheedge.

Illustration 10:
WecannowcreatetwonewrectanglesfrombottomleftStep-2

Illustration
11: Step-3

andtoprightnamelyR5andR6.Illustration13.

5. Nowsliceawaytheboundarylayerofthegamefield
formedinIllustration13.ShowninIllustration14.

Illustration 13:
Step 3

Illustration 12

6. Asearlieragaintrytoslicethegamefieldintheanticlockwisedirectionstartingfrom
left.ItwillresultintwomorerectangleR7andR8.Illustration15.

During this we assume already sliced rectangle as a

hollowspace.
Illustration 15

Illustration 14:
Step 4

7. ForFurtherOptimizationweproceedbybreakingdowntherectanglethattouches
itself(eg:inthiscase,thetopedgedofrectangleR1touchitselftoitsbottomedge).These
typeofrectanglesaredividedinthemiddle.Thisresultsinbestutilizationofthetransparency
oftheGameField.

ANNEXB

B6

Illustration 16: The Final Result

4 SpecialcaseforGameFieldwithnowall
Ifthereisnowallwesimplychopthegamefieldverticallyandhorizontallyfromthemiddle
resultingin4FOR's.Thisresultsinmaximumutilizationofthetransparencyofthegame
field.TheresultisshowninIllustration17.

Illustration 17: Sliced Game Field with no

wall

ANNEXB

B7

5 SalientFeatures:

As most of the processing is done before the actual game starts, it must reduce the the
processing time during the game-time.
The concept of open-rectangle allows multiple path, and hence within it the snake can be
moved randomly towards the specified point. And hence it is intelligent.
Furthermore, during the calculation of the path the snake can move within the FOR in which it
currently lie.

6 Limitations:

If the number of FOR increases to too high, then it will obviously be tough and slow to
determine the shortest path.

ANNEXB

B8

ANNEXC:Programflow

Illustration 26: iSnake game application enters in STAGE-1 and exits through STAGE-5

Illustration 27: iSnake game application starts in STAGE-1 and this stage involves connection to
game server specified by the player

NOTE:"EXT"referstotheactionsthataretriggeredbyClientNetworkInterfacemodulewhen
messagesarereceivedfromgameserver
ANNEXC

C1

Illustration 28: In STAGE-2 players can chat with each other. The game will start only when all the
players connected to the game server send READY signal

NOTE:"EXT"referstotheactionsthataretriggeredbyClientNetworkInterfacemodulewhen
messagesarereceivedfromgameserver

ANNEXC

C2

Illustration 29: STAGE-3 involves receiving different game data (like wall coordinates, food
coordinate, snakes start position, etc)

NOTE:"EXT"referstotheactionsthataretriggeredbyClientNetworkInterfacemodulewhen
messagesarereceivedfromgameserver

ANNEXC

C3

Illustration 30: STAGE-4 involves synchronization with the game server

NOTE:"EXT"referstotheactionsthataretriggeredbyClientNetworkInterfacemodulewhen
messagesarereceivedfromgameserver
ANNEXC

C4

Illustration 31: STAGE-5 represents the state when game is being played

NOTE:"EXT"referstotheactionsthataretriggeredbyClientNetworkInterfacemodulewhen
messagesarereceivedfromgameserver
ANNEXC

C5

ANNEXD:InterSnakeCommunicationProtocol
ThecommunicationbetweenthegameserverandclientapplicationsisdoneusingtheInter
SnakeCommunicationProtocol(ISCP).Theprotocolcontainsfivedifferentclasses.Theseare
listedbelow:
Information

Usedfortransmissionofplayer'sinformation(name,color,
location). Used only when the player creates/joins the
game.

ChatMessage

Transmitsthechatmessage.Worksonlybeforetheactual
gamestarts.

ControlSignal

Transmitscontrolsignalsbetweenserverandclients.These
signalsaremainlyusedforsynchronization.

LevelData

Sendsdatarequiredonlevelchange(food,wall,score,life,
etc).Sentinitiallywhentheactualgamebeginsandthen
aftereverylevelchange.

Move

Transmits the movement of clients, collision information

andalsotheinformationaboutfoodcapture.

Thecommunicationpacketsareencodedinbyteformatforthepurposeoftransmissionand
aredecodedinsimilarfashion.Theencodinganddecodingofpacketsinclientsideishandled
by ClientEncoder and ClientDecoder respectively. Similar for game server, encoding and
decodingishandledbyServerEncoderandServerDecoderrespectively.
For instance, the server encoder for chat message is known as ChatServerEncoder. The
encodersanddecodersareplacedundernet.sf.isnake.codec.
Onthebasisofcommunicationpacketflow,wecanclassifythecommunicationbasicallyinto
twotypes:

Client Initiated Communication: In this type of communication, the client first

ANNEXD

D1

encodesthepacketwithnecessarydata.Sendittoserverinflippedorder.Flippingis
requiredsothatitgetsreceivedincorrectorderattheotherend.Theserverdecodesit.
The server reencodes the data with some further informations (if required such as
sender'sId)andflipsit.Thispacketisretransmittedtoclientswhereitisdecoded.The
communicationcycleisshownbelow:
Client Encoder

Server Decoder

Server Encoder

Client Decoder

ServerInitiatedCommunication:Inthistypeofcommunication,serverfirstencodes

thepacketwithnecessarydataandtransmitsinflippedorder.Thepacketisdecodedon
clientside.Thecommunicationcycleisshownbelow:
Server Encoder

Client Decoder

Thefiveclassesofcommunicationcansendvariousmessages.Allthemessagesaredecoded
thesamewaytheyareencoded. Followingconventionsareusedindepictingtheencoding
overhere:
Symbol Meaning
<>

Showsfieldstobesentalongwithidentifier

()

Showsthedatatypeofthefield.However,allthefieldsareconvertedintobyte
whileencodingandondecodingtheyarereceivedasbytesandconvertedto
properdatatype.

id

Representstheplayerid(anintegerusedtouniquelyidentifyaplayerinthe
game).

[]

Thefieldswithin[]arepartofanarrayintheprotocolclass.

Class: Chat Message

1

Packet

ChatText

Identifier

CH

Type

ClientInitiated

Description

Isusedtotransmitachatmessagetypedbyaclienttootherclients.
to_idisrequiredforonetoonecommunicationwhichisnotcurrently

ANNEXD

D2

allowedinthegamebuthasbeendesignedforfutureenhancements.0
isbeingsentasto_idwhichisbasicallyamulticastid.
ClientEncoder

CH<to_id(byte)><len_of_message(short)><message(string)>

ServerEncoder

CH<from_id(byte)><to_id(byte)><len_of_message(short)><messag
e(string)>
Class: Information

Packet

Playerinfo

Identifier

IN

Type

ClientInitiated

Description

Isusedtotransporttheinformationsofaplayerviz;name,colorand
location.

ClientEncoder

IN<info_len(short)><name:color:location(string)>

ServerEncoder

IN<info_len(short)><id:name:color:location(string)>

Class: ControlSignal
1

Packet

Acknowledgment

Identifier

AK

Type

ClientInitiated

Description

ThispacketissentwhenaclientsuccessfullyreceivesLeveldata.The
status_code field has been reserved for future enhancements. As of
nowitissentas0.

ClientEncoder

AK

ServerEncoder

AK<id(byte)><status_code(byte)>

Packet

Quit

Identifier

QT

ANNEXD

D3

Type

ClientInitiated

Description

Sentwhenaclientquitsthegame.

ClientEncoder

QT

ServerEncoder

QT<id(byte)>

Packet

Ready

Identifier

RY

Type

ClientInitiated

Description

Issentwhentheuserspecifieshisreadinesstostartthegame.

ClientEncoder

RY

ServerEncoder

RY<id(byte)><status_code(byte)>

Packet

ID

Identifier

ID

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Thispacketissentbyservertoclienttoassignanidtotheplayer.This
isdoneassoonastheclientsendshisinformation.

ServerEncoder

ID<id(byte)>

Packet

Start

Identifier

ST

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Represents start of various events in the game on the basis of

status_code.status_code0representsthe

beginning

of

transmissionofleveldata.status_code1representsthebeginningof

ANNEXD

D4

levelsynchronizationtaskbeforebeginningofalevelandstatus_code2
isasignaltostarttheactuallevelplay.

ServerEncoder

ST<status_code(byte)>

Packet

Stop

Identifier

SP

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Representstheendoflevel.

ServerEncoder

SP<status_code(byte)>

Packet

Force

Identifier

FR

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Thiscommunicationpacketforcesaplayertosendareadypacketwhen
allothershaveexpressedtheirwillingnesstobeginthegame.

ServerEncoder

FR<id(byte)><status_code(byte)>

Packet

NoAcknowledgment

Identifier

NK

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Thispacketissentbyserverwhentheinformationsuppliedbyclientis
not valid. status_code here represents field which has invalid data.
Invaliddataoccurswheninformationfieldcontainsreservedcharacters
orduplicateentry.

ServerEncoder

ANNEXD

NK<id(byte)><status_code(byte)>

D5

Class: LevelData
1

Packet

Beginfrom

Identifier

BF

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

The packet sends starting coordinate of all the players in a single

packet.Theplayer beginslevelfromthiscoordinateandisresettothis
coordinateoncollision.

ServerEncoder

BF<3*no_of_players(byte)>[<id(byte)><x_coordinate(byte)><y_co
ordinate(byte)>]

Packet

Score

Identifier

SC

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Sendsscoreofalltheplayersinthepacketonbeginningofalevel.

ServerEncoder

SC<8*2*no_of_players(byte)>[<id(long)><score(long)>]

Packet

Level

Identifier

LV

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Sendsthelevelnumbertotheclients.

ServerEncoder

LV<level_number(byte)>

Packet

Life

Identifier

LF

Type

ServerInitiated

ANNEXD

D6

Description

Sendsthelifecountforeachplayeronbeginningofalevel.

ServerEncoder

LF<2*no_of_players(byte)>[<id(byte)><life_count(byte)>]

Packet

Wall

Identifier

WL

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Sendsthewallcoordinatestotheclients.

ServerEncoder

WL<2*wall_length(short)>[<x_coordinate(byte)><y_coordinate(byte
)>]

Packet

Food

Identifier

FD

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Sendsthefoodcoordinatestotheclientsonthebeginningofalevel.

ServerEncoder

FD[<x_coordinate(byte)><y_coordinate(byte)>]

Class: Move
1

Packet

Collide

Identifier

CL

Type

ClientInitiated

Description

Thepacketissentwhenaplayerloosesalife.Possibilityofmorethan
oneplayers colliding on same turn has been takeninto account. At
present,however,wearecheckingthe collision on server and the
communicationisthusServerInitiated.

ANNEXD

D7

ClientEncoder

CL

ServerEncoder

CL<no_of_players_collided(byte)>[<collided_player_id(byte)>]

Packet

Move

Identifier

MV

Type

ClientInitiated

Description

Carriesthechangeinxandy(dxdy)oftheclientstotheserver.Server
mergeschangeincoordinateofalltheclientsinanewMVpacketand
transmitstotheclients.

ClientEncoder

MV[<id(byte)><dx(byte)><dy(byte)>]

ServerEncoder

MV<3*no_of_players(byte)>[<id(byte)><dx(byte)><dy(byte)>]

Packet

Eaten

Identifier

ET

Type

ServerInitiated

Description

Serversendsthepacketwheneverthefoodgetseaten.Thispacketalso
initiatesthe generationofFoodpacketasalevelcanhavemorethan
onefood.

ClientEncoder

ET

ServerEncoder

ET<eaten_id(byte)>
FD[<x_coordinate(byte)><y_coordinate(byte)>]

ANNEXD

D8