This user guide describes using Treenimation to make multiplayer Scramble, backgammon and bridge. Non-programmers are restricted to No-Code (codeless programming) drag-and-drop type games. Code 1 (Automation) is the easiest type of game programming, which involves automating various aspects of the game-player environment and game-playing process. Code 2 (Move Constraints), or checking for illegal moves, is a little harder. Code 3 (Auto Move), playing against the computer, is the most challenging type of game programming.
Game Coding
§ No-Code: Codeless Programming utilizes 5 basic components: 1) Card (a collection of one or more labels and bitmaps); 2) Card-stack, a stack of Card objects; 3) Board-grid, a 2-dimensional array of Card-stack objects; 4) Rack-grid, a one-dimensional array of Card-stack objects; 5) Table-grid, similar to a Board-grid, but column widths and row heights may vary, and adjacent cells may be merged into a single cell.
§ Code 1: Automation Programming, which is accomplished with custom Treescript code that relieves some of the tedium of pure drag-and-drop games, overriding one or more default event handlers.
§ Code 2: Move Constraints, or checking for illegal moves, are accomplished with custom Treescript code which determines whether or not a given rule is broken.
§ Code 3: Auto Move Programming, enabling the user to play against the computer, requires 4 game-specific classes: 1) Game-state, a mathematical model of the current game state; 2) Move, a mathematical model of the current move; 3) Move-generator, which generates the optimum move; and 4) Move-implementer, which carries out the move generated by Move-generator.