Battleship Bot

Battleship Bot takes the Battleship Game Engine to the next level by creating a presentation layer using Discord's bot API. This challenge allows you to play the classic Battleship game via Discord chat commands.

This advanced project involves:

• Discord Bot Development: Creating a bot that responds to specific chat commands
• Game State Management: Maintaining game boards and player states across Discord sessions
• Real-time Interaction: Processing user commands and providing immediate feedback
• Command Pattern Implementation: Implementing a clean command system for game actions
• Graphical Representation: Displaying game boards in Discord chat using embeds or text formatting

Key Features to Implement:

Core Functionality

• Command System: Users can interact with the bot using specific commands:
  • bb help - Display game rules and available commands
  • bb start - Start a new Battleship game
  • bb shoot r,c - Target a specific cell on the game board
  • bb surrender - End the current game (bonus feature)

Game Mechanics

• 8x8 Game Board: Generate and manage game boards with randomly placed ships
• Ship Placement: Three ships of different sizes (Destroyer: 2, Cruiser: 3, Battleship: 4)
• Hit Detection: Process shots and determine hits, misses, and ship sinking
• Game State Tracking: Keep track of game progress and remaining ships
• Victory Conditions: Detect when all ships are sunk and declare winner

User Experience

• Visual Feedback: Display updated game boards after each shot
• Status Updates: Show hits, misses, and game progress
• Error Handling: Validate commands and provide helpful error messages
• Game Rules: Clear instructions and help system

Technical Challenges:

• Integrating with Discord's bot API and webhook systems
• Managing persistent game state across chat sessions
• Implementing the underlying Battleship game engine
• Creating clear visual representations of the game board in text format
• Handling concurrent games with multiple users

Learning Outcomes:

• Discord bot development and API integration
• Advanced game state management
• Command pattern and bot architecture
• Real-time multiplayer game mechanics
• External API integration and webhook handling

This project combines game development with modern chat bot technologies, making it perfect for developers looking to build interactive Discord applications.