Simon Says

You've been hired as an intern at Thinkful Game Studio, which has decided to create a game, Simon Says. You will be applying all the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills you've learned in this course to help them build this game.

Simon Says is a game that displays a series of tones and lights in random order and requires a player repeat the sequence from memory. The game typically displays four colored pads. Each pad produces a particular tone when it is pressed. The tone helps the player in remembering the sequence. With each additional round, the number of pads in the sequence increases by one. Once the player makes a mistake, the game ends and resets.

You will build a web-based Simon Says game that you can play solo. The game designers have provided the source code that needs to be completed. You are encouraged to come up with an original visual design for this game or even change the theme.

You can view a video of the working app here

Steps to complete

To complete this project, you must do the following:

• Write code that passes all of the requirements in the project rubric, and submit your GitHub link to the Thinkful team.

Installation

First, fork and clone the starter code to your local machine. If you need a refresher on how to fork and clone a project, feel free to reference the Forking and Cloning lesson in the Git & Github module.

From your terminal, navigate to the project directory.

Then open the project folder with the VSCode editor, and open the index.html file with VSCode Live Server.

In the root of your project, run npm install to install the project dependencies.

Test are split up by user story. You can run the tests for a given user story by running:

npm run test:X where X is the user story number.

Have a look at the following examples:

• npm test runs all the tests across all user stories
• npm run test:1 runs all the tests for user story 1
• npm run test:2 runs all the tests for user story 2
• npm run test:3 runs all the tests for user story 3
• npm run test:4 runs all the tests for user story 4
• npm run test:5 runs all the tests for user story 5

Note: You can use the tests as a guide during the implementation of the game but they do not have to all pass before you can submit your work, as long as your project meets the general requirements specified in the project rubric.

When you're ready, remember that you will need to submit a Github link of your project to the Thinkful team.

Existing Files

Folder/file path	Description
index.html	The HTML document containing the game structure. You are required to edit this file so that the tests pass.
src/styles.css	The CSS file containing the styling of the game. You are not required to edit this file for the tests to pass but you may want to make optional changes to the file to customize the appearance of the game.
src/index.js	The JS file containing the functionality of the game. You are required to edit this file for the tests to pass.
test/solution.test.js	This file containing the unit tests of the game. You are not required need to edit this file.

Reminder: Secure your progress with regular commits

As you work on this project, let's not forget the golden rule of coding: commit early, commit often. Each commit acts as a snapshot of your progress, safeguarding your work against unexpected issues and showcasing your methodical approach to problem-solving.

• Feature complete? Commit it.
• Made noticeable progress? Commit it.
• Project stretching over days or weeks? That's even more reason to commit regularly.

By committing after completing features or making significant progress, you ensure that your GitHub timeline reflects the depth and breadth of your work. This habit is invaluable, not just for keeping your work secure, but also for demonstrating your dedication and reliability to future employers. It's a practice that sets you apart in the tech world.

So, as you embark on this project, take a moment to review your commit history. Is it a true reflection of your effort and progress? If not, now's the time to update it. Your future self, tackling complex projects and your future employer, assessing your potential, will thank you for this discipline. You're welcome to commit as often as you like.

If you're unsure about uploading your work, revisit the Pushing and Pulling lesson in the Git & GitHub module.

No AI Assistance

For your final capstone project, it's crucial that you work independently and refrain from using AI tools like SkillMate or ChatGPT. This approach is vital for a number of reasons: it nurtures essential critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are crucial for grasping complex concepts; it prepares you for live coding challenges in technical interviews; it equips you to handle unique professional scenarios where AI tools may not be available; and it guarantees that the assessments genuinely represent your skill level.

While AI tools are beneficial for practice, they should not substitute your effort in assessments. We trust in your commitment to honesty and self-improvement and wish you the best in your learning journey.

User Stories

User stories aren't just tasks; they're your training ground for real-world software engineering. As you work through them:

1. Interpreting requirements: You'll learn to translate user needs into technical features, a key skill in software development.

2. Prioritization: Tackling stories in order simulates real project timelines and teaches you to build features systematically.

3. Problem-solving: Trying to solve challenges independently before seeking help mirrors the self-sufficiency expected in professional roles.

4. Meeting standards: Adhering to acceptance criteria parallels quality assurance practices, ensuring your work meets user expectations.

5. Effective communication: Documenting your progress and marking TODOs in code improves clarity and teamwork, crucial in collaborative environments.

6. Adaptability: Facing and overcoming obstacles enhances your adaptability and promotes continuous learning, essential in the ever-evolving tech landscape.

Each story you complete is a step towards job readiness, embodying the skills and mindset sought after by employers in the tech industry.

Your work should meet the functionality as described in the acceptance criteria of each user story. Find the TODO comments in the code and create the necessary functionality. Try to implement the functionality by yourself and check the hints and REPLs are provided for you if you get stuck.

Good luck - you can do this!

US-01: Basic Game Structure

The game needs to have the basic structure for it to function, including:

• a name for the game
• a start button
• a status message
• four colored pads

The starter code is provided for you; for this user story, you will complete the starter code to implement the rest of the basic game structure.

1. US-01: Add a title to the game surrounded in h1 tags in index.html

You need to name your game. The default is Simon Says but you can choose another name depending on the theme that you want to set for the game. Surround your title in h1 tags.

Besides naming your game, you will also need to assign a class attribute to the h1 tag and set the class attribute's value to a string of "js-heading" for the test to pass. It should look something like this:

<h1 class="js-heading"> My game!!</h1>

Note: By convention, any HTML class selector that contains the js- prefix means that the class will be used to target the element in the JavaScript file. It won't be used in the CSS file.

2. US-01: Define a start button in index.html

The game needs a start button so that a player can start playing the game. Create a button tag and set its class attribute to "start-button" and "js-start-button" , like this:

 <button class="start-button js-start-button">start</button>

Note: "start-button" will be used in the CSS file to target the element for styling, whereas "js-start-button" will be used in the JavaScript file to target the element for adding event listeners.

In src/styles.css, check out the styles that have already been added for the .start-button class. You may, but are not required to, customize the styling to your liking.

3. US-01: Add pads to the grid in index.html

The index.html file only has a single pad defined. The game should have four pads defined. Add the missing pads to the html file.

    <section class="pad-container unclickable js-pad-container">
        <div class="pad pad-red js-pad-red" data-color="red"></div>
        <!--TODO: Add the missing pads -->
      </section>

Check out the styles that have already been added for the ".pad-container", ".pad", ".pad-red", ".pad-blue", ".pad-green", and ".pad-yellow" classes in src/styles.css.

You may, but are not required to, customize the styling to your liking.

Commit your code: If you've made notable progress, now might be a good time to make a commit to secure your progress.

4. US-01: Use querySelector() to access the elements in index.js

Great! You have defined most of the HTML structure! Now you need to make sure that you can access the elements in javascript. Go to src/index.js and take some time to analyze the query selectors. You should see something like this:

/**
 * DOM SELECTORS
 */

const startButton = document.querySelector(".js-start-button");
// TODO: Add the missing query selectors:
const statusSpan; // Use querySelector() to get the status element
const heading; // Use querySelector() to get the heading element
const padContainer; // Use querySelector() to get the heading element

Use querySelector() to get the status, heading, and pad container elements.

Hint: Review the "Selecting Elements from the DOM" lesson from the "JavaScript and the DOM" module if you don't remember how to use query selectors. You can also consult the MDN Docs.

5. US-01: Create objects containing data for the green, blue, and yellow pads in index.js

Since the game has four pads, let's store the data related each pad inside an object for easy access, and collect the pad objects into a pads array. You will use this array to access information (i.e., its color, DOM selector, audio file) about each pad later on.

const pads = [
  {
    color: "red",
    selector: document.querySelector(".js-pad-red"),
    sound: new Audio(
      "https://github.com/kchia/simon-says-sounds/blob/main/simon-says-sound-1.mp3?raw=true"
    ),
  },
  // TODO: Add the objects for the green, blue, and yellow pads. Use the object defined for the red pad above as an example.
];

The built-in Audio() constructor creates and returns a new HTMLAudioElement, which can be used in a script to interact with, manage and play audio. The url of the audio file is passed as an argument to the Audio() constructor.

The urls for the other sound files are provided in the JavaScript file.

Commit your code: If you've made notable progress, now might be a good time to make a commit to secure your progress.

Acceptance criteria

1. The title is surrounded by <h1> tags and has js-heading set as class.
2. Four pads are declared in the html file as <div>s.
3. A start button is defined in the html file.
4. The missing query selectors for the status, heading, and pad container elements were added in the src/index.js file.
5. The pads array defined in the src/index.js file contains four pad objects.

US-02: Initialize game

Good job! You have the HTML of your game all set up and now it's time to implement some of the game functionality in JavaScript.

In this user story, you will implement the game flow so that the player can press the start button to initialize the game.

US-02: Implement setLevel()

setLevel() sets the level of the game given a level parameter. If no argument is passed while calling the function, level defaults to 1. Acceptable values for level are 1, 2, 3 or 4. An error message should be returned for invalid parameter values.

Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function setLevel(level = 1) {
  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

US-02: Implement startButtonHandler()

startButtonHandler() which initializes the game by setting the number of rounds needed to win the game, updating the game interface, and calling playComputerTurn(), which prompts the computer to begin building a sequence for the game.

Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function startButtonHandler() {
  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

Hint: In the JavaScript and the DOM: Selecting elements lesson you learned about the classList method. Take some time to review the classList MDN docs before you proceed implementing this function. Previously you used classList.add() and classList.remove() to add and remove classes to HTML elements.

US-02: Attach startButtonHandler() as an event listener on the start button

Attach startButtonHandler() as an event listener on the start button, so that startButtonHandler() is called whenever the start button is clicked.

/**
 * EVENT LISTENERS
 */

padContainer.addEventListener("click", padHandler);
// TODO: Add an event listener `startButtonHandler()` to startButton.

Hint: If you don't remember event handlers, please go and review the "Event Listeners" lesson from the "JavaScript and the DOM" module.

Commit your code: If you've made notable progress, now might be a good time to make a commit to secure your progress.

US-02: Acceptance criteria

1. setLevel() works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.
2. startButtonHandler() works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.
3. startButtonHandler() is attached as an event listener on the start button.

US-03: Play computer's turn

In the previous user story you implemented some of the basic functions necessary for the game to work correctly. Congrats! You are making good progress!

In this user story, you will implement the game flow so that the computer can play its turn first after the player presses the start button. The computer will randomly select a pad to add to the game sequence, activate the pad sequence, and prompt the player to play their turn.

US-03: Implement getRandomItem(collection)

getRandomItem(collection) returns a randomly selected item from a given array. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

Note: This function is already implemented for you. You only need to uncomment the code inside the function.

function getRandomItem(collection) {
  // if (collection.length === 0) return null;
  // const randomIndex = Math.floor(Math.random() * collection.length);
  // return collection[randomIndex];
}

US-03: Implement setText(element, text)

setText(element, text) sets the text content of a given HTML element with a given text. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function setText(element, text) {
  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

Hint: Study the .textContent property to understand how you can use it to set the text of a HTML element.

US-03: Implement activatePad(color)

activatePad(color) activates a pad of a given color by playing its sound and lighting it up. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function activatePad(color) {
  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

Hint: Recall the setTimeout is explained in the 'JavaScript and the DOM: Events' lesson. You can also consult the setTimeout MDN docs. You will be using setTimeout() to build other functions in the game, so make sure to understand how it works.

US-03: Implement activatePads(sequence)

activatePads(sequence) activates a sequence of colors, which are passed as an array to the function. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function activatePads(sequence) {
  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

US-03: Implement playComputerTurn()

playComputerTurn() allows the computer to play its turn, which includes randomly selecting a color to add to the computer sequence and displaying the updated sequence to the player. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function playComputerTurn() {
  // TODO: Write your code here.

  setTimeout(() => playHumanTurn(roundCount), roundCount * 600 + 1000);
}

Commit your code: If you've made notable progress, now might be a good time to make a commit to secure your progress.

US-03: Acceptance criteria

1. getRandomItem(collection) works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode and returns a randomly selected element from an array.
2. setText(element, text) works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.
3. activatePad(color) works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode, activating a pad of a given color by playing its sound and light.
4. activatePads(sequence) works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode, activating a series of pads
5. playComputerTurn() works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.

US-04: Play player's turn

The computer can now create and display a random sequence of pads that the player must attempt to memorize. In this user story, you will implement the game flow so that the player can play their turn after the computer has completed its turn.

US-04: Implement playHumanTurn()

playHumanTurn() allows the player to play their turn, which includes allowing each pad to be clickable. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function playHumanTurn() {
  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

US-04: Implement padHandler(event)

padHandler() is called when the player presses one of the colored pads. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function padHandler(event) {
  const { color } = event.target.dataset;
  if (!color) return;

  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

US-04: Implement checkPress(color)

checkPress() checks the player's selection every time the player presses on a pad during the player's turn. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function checkPress(color) {
  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

US-04: Implement checkRound()

checkRound() checks each round to see if the player has completed all the rounds of the game or advance to the next round if the game has not finished. Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation.

function checkRound() {
  // TODO: Write your code here.
}

Commit your code: If you've made notable progress, now might be a good time to make a commit to secure your progress.

US-04: Acceptance criteria

1. playHumanTurn() works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.
2. padHandler(event) works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.
3. checkPress(color) works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.
4. checkRound() works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.

US-05: Reset game

Now that the computer and the player can complete their respective turns, it's time to allow the game to be reset so that the player can play the game again.

In this user story, you will implement the game flow so that the player can reset the game either if the player makes a mistake or successfully completes all the rounds of the game, so the game can be played again.

US-05: Implement resetGame(text)

resetGame(text) resets the game by resetting the game variables and interface to their original implementations. It accepts a text string parameter as input, which it will display in the built-in alert dialog using alert().

Use the pseudocode in src/index.js as a guide for your implementation. Part of the code has already been implemented for you, so you'd just have to read and understand the code and uncomment it for the function to work:

function resetGame(text) {
  // TODO: Write your code here.

  // Uncomment the code below:
  // alert(text);
  // setText(heading, "Simon Says");
  // startButton.classList.remove("hidden");
  // statusSpan.classList.add("hidden");
  // padContainer.classList.add("unclickable");
}

Commit your code: If you've made notable progress, now might be a good time to make a commit to secure your progress.

US-05: Acceptance criteria

1. resetGame() works as expected, as specified in the pseudocode.

US-06: Originality

Good job making it this far!

You have a functional game, and now it's time to enhance it with your creativity and originality. This step is crucial, not just for the satisfaction of making something unique but also because potential employers and collaborators will be looking at your work. Your ability to innovate and personalize projects is highly valued in the tech industry, as it showcases your problem-solving skills, creativity, and attention to detail. Let's make your game stand out!

Read the following suggestions and implement whatever you want. There are no unit tests for this user story, but originality will be considered in the rubric.

1. Change the look of the game.

The game looks great but it looks similar to other students' games. Edit the src/styles.css file and make changes to make your game look unique. Suggestions include, but are not limited to, changing:

• the colors and shapes of the buttons (when dormant or active),
• the background image,
• the fonts, and
• the layout of the game

2. Audio effects and Music

Customize the game with your favorite sound effects. Here is a REPL with an example on how to add audio to your game. Feel free to use your own audio files.

For example, you can play victory music if the player successfully completes all the rounds of the game or a different kind of music if player makes a mistake.

3. Additional features

You can add additional features to your game like

• adding more user controls (e.g., dropdown menu) to allow the player to select the skill level or difficulty of the game, as follows:
  • Skill level 1: 8 sequences
  • Skill level 2: 14 sequences
  • Skill level 3: 20 sequences
  • Skill level 4: 31 sequences
• adding dual player mode,
• adding additional animations, etc.

Commit your code: If you've made notable progress, now might be a good time to make a commit to secure your progress.

US-06: Acceptance criteria

1. There are no unit tests for this user story but originality and creativity will be considered in the rubric. Consider implementing at least one of the suggested options listed above.

US-07: Deploying to Github

You made it! You finished the first version of your game and now it's time to show it to your team and the game designer. Follow the instructions in the Create your first Github repo lesson and deploy your game so that it becomes part of your portfolio.

US-07: Acceptance criteria

1. Project is deployed to Github.

Success Criteria

Functionality:

• The game starts when a player clicks the start button.
• The computer selects the pads randomly.
• The player can select a pad when it's their turn.
• The game ends/resets when a player makes a mistake or successfully completes all the rounds of the level.
• The game is deployed to Github.
• The game presents some aspects of originality and creativity as specified in US-06.

General Code Organization:

• Minimal code duplication
• Comments are used to describe the functions.

Tips

• Start by completing the required HTML elements and then proceed to work on the javascript functions. CSS changes can be made last. Follow the order of the user stories.
• If you get stuck, take a careful look at the resources that we provide. If you are still stuck, ask a friend or a mentor for help.
• Read the user stories and tests carefully.