VaNiX

Snake Game - Varunee (202512067) , Nishka (202512035)

🐍 Snake Game - Cross-Platform

A modern, colorful, and interactive terminal-based Snake Game built using C++.
Designed to run seamlessly on both Windows and Linux, it demonstrates cross-platform programming, terminal manipulation, and object-oriented design principles.

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📑 Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Features
3. System Architecture
4. Technical Implementation
5. Installation & Compilation
6. Usage
7. Design Patterns & Best Practices
8. Performance Considerations
9. Future Enhancements
10. Team Contributors

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🧩 Overview

The Snake Game is a classic arcade-style project recreated in C++ using only standard libraries and terminal control techniques.
It showcases real-time keyboard input, smooth movement, dynamic rendering, and persistent high-score storage.

This project was developed as part of an Introduction to Programming (ITP) course to demonstrate proficiency in:

• Structured and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
• File handling
• Platform abstraction
• Interactive console applications

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✨ Features

Feature	Description
🎮 Cross-Platform	Compatible with both Windows and Linux environments.
🌈 Colorful UI	Enhanced visuals using ANSI escape codes and emojis.
💾 High Score System	Saves and loads scores automatically via file I/O.
⚡ Real-Time Input	Non-blocking input handling ensures smooth gameplay.
🧱 Dynamic Walls	Detects and ends the game on wall collisions.
🧠 Self-Collision Detection	Ends the game if the snake runs into itself.
🔄 Restart & Exit Menu	Easy navigation after game over.
🧍 User-Friendly Interface	Simple control scheme using both arrow keys and WASD.

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🏗️ System Architecture

The system is divided into modular components for clarity and maintainability:

+------------------------------------------------------+
|                    Game (Main)                      |
|  - Controls flow and game loop                      |
|  - Manages rendering, updates, and user input       |
+------------------------------------------------------+
             |                 |                  |
             v                 v                  v
     +-------------+    +--------------+   +----------------+
     |   Snake     |    |     Food     |   | HighScoreManager |
     +-------------+    +--------------+   +----------------+
     | Body logic  |    | Food spawn   |   | File I/O logic |
     | Movement    |    | Position gen |   | Save/load data |
     +-------------+    +--------------+   +----------------+

Class Overview:

• Snake → Handles movement, direction, growth, and self-collision.
• Food → Randomly spawns food at positions not occupied by the snake.
• HighScoreManager → Manages reading/writing the high score file.
• Game → Coordinates gameplay, input, rendering, and end conditions.

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⚙️ Technical Implementation

• Language: C++ (C++11 and above)

• Libraries Used:

  • <deque> – for snake body storage
  • <fstream> – for file I/O (high score system)
  • <termios.h> and <ioctl.h> – for non-blocking input on Linux
  • <conio.h> and <windows.h> – for Windows compatibility
  • ANSI escape codes for color and cursor control

• Game Loop Structure:

  while (!game.over()) {
      game.input();
      game.update();
      game.draw();
      Sleep(game.speed());
  }

• Cross-Platform Input Handling:
  Separate implementations for _WIN32 and POSIX systems using preprocessor directives.

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🧰 Installation & Compilation

🪟 On Windows:

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
2. Compile using:

   g++ main.cpp -o snake

3. Run the game:

   snake.exe

🐧 On Linux / macOS:

1. Open Terminal.
2. Compile using:

   g++ main.cpp -o snake

3. Run the game:

   ./snake

💡 Note: The program automatically handles raw terminal mode and restores it safely upon exit.

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🎮 Usage

🎯 Objective:

Eat as many apples 🍎 as possible without hitting the wall or your own body.
Each apple increases your score and makes the snake grow longer.

🕹️ Controls:

Key	Action
W / ↑	Move Up
S / ↓	Move Down
A / ←	Move Left
D / →	Move Right
ESC	Exit Game
R	Restart after Game Over
Q	Quit Game

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🧠 Design Patterns & Best Practices

• Object-Oriented Design (OOP):
  Clear separation between data (state) and behavior (methods) across Snake, Food, and Game classes.

• Encapsulation:
  Class members are managed through well-defined interfaces.

• Single Responsibility Principle:
  Each class performs one distinct task (e.g., Snake handles movement only).

• Platform Abstraction:
  #ifdef _WIN32 blocks separate Windows-specific and Linux-specific code, ensuring maintainability.

• File Handling Best Practices:
  Safe opening, reading, and writing to maintain data persistence for high scores.

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🚀 Performance Considerations

• Non-blocking I/O:
  Real-time responsiveness through minimal CPU waiting using kbhit() and read() timeouts.

• Optimized Rendering:
  Uses ANSI cursor repositioning (\033[H) to redraw efficiently instead of clearing the screen entirely.

• Memory Efficiency:
  std::deque allows fast push/pop operations for snake body movement.

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🔮 Future Enhancements

Planned improvements for future versions:

• 🏁 Multiple difficulty levels (speed adjustments)
• 🧱 Obstacles and barrier mechanics
• ⏸️ Pause and resume functionality
• 🧾 Scoreboard with player names
• 🌍 Border wrapping or maze modes

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👨‍💻 Team Contributors

• Varunee (202512067)
• Nishka (202512035)

🎓 Project developed as part of the IT603 – Introduction to Programming (ITP) course, 2025.

👨‍🏫 Under the Guidance of

Faculty: Prof. Ankush Chander
Teaching Assistant (TA): Monson Verghese, Devansh Shah MSc IT Department, Dhirubhai Ambani University (DAU)

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