match game (advanced)

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7. Match Game Project
Review and Preview

The next project we build is a Match Game. This is a one or two
player game - play against a friend, the computer, or play alone.
Ten pairs of photos (you can use your own photos) are hidden on a
playing board.
The object of the game is to find matching pairs by remembering photo
locations. Well see how to generate an array of random integers and how to
use the Timer control for delays.
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Programming Games With Visual Basic Express
Match Game Project Preview

In this chapter, we will build a Match Game. Ten pairs of photos are hidden on
a playing board. The object is to find matching pairs. Turns alternate between
players an extra turn is earned with each match. The version we build here
allows two players to compete against each other or to have a single player play
a solitaire version or compete against the computer.
The finished project is saved as Match Game in the KidGamesVBE\KidGamesVBE
Projects folder. Start Visual Basic Express and open the finished project. Open
the form (double-click MatchGame.vb in Solution Explorer) and you will see:
PictureBox controls
Label controls
RadioButton controls
GroupBo
x controls
Timer
control
Button
controls
Match Game Project
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On the left is the photo display area for Match Game. Each photo is displayed in
a picture box control. On the right are label controls used to display scoring.
There are also three group box controls and two button controls. Each group box
holds radio button controls used to establish game options. The two button
controls are used to start and stop the game and to exit the program. Below the
form in the tray area is a timer control used to implement delays.
Run the project (press <F5>). The game will appear in its stopped state, the
picture boxes holding photos are covered and waiting for you to choose game
options. You can choose one or two players. If one player, you can choose to
play alone or against the computer. If playing the computer, you can choose
how smart you want the computer to be (Difficulty). As options are selected, the
labels used for scoring change their headings to match the selections. Ive
selected a one player game, against the computer with a Hard difficulty:
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Click the Start Game button to start playing. Its caption will change (now
reading Stop Game) and the options group boxes and Exit button will become
disabled. The message area says Pick a Box. When playing the computer, you
go first.
In this state, you pick two boxes to see what photos are behind them. If there is
a match, a tada sound will be heard, the boxes are removed, your score
incremented and you are given another turn. If there is no match, a different
sound is heard, the boxes are recovered and it becomes the computers turn.
Play continues in this manner (alternating turns) until all the matching photos
are found or until the Stop Game button is clicked. Play is similar for a two
player game, alternating turns between the two people playing. For a one player
game, playing alone, the computer keeps track of how many tries it takes you to
find all 10 pairs of photos.
Match Game Project
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I selected the first two boxes and see:
Its the Seattle Space Needle and some pretty mountains; nice photos, but not a
match. I hear a boing sound and the board returns to its covered state. You
will most likely see different photos when you run the game because we are
using random numbers.
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It then becomes the computers turn. Its choices are:
Its Seattles Pike Place Market and some blue mountains not a match. But,
Ive just seen those mountains.
Match Game Project
7-7
Picking the second box in the top row and the second box in the bottom row, I
get a match. The photos are removed, my score is incremented and its my turn
again:
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The game continues in this same manner, alternating turns between you and the
computer. When there is a match, you or the computer get an additional turn. I
continued playing this game against a pretty smart computer. Once all the
matches were found, the final score was me 5 and the computer 5, a tie!
Notice the game returns to its stopped state to allow another game or to stop
the program by clicking Exit.
Continue playing the game to understand its operation. Try using the two player
game and the one player game where you Play Alone. Or, in the one player
game against the computer, try different levels of difficulty. You will find at the
Hardest level, the computer is nearly impossible to beat. Click Exit when youre
done to stop the game. Open the code window and skim over the code, if you
like.
Match Game Project
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You will now build this project in stages. As you build Visual Basic Express
projects, we always recommend taking a slow, step-by-step process. It
minimizes programming errors and helps build your confidence as things come
together in a complete project.
We address form design. We discuss the controls needed to build the form,
establish initial control properties (including using your own photos in the game)
and discuss how to change the state of the controls. And, we address code
design. We discuss how to display the pairs of pictures, check for a match,
handle multiple players, and decide how to make computer-generated moves.
We also discuss how to scramble the photos and the use of timer controls.
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Match Game Form Design

We begin building the Match Game project. Lets build the form. Start a new
project in Visual Basic Express. Once started, we suggest you immediately save
the project with a name you choose. This sets up the folder and file structure
needed for your project.
The form used in this project is fairly large. Due to margin restrictions, all
representations of the form in these notes are smaller than real-size. We assume
the photos you use for the game are standard 4 x 6 photos, in landscape mode
(width is greater than height). We use 20 picture box controls to display the
photos on the form. We use a picture box size of 150 x 100 pixels to maintain
the height-to-width ratio of the photos. Place these picture boxes on the left
side of the form in five rows of four picture boxes each. On the right side, add 5
label controls (set AutoSize to False to allow resizing; set BorderStyle
temporarily to FixedSingle so we can see where they fit). Then, add three group
boxes, along with two button controls. Place two radio button controls in the
first two group boxes and four radio button controls in the third. In the lower
right corner, add one additional picture box control (used to store the photo
cover). Add a timer control to the form. It will be placed in the tray area
under the form; later, we will discuss its use for implementing delays.
Match Game Project
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When done, the form should resemble this (again recall this is smaller than its
real size):
The picture box controls are used to display the photos. The label controls
display scores and provide messaging. The radio buttons establish game options.
The buttons (one to start and stop the game and one to exit the project) are
used to control operation of the game. The timer control will be used to
implement a delay for the computer player. Finally, there is a picture box
control behind the two button controls. It is used to store the cover picture
that hides the photos.
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If any of the controls used in this project are unfamiliar, review the appropriate
material in Chapter 2 of these notes. Set the control properties using the
properties window:
Form1 Form:
Property Name
Name
Text
FormBorderStyle
StartPosition
Property Value
frmMatchGame
Match Game
Fixed Single
CenterScreen
PictureBox1 Picture Box:

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage
Match Game Project

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage
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7-14

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage
Match Game Project

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage
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7-16

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage
Match Game Project

Property Name
BackColor
BorderStyle
Width
Height
SizeMode
Property Value
White
FixedSingle
150
100
StretchImage
Label1 Label:
Property Name
Name
AutoSize
BorderStyle
Font Style
Font Size
Text
TextAlign
Property Value
lblPlayer1
False
None
Bold
12
Player 1
TopCenter
Label2 Label:
Property Name
Name
AutoSize
BackColor
BorderStyle
Font Size
Text
TextAlign
Property Value
lblScore1
False
White
Fixed3D
12
0
MiddleCenter
Label3 Label:
Property Name
Name
AutoSize
BorderStyle
Font Style
Font Size
Text
TextAlign
Property Value
lblPlayer2
False
None
Bold
12
Player 1
TopCenter
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Label4 Label:
Property Name
Name
AutoSize
BackColor
BorderStyle
Font Size
Text
TextAlign
Property Value
lblScore2
False
White
Fixed3D
12
0
MiddleCenter
Label5 Label:
Property Name
Name
AutoSize
BackColor
BorderStyle
Font Size
Font Style
Text
TextAlign
Property Value
lblMessage
False
Light Yellow
Fixed3D
10
Bold
[blank]
MiddleCenter
GroupBox1 Group Box:

Property Name
Name
BackColor
Font Size
Text
Property Value
grpNumberPlayers
Light Cyan
9
Number of Players
RadioButton1 Radio Button:

Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Checked
Property Value
rdoTwoPlayers
9
Two Players
True
Match Game Project

Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Property Value
rdoOnePlayer
9
One Player

Property Name
Name
BackColor
Font Size
Text
Property Value
grpPlayWho
Light Cyan
9
Play Who?

Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Checked
Property Value
rdoPlayAlone
9
Play Alone
True

Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Property Value
rdoPlayComputer
9
Play Computer

Property Name
Name
BackColor
Font Size
Text
Property Value
grpDifficulty
Light Cyan
9
Difficulty
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7-20

Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Checked
Property Value
rdoEasiest
9
Easiest
True

Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Property Value
rdoEasy
9
Easy

Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Property Value
rdoHard
9
Hard

Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Property Value
rdoHardest
9
Hardest
Button1 Button:
Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Property Value
btnStartStop
10
Start Game
Button2 Button:
Property Name
Name
Font Size
Text
Property Value
btnExit
10
Exit
Match Game Project

PictureBox21 Picture Box (under the button controls):
Property Name
Name
Image
SizeMode
Width
Height
Visible
Property Value
picCover
cover.wmf (included in the
KidGamesVBE\KidGamesVBE Projects\Match
Game folder)
StretchImage
150
100
False
Timer1 Timer:
Property Name
Name
Interval
Property Value
timDelay
1000
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When done setting properties, my form looks like this:
This completes the form design (note the hidden picture box). You should be
able to identify all the controls in the game. Before looking at the code, lets
see how to select the photos used in the game.
Match Game Project
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Form Design Photo Selection

One neat thing about this game is that you can use your own photos! This
personalizes the game that makes things a lot more fun. You need to select 10
photos (jpg files from your digital camera) that you want to use - make sure
these photos are stored somewhere on your computer. Lets see how to add
these to the game. If you dont have photos to use, we include ten sample
photos in the KidGamesVBE\KidGamesVBE Projects\Match Game folder:
clara.jpg
toby.jpg
Blue hills.jpg
Sunset.jpg
Water lilies.jpg
Winter.jpg
spaceneedle.jpg
market.jpg
safeco.jpg
qwest.jpg
one of the KIDware dogs

the other KIDware dog
a stock photo of hills
a stock sunset photo
some pretty flowers
a winter scene
the Space Needle in Seattle
the Pike Place Market in Seattle
Safeco Field in Seattle, home of the Mariners
Qwest Field in Seattle, home of the Seahawks
We will use these samples to demonstrate the steps needed to select photos.
And, these photos are used through the rest of this chapter to demonstrate game
play.
The ten photos used in the game must be placed in the first ten picture boxes
(PictureBox1 through PictureBox10) of the Match Game form. So, we
sequentially set the Image property for each of these 10 picture boxes using 10
different photos.
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To set a single Image property, select the corresponding picture box, select the
Image property and click the ellipsis () next to the property name. A Select
Resource window will appear. Select Local resource, then click the Import
button. An Open file dialog will appear. Navigate to your selected picture.
Here Ive chosen the included sample photo clara.jpg:
Match Game Project

Now, click Open and the picture appears in the Select Resource window:
Click the OK button and the Image property is set.
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Repeat the above process for the nine other picture boxes and youre set. When
Im done setting the Image property for the 10 picture boxes using my photos,
my final form looks like this:
Of course, your final form will look different since you will be using your photos.
We will now begin writing code for the game. After writing code for the first
two projects, Safecracker and Tic Tac Toe, you should know there are certain
standard steps needed to get a working project. Since you should be familiar
with these steps by now, in discussing the code for Match Game, we will
combine some steps to speed up the coding process.
We will write the code in several steps. As a first step, we will write the code
that initializes the game. Then, we look at going from stopped state to
playing state and back. During the code development process, recognize you
may modify a particular procedure several times before arriving at the finished
product.
Match Game Project
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Code Design Initializing Stopped State

Any time we start a project, there are certain initializations that must take
place. Lets look at the initializations needed in the Match Game. All
initializations are done in the forms Load event procedure.
To make our programming job easier, we will establish a control array
(PhotoBox) for the twenty picture box controls used to display the photos on the
form. We will also use a control array (Photo) to hold the 10 photos (10 images)
that are used in the game and a little control array (lblScore) for the two label
controls used to keep score. These arrays are defined in the general declarations
area of the code window:
Dim PhotoBox(20) As PictureBox
Dim Photo(10) As Image
Dim lblScore(2) As Label
The assignments are made in the frmMatchGame Load event procedure. We
also set the initial Image property for the picture box controls to be the cover
graphic stored in picCover. Finally, the game is initially in Two Players mode so
we disable the two group boxes associated with options for a one player game:
Private Sub frmMatchGame_Load(ByVal sender As
System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles
MyBase.Load
Dim I As Integer
'control array
PhotoBox(1) = PictureBox1
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'image array
For I = 1 To 10
Photo(I) = PhotoBox(I).Image
Next
'initialize boxes
For I = 1 To 20
PhotoBox(I).Image = picCover.Image
Next
lblScore(1) = lblScore1
grpPlayWho.Enabled = False
grpDifficulty.Enabled = False
End Sub
Even though we have written minimal code, we can run the project to make sure
the form is properly initialized. Do this and youll see in the stopped state
(using default properties), the Match Game looks like this:
Match Game Project
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As desired, the game initializes in Two Players mode. The picture box controls
are all covered. We have three choices at this point: change to One Player
mode, click btnStartStop (the button with Start Game) or click btnExit (the
button with Exit).
If we click on the One Player button, different options are available and the
labels displaying the scoring information must change. The following must
happen:
Enable the grpPlayWho group box.
Set lblPlayer1.Text to You.
If Play Alone option is selected, set lblPlayer2.Text to Guesses, disable
grpDifficulty.
If Play Computer option is selected, set lblPlayer2.Text to Computer,
enable grpDifficulty.
The code corresponding to these steps is placed in the rdoOnePlayer Click event
procedure:
Private Sub rdoOnePlayer_Click(ByVal sender As
rdoOnePlayer.Click
grpPlayWho.Enabled = True
lblPlayer1.Text = "You"
If rdoPlayAlone.Checked Then
lblPlayer2.Text = "Guesses"
Else
lblPlayer2.Text = "Computer"
grpDifficulty.Enabled = True
End If
End Sub
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In one player mode, we can select Play Alone or Play Computer. If a user clicks
Play Alone, we need to make sure grpDifficulty is disabled and that the Text
property of lblPlayer2 reads Guesses. Use this code in the rdoPlayAlone Click
event procedure:
Private Sub rdoPlayAlone_Click(ByVal sender As
rdoPlayAlone.Click
lblPlayer2.Text = "Guesses"
End Sub
Conversely, if a user clicks Play Computer, we need to make sure grpDifficulty
is enabled and that the Text property of lblPlayer2 reads Computer. Use this
code in the rdoPlayComputer Click event procedure:
Private Sub rdoPlayComputer_Click(ByVal sender As
rdoPlayComputer.Click
lblPlayer2.Text = "Computer"
End Sub
Lastly, we need code for the rdoTwoPlayers Click event to return to two player
mode. When this button is clicked, we disable grpPlayWho and grpDifficulty
and return the label headers to their default values:
Private Sub rdoTwoPlayers_Click(ByVal sender As
rdoTwoPlayers.Click
lblPlayer1.Text = "Player 1"
lblPlayer2.Text = "Player 2"
End Sub
Match Game Project
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What about code for clicking on either of the two button controls (Start Game or
Exit)? The code for exiting is simple. The btnExit Click event:
Private Sub btnExit_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object,
ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles btnExit.Click
Me.Close()
End Sub
This simply says whenever the Exit button is clicked, the project closes. Add this
code to the code window.
The code for the btnStartStop button is much more complicated. We will build
it in several steps. First, we look at changing the form from stopped to
playing and back to stopped state. Before doing this, lets make sure our new
initialization code is working. Save and run the project. It will be in two player
mode. Click One Player; you should see:
Notice the label controls change. The Play Who? group box is enabled and the
Difficulty group box is disabled.
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Now, click Play Computer and the label controls again change and the Difficulty
group box is enabled:
Finally, make sure when you click Two Players, the form returns to two player
mode.
Were nearly ready to begin looking at the code behind the Start Game button.
A key step in starting this game is to hide two copies of each photo behind the
20 picture box controls. There are 10 photos, represented in the array Photo,
with indices from 1 to 10. We want to randomly place two copies of each index
in another array (with 20 elements). The elements of this second array tell us
which photo is behind which picture box control. We need some way to shuffle
integer indices around. This is actually a very common game task which can be
used for shuffling cards, selecting multiple choice answers, or here to hide
photos. We will build a general function to perform this task.
Match Game Project
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Code Design Integer Shuffling

We will be presenting code for a shuffle process, so called because it can be
used to shuffle a deck of cards. Here, well just be shuffling 20 cards, though
the code can be generalized to any number of cards. You might be asking,
why we are shuffling 20 values, not 10, since we only have 10 photos? We need
two copies of each of the 10 photo indices, hence there are 20 total items being
shuffled. We propose randomly shuffling the integers from 1 to 20. After the
shuffle, for any value greater than 10, we will subtract 10. This will give us a
list of 20 random integers. This list will have two of each index from 1 to 10,
telling us which photo is behind which picture box control. Lets see how to do
this.
Usually when we need a computer version of something we can do without a
computer, it is fairly easy to write down the steps taken and duplicate them in
code. When we shuffle a deck of cards, we separate the deck in two parts, then
interleaf the cards as we fan each part, making that familiar shuffling noise. I
dont know how you could write code to do this. Well take another approach
which is hard or tedious to do off the computer, but is easy to do on a computer.
We perform what is called a one card shuffle. In a one card shuffle, you pull a
single card (at random) out of the deck and lay it aside on a pile. Repeat this 52
times and the cards are shuffled. Try it! I think you see this idea is simple, but
doing a one card shuffle with a real deck of cards would be awfully timeconsuming. Well use the idea of a one card shuffle here, with a slight twist.
Rather than lay the selected card on a pile, we will swap it with the bottom card
in the stack of cards remaining to be shuffled. This takes the selected card out
of the deck and replaces it with the remaining bottom card. The result is the
same as if we lay it aside.
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Heres how the shuffle works with N numbers:

Start with a list of N consecutive integers.
Randomly pick one item from the list. Swap that item with the last item.
You now have one fewer items in the list to be sorted (called the
remaining list), or N is now N - 1.
Randomly pick one item from the remaining list. Swap it with the item
on the bottom of the remaining list. Again, your remaining list now has
one fewer items.
Repeatedly remove one item from the remaining list and swap it with the
item on the bottom of the remaining list until you have run out of items.
When done, the list will have been replaced with the original list in
random order.
The code to do a one card shuffle, or sort N integers, is placed in a general
function named NRandomIntegers. The single argument is N the number of
integers to sort. The function returns an array containing the randomly sorted
integers. The code is:
Private Function NRandomIntegers(ByVal N As Integer) As
Integer()
Dim NIntegers(N) As Integer
Dim RandomValue As New Random()
'Randomly sorts N integers in NIntegers
Dim I As Integer, J As Integer, T As Integer
'Order all elements initially
For I = 1 To N
NIntegers(I) = I
Next I
'J is the number of integers remaining
For J = N To 2 Step -1
I = RandomValue.Next(J) + 1
T = NIntegers(J)
NIntegers(J) = NIntegers(I)
NIntegers(I) = T
Next J
Return (NIntegers)
End Function
You should be able to see each step of the shuffle procedure. This function is
general (sorting N integers) and can be used in other projects requiring random
lists of integers.
Match Game Project
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Add the NRandomIntegers function to your Match Game project. It will be used
to hide the 10 photos behind the 20 picture box controls. In the project, we will
use a form level array PhotoIndex (dimensioned to 20) to hold the randomly
sorted integers (the shuffled photo indices). Add this declaration to your
project:
Dim PhotoIndex(20) As Integer
The snippet of code that does a shuffle (and adjusts the values greater than 10)
is:
PhotoIndex = NRandomIntegers(20)
For I = 1 To 20
If PhotoIndex(I) > 10 Then PhotoIndex(I) -= 10
Next
Lets look at an example of how this works. If I run this snippet of code through
a little example, the 20 elements of PhotoIndex returned from one particular
call to NRandomIntegers are (arranged like our photo boxes):
17
8
7
18
10
13
12
14
4
3
6
19
9
20
1
16
15
11
5
2
You should see all the integers from 1 to 20. Now, subtracting 10 from each
value greater than 10 yields:
7
8
7
8
10
3
2
4
4
3
6
9
9
10
1
6
5
1
5
2
As desired, we now have random pairs of the integers from 1 to 10. Matching
pairs of integers represent matching pairs of photos in Match Game.
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How do we know what photo is behind what picture box control? Say we have a
picture box control, represented by element i of the control array PhotoBox(i).
To determine the photo, examine PhotoIndex(i); call this value j. The photo
behind this picture box is then Photo(j), element j of the array holding the 10
photos being used. To set the Image property, the proper line of code is:
PhotoBox(i).Image = Photo(PhotoIndex(i))
We can now use the shuffling function to start building the code behind the
btnStartStop control.
Match Game Project
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Code Design Stopped to Playing to Stopped State

In the Safecracker and Tic Tac Toe projects, the button to start and stop the
game was the same control. That is also the case here. We will look at the code
behind this control (btnStartStop) to both start and stop the game.
When the user clicks the Start Game button in the stopped state, several things
must happen to switch Match Game to playing state:
Change the Text property of btnStartStop to Stop Game.

Initialize scores and corresponding label controls to zero.
Initialize number of photos remaining (20).
Shuffle photos using NRandomIntegers function.
Initialize picture boxes for displaying photos.
Disable group boxes (dont allow selection of options while playing).
Disable btnExit.
Establish this as Player 1s turn.
Set message to player.
Allow player to click on picture box controls.
Conversely, when the user clicks the Stop Game button in playing state,
several things must happen to switch Match Game to stopped state:
Change the Text property of btnStartStop to Start Game.

Enable grpNumberPlayers.
Enable grpPlayWho if one player game.
Enable grpDifficulty if one player game and playing computer.
Enable btnExit.
Stop allowing clicking on picture box controls.
If game is not over, display Game Stopped message.
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First, lets look at the code to start the game. We establish several variables in
the general declarations to help keep track of where we are in the game:
Dim PhotosRemaining As Integer, Score(2) As Integer
Dim PhotoFound(20) As Boolean
Dim PlayerNumber As Integer, ChoiceNumber As Integer,
Choice(2) As Integer
Dim CanClick As Boolean = False
Dim GameOver As Boolean
PhotosRemaining tells us how many photos are still hidden, while the Score
array holds the two players scores (number of matched photos found). The
PhotoFound array tells us whether a photo behind the corresponding picture box
control has been uncovered (so it cant be clicked twice). PlayerNumber tells us
whose turn it is and ChoiceNumber tells whether it is the players first choice on
the playing board or second choice. The Choice array holds the indices of the
two picture boxes selected. CanClick is used to determine if its okay to click on
the picture box controls. It is True when playing, False (the initial value) when
stopped. Finally, GameOver is used to tell us whether the game is actually over
(True if all photos uncovered) or the Stop Game button was clicked before
completing a game (False).
The code for the btnStartStop Click event that implements the steps for clicking
on Start Game and initializes the new variables is:
Private Sub btnStartStop_Click(ByVal sender As
btnStartStop.Click
Dim I As Integer
If btnStartStop.Text = "Start Game" Then
btnStartStop.Text = "Stop Game"
Score(1) = 0
Score(2) = 0
lblScore(1).Text = "0"
PhotosRemaining = 20
For I = 1 To PhotosRemaining
PhotoFound(I) = False
PhotoBox(I).Visible = True
Next
PlayerNumber = 1
ChoiceNumber = 1
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If rdoTwoPlayers.Checked Then
lblMessage.Text = "Player 1, Pick a Box"
Else
lblMessage.Text = "Pick a Box"
End If
grpNumberPlayers.Enabled = False
btnExit.Enabled = False
CanClick = True
GameOver = False
Else
stop game
End If
End Sub
The steps follow should be clear. Note especially where the shuffling routine
was used to form the PhotoIndex array.
7-40
Save and run the project. Click on Start Game and you should see:
The only noticeable change is the two player message in the label control
(Player 1, Pick a Box). Stop the project (you cant click Stop Game yet) and try
the other options if youd like.
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The code for the btnStartStop Click event that implements the steps for clicking
on Stop Game is (additions are shaded):
btnStartStop.Click
Dim I As Integer
Score(1) = 0
Score(2) = 0
For I = 1 To 20
Next
PlayerNumber = 1
ChoiceNumber = 1
Else
End If
CanClick = True
GameOver = False
Else
btnStartStop.Text = "Start Game"
grpNumberPlayers.Enabled = True
If rdoOnePlayer.Checked Then
If rdoPlayComputer.Checked Then
End If
End If
btnExit.Enabled = True
CanClick = False
If Not (GameOver) Then
lblMessage.Text = "Game Stopped"
7-42
End If
End If
End Sub
Notice how we determine which group boxes should be disabled/enabled and
how we decide if the Game Stopped message is used. Other messages will
appear (developed in later code) if a game is played to completion (GameOver is
True).
Save and run the project. You should be able to now move from stopped to
playing state and back. Make sure the proper group boxes appear for the one
and two player options. Lets write the code for the two player game, first
looking at how to display a photo following a click on a picture box control.
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Code Design Displaying Photos

In the Match Game two player game, when a player clicks a picture box on the
form, we want the proper photo to appear. After clicking a second box, another
photo is displayed and we see if there is a match. If there is a match, the photos
are removed and the player is given another turn. If there is no match, the
photos are hidden again and we switch to the next player.
So, when a picture box is clicked, we follow these steps:
Make sure the box has not already been clicked.
Display photo.
If first choice, allow second choice and display that photo. Compare the
two photos.
If photos match:
o Play matching sound.
o Remove picture boxes with photos from form
o Increment proper player score by 1.
o Decrement PhotosRemaining by 2.
o If PhotosRemaining = 0, set GameOver to True, determine winner,
play game over sound and stop game.
o If PhotosRemaining <> 0, give player another turn.
If photos do not match:
o Play no match sound.
o Replace photos with cover graphic.
o Swap players.
The code to perform these steps will be placed in a procedure named
PhotoBox_Click. This procedure is set to handle the Click event for all 20
picture box controls used in Match Game (PictureBox1 through PictureBox20).
7-44
Notice in the above steps, we refer to playing sounds. In previous games, we

added sounds at the very end. We know all games use sounds so, from now on,
they will be added when needed in projects. We use three sounds in this game.
In the KidGamesVBE\KidGamesVBE Projects\Match Game folder are three wav
files that can be used for sound. The tada.wav file is a sound well use when
two photos match. The boing.wav file is used when there is no match. And, the
wow.wav sound is used when a game is over. Copy the three sound files to your
projects Bin\Debug folder.
Add these general declarations to represent the two sounds:
Dim MatchSound As System.Media.SoundPlayer
Dim NoMatchSound As System.Media.SoundPlayer
Dim GameOverSound As System.Media.SoundPlayer
Add the three shaded lines to the frmMatchGame Load procedure to establish
the sound objects:
Private Sub frmMatchGame_Load(ByVal sender As
MyBase.Load
Dim I As Integer
'control array
'image array
For I = 1 To 10
Photo(I) = PhotoBox(I).Image
Match Game Project
7-45
Next
'initialize boxes
For I = 1 To 20
Next
MatchSound = New
System.Media.SoundPlayer(Application.StartupPath +
"\tada.wav")
NoMatchSound = New
"\boing.wav")
GameOverSound = New
"\wow.wav")
End Sub
Add this procedure (PhotoBox_Click) to your project. This implements the
needed steps to accept a players selection of photo pairs:
Private Sub PhotoBox_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object,
ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles PictureBox1.Click,
PictureBox9.Click, PictureBox8.Click, PictureBox7.Click,
PictureBox19.Click, PictureBox18.Click,
PictureBox11.Click, PictureBox10.Click
'determine which box was clicked
Dim ClickedBox As PictureBox, BoxNumber As Integer
ClickedBox = CType(sender, PictureBox)
'BoxNumber is number after PictureBox in name
BoxNumber = Val(Mid(ClickedBox.Name, 11,
Len(ClickedBox.Name) - 10))
If Not (CanClick) Or PhotoFound(BoxNumber) Then Exit Sub
'show image behind selected Photo box
PhotoBox(BoxNumber).Image = Photo(PhotoIndex(BoxNumber))
PhotoBox(BoxNumber).Refresh()
PhotoFound(BoxNumber) = True
If ChoiceNumber = 1 Then
Choice(1) = BoxNumber
ChoiceNumber = 2
7-46
lblMessage.Text = "Player " +
PlayerNumber.ToString() + ", Pick Another Box"
Else
'one player logic
End If
Else
ChoiceNumber = 1
If PhotoIndex(Choice(1)) = PhotoIndex(Choice(2)) Then
'a match
MatchSound.PlaySync()
PhotoBox(Choice(1)).Image = Nothing
Score(PlayerNumber) += 1
lblScore(PlayerNumber).Text =
Score(PlayerNumber).ToString
lblScore(PlayerNumber).Refresh()
PhotosRemaining -= 2
If PhotosRemaining = 0 Then
GameOver = True
GameOverSound.Play()
If Score(1) > Score(2) Then
lblMessage.Text = "Player 1 Wins!"
ElseIf Score(2) > Score(1) Then
Else
lblMessage.Text = "It's a Tie!"
End If
Else
'one player logic
End If
btnStartStop.PerformClick()
Exit Sub
End If
'another turn
PlayerNumber.ToString() + ", Pick Again"
Else
'one player logic
End If
Else
'no match
NoMatchSound.PlaySync()
PhotoFound(Choice(1)) = False
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PhotoBox(Choice(1)).Image = picCover.Image
PhotoBox(Choice(1)).Refresh()
'swap players
If PlayerNumber = 1 Then
PlayerNumber = 2
Else
PlayerNumber = 1
End If
PlayerNumber.ToString() + ", Pick a Box"
Else
'one player logic
End If
End If
End If
End Sub
I know this is a lot of code to throw at you at once, but its simply a
straightforward implementation of the listed steps. Now that youre becoming a
great game programmer, you should be able to follow the logic. Its similar to
that used in the Tic Tac Toe game. Clicking any of the twenty picture controls
used to display photos will invoke this procedure. The first part of the code
determines the index of the element of picture box control array (PhotoBox)
that was clicked (the variable BoxNumber). If the box has already been clicked
(or CanClick is False), the procedure is exited. Otherwise, the photo behind the
selected box [Photo(PhotoIndex(BoxNumber))] is displayed. If this is the first
choice (ChoiceNumber = 1), we tell the player to pick again (using lblMessage).
Following display of the second choice, we look to see if the two selections
match. The selected boxes are stored in the Choice array. If there is a match,
the photos are removed, a sound is played and we check to see if all the photos
have been selected. If photos remain, the same player is given another turn.
Similarly, for no match, a sound is heard, the photos are recovered and players
are swapped. Notice sounds are played synchronously (PlaySync method). The
means the sound is completed before program execution continues. This adds a
nice little delay after the two photos are displayed.
7-48
All of this code is for a two player game. Notice, however, we have left hooks
(represented by comment statements) for later modifications for a one player
game.
Save and run the project. You and a friend should now be able to play a two
player version of Match Game. When a match is found, you will hear a tada
sound and the photos will disappear. When no match is found, you will hear a
boing sound and the photos will be recovered. When done, youll hear a crowd
saying wow. Give it a try. I played a two player game by myself. Heres the
form after three matches have been found (1 by Player 1, 2 by Player 2) and one
box has been uncovered:
Match Game Project
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Playing the game to completion, the form looks like this, where we could now
select other options and play again:
Player 2 wins! Actually, I was Player 1 and Player 2. In such a case, when you
dont have a playing partner, its fun to play alone or play the computer. Lets
code up those options now.
7-50
Code Design One Player, Solitaire Game

If the One Player, Play Alone options are selected in Match Game, a single
player tries to find matching photos on the playing form. The computer keeps
track of how many guesses it takes until all matches have been found.
The steps in the one player, solitaire game following a click on a photo box are:
Make sure the box has not already been clicked.
Increment number of guesses (use lblScore(2)).
Display photo.
If first choice, allow second choice and display that photo. Compare the
two photos.
If photos match:
o Play matching sound.
o Remove picture boxes with photos from form
o Increment number of matches by 1.
o Decrement PhotosRemaining by 2.
o If PhotosRemaining = 0, set GameOver to True, play game over sound
and stop game.
o If PhotosRemaining <> 0, continue playing.
If photos do not match:
o Play no match sound.
o Replace photos with cover graphic.
o Continue playing.
To implement these steps, we make a few modifications to the PhotoBox Click

event procedure. Those modifications are shaded:
Match Game Project
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'one player/solitaire game
If rdoOnePlayer.Checked And rdoPlayAlone.Checked Then
Score(2) += 1
lblScore(2).Text = Score(2).ToString()
End If
ChoiceNumber = 2
Else
'one player logic
lblMessage.Text = "Pick Another Box"
Else
'play computer logic
End If
End If
Else
ChoiceNumber = 1
'a match
GameOver = True
7-52
Else
End If
Else
'one player logic
lblMessage.Text = "All Matches Found!"
Else
End If
End If
Exit Sub
End If
'another turn
Else
'one player logic
Else
End If
End If
Else
'no match
'swap players
PlayerNumber = 2
Else
PlayerNumber = 1
End If
Else
'one player logic
Match Game Project
7-53

Else
End If
End If
End If
End If
End Sub
Again, note we have left hooks (comment statements) for one player game
versus the computer (play computer logic).
Save and run the game. Click One Player and make sure Play Alone is selected.
Click Start Game. Heres the first box I uncovered:
I uncovered another, but no match.
7-54
From here on, you just keep uncovering photos. The computer keeps track of
how many guesses (photos uncovered) it took you to find all the matches. Heres
the form once I finished (I didnt do real well it took me 58 guesses):
Now, lets see how to change the game to play against the computer.
Match Game Project
7-55
Code Design Computer Moves

Its time to give some intelligence to the computer, trying to make it a
reasonable opponent in Match Game. Recall in the Tic Tac Toe game, we had
two options for a computer opponent: random or smart. The random opponent
was fairly easy to beat and the smart opponent was impossible to beat. As an
improvement to the Tic Tac Toe game, we suggested graduated levels of
computer intelligence. We will take that approach here.
For Match Game, we will still develop logic for a random choice (minimum
intelligence) and a smart choice (maximum intelligence) by the computer. To
give graduated levels of intelligence, we will decide how often we want the
computer to make a random choice versus how often it will make a smart choice.
That graduated level of intelligence is selected in the Difficulty group box on the
Match Game form.
Examine the Difficulty group box and you will see four levels of difficulty:
Easiest, Easy, Hard and Hardest. We will set some rules for intelligence at each
level. Feel free to change these if youd like. These rules establish what
percentage of computer moves are random and what percentage are smart.
Obviously lower levels of intelligence will have more random choices. The rules
selected are:
Easiest Difficulty:
Easy Difficulty:
Hard Difficulty:
Hardest Difficulty:
75% Random, 25% Smart

So even at the highest level of difficulty, we allow that the computer can make a
mistake.
7-56
Lets build a framework for implementing a computer opponent, then develop

the code for a random or a smart move. Add these general declarations:
Dim
Dim
Dim
Dim
MyRandom As New Random

SmartComputer As Boolean
Difficulty As Integer = 1
BoxSelected As Integer
We will use a random number (using the MyRandom object) to determine

whether a random (SmartComputer is False) or smart (SmartComputer is True)
move is to be made, based on the value of Difficulty (initialized at 1, the Easy
level). The resulting picture box to be uncovered will be represented by
BoxSelected.
Code the CheckedChanged event for the four radio buttons used to set
Difficulty:
Private Sub rdoEasiest_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As
rdoEasiest.CheckedChanged
Difficulty = 1
End Sub
Private Sub rdoEasy_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As
rdoEasy.CheckedChanged
Difficulty = 2
End Sub
Private Sub rdoHard_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As
rdoHard.CheckedChanged
Difficulty = 3
End Sub
Private Sub rdoHardest_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As
rdoHardest.CheckedChanged
Difficulty = 4
End Sub
Match Game Project
7-57
Code two empty functions (RandomChoice and SmartChoice) that return the
selected box for the random and smart computer options:
Private Function RandomChoice() As Integer
End Function
Private Function SmartChoice() As Integer
End Function
Well add some code to these soon.
Add a general procedure (ComputerTurn) that generates the computers
selection based on the selected difficulty and corresponding rules for move
generation:
Private Sub ComputerTurn()
Dim Threshold As Integer
Select Case Difficulty
Case 1
Threshold = 25
Case 2
Threshold = 50
Case 3
Threshold = 75
Case 4
Threshold = 90
End Select
If MyRandom.Next(100) < Threshold Then
SmartComputer = True
Else
SmartComputer = False
End If
End If
If SmartComputer Then
BoxSelected = SmartChoice()
Else
BoxSelected = RandomChoice()
End If
Call PhotoBox_Click(PhotoBox(BoxSelected), Nothing)
End Sub
7-58
In this code, if its the first choice (ChoiceNumber = 1), we decide whether we
have a smart computer for both computer selections. This is done by
establishing a Threshold (from 0 to 100) based on difficulty. The higher the
threshold, the smarter the computer. We then generate a random number from
0 to 99. If this number is less than the threshold, we use a smart computer
(SmartComputer is True). In such a case, the BoxSelected will be found using
the SmartChoice function (which has no code yet). If SmartComputer is False,
we obtain BoxSelected from the RandomChoice function (also empty). Once,
we know BoxSelected, we simulate a click on that box by calling the
PhotoBox_Click procedure with the proper argument.
Lastly, we need to modify the PhotoBox_Click procedure to allow a computer
opponent (recall the hooks are marked by comment statements). In a game
against the computer, the computer is Player 2 you always get to go first.
These shaded modifications simply call ComputerTurn at the proper time and
swap players when appropriate:
Score(2) += 1
End If
Match Game Project
7-59
ChoiceNumber = 2
Else
'one player logic
Else
lblMessage.Text = "Picking Another"
Call ComputerTurn()
Exit Sub
End If
End If
Else
ChoiceNumber = 1
'a match
GameOver = True
Else
End If
Else
'one player logic
Else
lblMessage.Text = "You Win!"
7-60

lblMessage.Text = "Computer Wins!"
Else
End If
End If
End If
Exit Sub
End If
'another turn
Else
'one player logic
Else
lblMessage.Text = "Picking Again"
Call ComputerTurn()
Exit Sub
End If
End If
Else
'no match
'swap players
PlayerNumber = 2
Else
PlayerNumber = 1
End If
Else
'one player logic
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7-61
PlayerNumber = 2
Else
PlayerNumber = 1
End If
End If
Else
lblMessage.Text = "Computer Picking"
ChoiceNumber = 1
Call ComputerTurn()
Exit Sub
End If
End If
End If
End If
End Sub
The framework is in place. If you trying running the game, the Two Player and
One Player, Play Alone options will still work. Playing against the computer will
not work because we need code for the RandomChoice and SmartChoice
procedures. Well do RandomChoice first.
7-62
Code Design Random Computer

For random moves, the computer will simply choose (at random) one of the
available picture boxes on the form. This code is very similar to the random
move code for the Tic Tac Toe game.
Place the shaded code in the RandomChoice function:
Private Function RandomChoice() As Integer
Dim Count As Integer, N As Integer
Dim RC As Integer
N = MyRandom.Next(PhotosRemaining) + 1
Else
N = MyRandom.Next(PhotosRemaining - 1) + 1
End If
Count = 0
For RC = 1 To 20
If Not (PhotoFound(RC)) Then
Count += 1
If Count = N Then Exit For
End If
Next
Return (RC)
End Function
The logic behind this code is straightforward. We either have PhotosRemaining
unselected boxes (if its the first choice) or PhotosRemaining 1 unselected
boxes (if its the second choice). The code selects a random number within this
range and counts ahead that number of unselected boxes to identify the box to
choose (returned as RC).
Match Game Project
7-63
We can test our random logic, but theres one problem. If (in ComputerTurn)
we select a smart computer, there is no code in the corresponding function
(SmartMove). To make things work, add this one line of code to the SmartMove
function:
Return (RandomChoice())
End Function
Were simply making the smart computer be random (temporarily) to allow
testing of the computer move logic.
Save and run the Match Game project. Select the One Player, Play Computer
options. Difficulty doesnt matter since all code is random at the moment.
Click Start Game. You go first, trying to find matching photos. Once its the
computers turn, notice two things. First, the photos are uncovered (in pairs)
randomly, very seldom do they match. Second, the photos appear and disappear
very quickly.
We can slow things down using the Timer control we established long ago.
Rather than immediately display the photos in the ComputerTurn procedure, we
will start the Timer control. We move the line of code that displays the photo
into the timers Tick event. With a 1000 millisecond Interval property, the
photos will remain on the form for 1 second. You may adjust this amount of
delay if you like. So, the timDelay Tick event procedure is:
Private Sub timDelay_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object,
ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles timDelay.Tick
timDelay.Enabled = False
Call PhotoBox_Click(PhotoBox(BoxSelected), Nothing)
End Sub
Here we turn off the timer to stop the delay and display the photo with the line
of code moved from the ComputerTurn procedure.
7-64
Replace the last line in the ComputerTurn procedure (the call to the PhotoBox
click event) with the single shaded line that starts the timer control:
Private Sub ComputerTurn()
Dim Threshold As Integer
Select Case Difficulty
Case 1
Threshold = 25
Case 2
Threshold = 50
Case 3
Threshold = 75
Case 4
Threshold = 90
End Select
If MyRandom.Next(100) < Threshold Then
SmartComputer = True
Else
SmartComputer = False
End If
End If
If SmartComputer Then
BoxSelected = SmartChoice()
Else
BoxSelected = RandomChoice()
End If
timDelay.Enabled = True
End Sub
Match Game Project
7-65
Save and run the game again. Select One Player and Play Computer. Again,
Difficulty does not matter. Click Start Game. You can now play against a
random computer. Youll see the computer is not that smart, making it pretty
easy for you to win. Well fix that next by coding up a far more intelligent and
formidable computer opponent. Heres a game I played (the computer did find
two matches the last two!):
7-66
Code Design Smart Computer

So how can we make the computer a better Match Game opponent? Well, we
could cheat! Since the computer generated the random numbers to hide the
photos behind the picture boxes, the computer knows where everything is. Once
its the computers turn, it could just go through that list and find all the
matching pairs. You could never win. Obviously, not a good approach.
The approach well take is to give the computer perfect memory. In other
words, once a photo has been uncovered, the computer will remember where
that photo is. Then, when the computer has a turn (as a smart computer), it will
search its memory for matches. If it finds a match, it will take it. First, lets
code the memory.
Add this general declaration:
Dim Memory(20) As Integer
This array stores the indices of photos behind the 20 picture box controls as each
photo is uncovered. A zero value means the photo behind the picture box has
not yet been uncovered.
The Memory array is initialized in the btnStartStop Click event procedure (the
added code is shaded):
btnStartStop.Click
Dim I As Integer
Score(1) = 0
Score(2) = 0
For I = 1 To 20
Memory(I) = 0
Next
Match Game Project
7-67
PlayerNumber = 1
ChoiceNumber = 1
Else
End If
CanClick = True
GameOver = False
Else
btnStartStop.Text = "Start Game"
grpNumberPlayers.Enabled = True
If rdoOnePlayer.Checked Then
End If
End If
btnExit.Enabled = True
CanClick = False
If Not (GameOver) Then
lblMessage.Text = "Game Stopped"
End If
End If
End Sub
The values in the Memory array are established in the PhotoBox Click event
procedure. The needed changes are shaded:
7-68

Score(2) += 1
End If
ChoiceNumber = 2
Memory(BoxNumber) = PhotoIndex(BoxNumber)
Else
'one player logic
Else
lblMessage.Text = "Picking Another"
Call ComputerTurn()
Exit Sub
End If
End If
Else
ChoiceNumber = 1
Memory(BoxNumber) = PhotoIndex(BoxNumber)
'a match
'clear memory so boxes are not checked again for
match
Memory(Choice(1)) = 0
Memory(Choice(2)) = 0
Match Game Project

GameOver = True
Else
End If
Else
'one player logic
Else
lblMessage.Text = "You Win!"
lblMessage.Text = "Computer Wins!"
Else
End If
End If
End If
Exit Sub
End If
'another turn
Else
'one player logic
Else
lblMessage.Text = "Picking Again"
Call ComputerTurn()
Exit Sub
End If
End If
Else
'no match
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7-70
'swap players
PlayerNumber = 2
Else
PlayerNumber = 1
End If
Else
'one player logic
PlayerNumber = 2
Else
PlayerNumber = 1
End If
End If
Else
lblMessage.Text = "Computer Picking"
ChoiceNumber = 1
Call ComputerTurn()
Exit Sub
End If
End If
End If
End If
End Sub
Match Game Project
7-71
Now, how do we use the Memory array to make a smart move? The rules we will
use for the computers two choices are:
Choice 1:
1. Check Memory array for a match.
2. If a match is found, select the first matching picture box.
3. If no match is found, select a random box.
Choice 2:
1. If a match was found with Choice 1, select the second matching picture
box.
2. If no match was found with Choice 1, check again for a match (the
random choice in Choice 1 may match a photo stored in memory).
3. If a match is found, select the matching picture box.
4. If no match is found, select a random box.
Lets implement this logic in code.
First, add the general function CheckForMatch. This function returns two
integers in an array. If these both of these integers are non-zero, it tells the
computer which two picture boxes have matching photos:
Private Function CheckForMatch() As Integer()
Dim I As Integer, J As Integer
Dim Matches(2) As Integer
Matches(1) = 0
Matches(2) = 0
For I = 1 To 20
For J = 1 To 20
If Memory(I) <> 0 And Memory(I) = Memory(J) And I <>
J Then
Matches(1) = I
Matches(2) = J
End If
Next
Next
Return (Matches)
End Function
This function does a simple comparison of all picture boxes looking for matching
non-zero values in the Memory array.
7-72
Add a general declaration for an integer array (MatchFound) that will be used to
store the matching picture boxes:
Dim MatchFound(2) As Integer
Now, remove the current Return statement from the SmartChoice function (the
one returning a random choice). Replace that function with this code which
implements the smart computer steps outlined above:
Dim SC As Integer
MatchFound = CheckForMatch()
If MatchFound(1) <> 0 And MatchFound(2) <> 0 Then
SC = MatchFound(1)
Else
SC = RandomChoice()
End If
Else
SC = MatchFound(2)
Else
MatchFound = CheckForMatch()
If MatchFound(1) <> Choice(1) Then
SC = MatchFound(1)
Else
SC = MatchFound(2)
End If
Else
SC = RandomChoice()
End If
End If
End If
Return (SC)
End Function
Match Game Project
7-73
Save and run the project. The game is now fully functional. Try playing it
against the computer with the Hardest difficulty. You should find it is very hard
to beat. Continue playing seeing how the various levels of difficulty do indeed
adjust the computers intelligence. Heres a game I played with Hard difficulty.
I selected the first two boxes and see:
Its the Seattle Space Needle and some pretty mountains; nice photos, but not a
match.
7-74
It then becomes the computers turn. Its choices are:
Its Seattles Pike Place Market and some blue mountains not a match. But,
Ive just seen those mountains.
Match Game Project
7-75
Picking the second box in the top row and the second box in the bottom row, I
get a match. The photos are removed, my score is incremented and its my turn
again:
7-76
Once all the matches were found, the final score was me 5 and the computer 5,
a tie!
Match Game Project
7-77
Match Game Project Review

The Match Game project is now complete. Save and run the project and make
sure it works as promised. Check that all options work correctly.
If there are errors in your implementation, go back over the steps of form and
code design. Go over the developed code make sure you understand how
different parts of the project were coded. As mentioned in the beginning of this
chapter, the completed project is saved as Match Game in the
KidGamesVBE\KidGamesVBE Projects folder.
While completing this project, new concepts and skills you should have gained
include:
Proper steps in game design and game flow.

Capabilities and use of many Visual Basic Express controls.
How to randomly sort integers (shuffle numbers).
How to implement delays in games.
How to give the computer graduated intelligence in playing games.
7-78
Match Game Project Enhancements

There are several ways to improve the Match Game project. Some possibilities
are:
As written, the human player can click on picture boxes while the
computer is making a move. Implement logic to disallow this.
Design a tool that allows for selection of photos used in the game. This
requires some advanced skills. Your tool would write a file with the name
of the 10 photos to use (and their location). Then when Match Game
begins, it would open that file and automatically load the files. Reading
and writing to files is briefly covered in our last game project.
Make the number of photo boxes adjustable for an added difficulty
adjustment (fewer boxes for little kids).
Add additional levels of difficulty by having finer adjustments on the
threshold between random and smart computer moves.
As written, a player could theoretically find all ten pairs without giving
the other player a chance. Perhaps, rewrite the game so a player only
gets one extra turn after a match.
The computer in this game is pretty smart, but it can be smarter. How
you ask? If the computer uncovers a photo that has no match, its next
choice could be a photo thats already been uncovered. This would not
give the computer any more information about hidden photos, but it also
does not give you, the opponent, any needed information either.

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match game (advanced)

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match game (advanced)

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I selected the first two boxes and see:

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It then becomes the computers turn. Its choices are:

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Match Game Form Design

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PictureBox1 Picture Box:

PictureBox2 Picture Box:

PictureBox3 Picture Box:

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PictureBox5 Picture Box:

PictureBox6 Picture Box:

PictureBox7 Picture Box:

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PictureBox8 Picture Box:

PictureBox9 Picture Box:

PictureBox10 Picture Box:

PictureBox11 Picture Box:

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PictureBox13 Picture Box:

PictureBox14 Picture Box:

PictureBox15 Picture Box:

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PictureBox16 Picture Box:

PictureBox17 Picture Box:

PictureBox18 Picture Box:

PictureBox19 Picture Box:

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GroupBox1 Group Box:

RadioButton1 Radio Button:

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GroupBox2 Group Box:

RadioButton3 Radio Button:

RadioButton4 Radio Button:

GroupBox3 Group Box:

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RadioButton5 Radio Button:

RadioButton6 Radio Button:

RadioButton7 Radio Button:

RadioButton8 Radio Button:

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When done setting properties, my form looks like this:

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Form Design Photo Selection