Help With Homework Code

[Rick Barrett]

Another user posted a question about a dice game earlier. I have this
same assignment. The goal of the assignment is the create a program to
roll two dice, add the number of those dice to the score, and if you get
a 1 you lose. After each roll the program asks the user to roll or pass.

I've accomplished this...but I'm pretty sure the way I set up the
scoring isn't the most efficient way to do it, but I don't know how else
to do it. Can anyone help me?

# Die Pieces #################################
frame = "+-----+\n"
blank = "| |\n"
center ="| * |\n"
right = "|* |\n"
left = "| *|\n"
both = "|* *|\n"
#############################################

# Dice ######################################
one = frame + blank + center + blank + frame
two = frame + right + blank + left + frame
three = frame + right + center + left + frame
four = frame + both + blank + both + frame
five = frame + both + center + both + frame
six = frame + (both * 3) + frame
#############################################

score = 0
turns = 0
faces = [one, two, three, four, five, six]

answered = false

while (answered == false) do

puts "Would you like to Roll or Pass?"
input = gets().chomp().downcase()

if (input == "pass")
puts "\nFinal Score is: " + score.to_s() + "\nBye!"
(answered = true)
end

if (input != "pass")
roll_1 = faces[rand(6)]
roll_2 = faces[rand(6)]
puts roll_1 + roll_2

From here if (roll_1 == faces[1])
score = score + 2
elsif (roll_1 == faces[2])
score = score + 3
elsif (roll_1 == faces[3])
score = score + 4
elsif (roll_1 == faces[4])
score = score + 5
elsif (roll_1 == faces[5])
score = score + 6
end

if (roll_2 == faces[1])
score = score + 2
elsif (roll_2 == faces[2])
score = score + 3
elsif (roll_2 == faces[3])
score = score + 4
elsif (roll_2 == faces[4])
score = score + 5
elsif (roll_2 == faces[5])
score = score + 6
To here end

puts "Current Score is: " + score.to_s()
turns = turns + 1
elsif ((roll_1 == faces[0])||(roll_2 == faces[0]))
puts "You rolled a 1. You lose!"
(answered = true)
end
end

puts "Turns taken: " + turns.to_s()

 

[Brian Candler]

I've accomplished this...but I'm pretty sure the way I set up the
scoring isn't the most efficient way to do it, but I don't know how else
to do it. Can anyone help me?

I suggest that you separate the "model" from the "view"

That is, if you do the rolling like this:

roll_1 = rand(6)
roll_2 = rand(6)

then roll_1 and roll_2 have a numeric value between 0 and 5. This is a
natural representation (model) of the state of the roll, making
calculation easy:

score = score + (roll_1 + 1) + (roll_2 + 1)

The "view" part is when you want to translate this into something to
display:

puts faces[roll_1]
puts faces[roll_2]

Actually, the logic would probably be clearer if you make roll_1 and
roll_2 be a random value between 1 and 6 rather than 0 and 5. You can
adjust your faces array so that the zero'th element is blank. As a
convenient side-effect, you can use your faces array for playing dominos
too

 

[Rick Barrett]

Thank you Candlerb.

The only thing is that somehow created another small problem (or maybe
it was something else)

if ((roll_1) && (roll_2) != 0)
puts faces[roll_1] + faces[roll_2]
score = score + (roll_1 + 1) + (roll_2 +1)
puts "Current Score is: " + score.to_s()
elsif ((roll_1 == 0)||(roll_2 == 0))
puts faces[roll_1] + faces[roll_2]
puts "You rolled a 1! You lose!"
puts "Final Score is: 0"
(answered = true)
end

It won't count roll_1 into the "elsif" at all and I have no idea why.
ex. If roll_1 is a One it will stay in the "if". If roll_2 is a One it
will go to "elsif".

 

[Max Williams]

In this bit

if ((roll_1) && (roll_2) != 0)

did you mean


if (roll_1 != 0 && roll_2 != 0)

?

In the first case it's effectively evaluating whether roll_1 exists (ie
is not nil), and that will always be true. Each side of the && is a
seperate logic test. So, the if/else test is effectively dependent
solely on the value of roll_2.

 

[Max Williams]

In this bit

if ((roll_1) && (roll_2) != 0)

did you mean


if (roll_1 != 0 && roll_2 != 0)

?

In the first case it's effectively evaluating whether roll_1 exists (ie
is not nil), and that will always be true. Each side of the && is a
seperate logic test. So, the if/else test is effectively dependent
solely on the value of roll_2.

Oh and if you did mean that, the logic could be more simply expressed as

if (roll_1 + roll_2) > 0

note this is a mathematical plus rather than a logical and.

 

[Rick Barrett]

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. I tried the "if"
statements you gave me, but they didn't do anything(or I didn't
implement them right).

Basically I have

roll_1 = rand(6)

and then further down

if (roll_1 == 0)
puts "you lose"

...but it won't do the "if" statement even when roll_1 does equal 0


if (input != "pass")

roll_1 = rand(6)
roll_2 = rand(6)
puts faces[roll_1] + faces[roll_2]
score = score + (roll_1 + 1) + (roll_2 +1)
turns = turns + 1
puts "Current Score is: " + score.to_s()

elsif (roll_1 == 0 || roll_2 == 0)
puts "You lose!\nFinal Score is: 0"
(answered = true)

end

 

[Rick Barrett]

Here's my whole code so far if it helps you help me


score = 0
turns = 0
faces = [one, two, three, four, five, six]

answered = false

while (answered == false) do

puts "Would you like to Roll or Pass?"
input = gets().chomp().downcase()

if (input == "pass")
puts "\nFinal Score is: " + score.to_s()
(answered = true)
end

if (input != "pass")

roll_1 = rand(6)
roll_2 = rand(6)
puts faces[roll_1] + faces[roll_2]
score = score + (roll_1 + 1) + (roll_2 +1)
turns = turns + 1
puts "Current Score is: " + score.to_s()

elsif (roll_1 == 0 || roll_2 == 0)
puts "You lose!\nFinal Score is: 0"
(answered = true)
end
end

puts "Turns taken: " + turns.to_s()

 

[Max Williams]

I don't really understand what you're trying to do, but i can see one
problem.

roll_1 = rand(6) happens inside the if block, right? (if (input !=
"pass"))

So it will be done if the if test is true. And if the first if test is
true, then the elsif will never be tested - when it finishes the if
block then it will exit the whole if/elsif section.

Without getting into any other details, and just addressing the if/else
stuff, this might be better - it uses a nested if instead of an elsif
which i think is what you wanted to do.


score = 0
turns = 0
faces = [one, two, three, four, five, six]

answered = false

while (answered == false) do

puts "Would you like to Roll or Pass?"
input = gets().chomp().downcase()

if (input == "pass")
puts "\nFinal Score is: " + score.to_s()
(answered = true)
else
roll_1 = rand(6)
roll_2 = rand(6)
puts faces[roll_1] + faces[roll_2]
score = score + (roll_1 + 1) + (roll_2 +1)
turns = turns + 1
puts "Current Score is: " + score.to_s()

if (roll_1 == 0 || roll_2 == 0)
puts "You lose!\nFinal Score is: 0"
answered = true
end
end
end

puts "Turns taken: " + turns.to_s()

 

[Rick Barrett]

Thank you so much. That was driving me crazy.

 

[Max Williams]

Thank you so much. That was driving me crazy.

cool

btw, another tip - instead of this

puts "Turns taken: " + turns.to_s()

do this

puts "Turns taken: #{turns}"

the to_s (no need for braces btw) is done automatically and it's
generally cleaner, safer and easier to read.

 

[Rob Biedenharn]

Rick,

I'm going to sprinkle a little commentary in here...

I don't really understand what you're trying to do, but i can see one
problem.

roll_1 = rand(6) happens inside the if block, right? (if (input !=
"pass"))

So it will be done if the if test is true. And if the first if test
is
true, then the elsif will never be tested - when it finishes the if
block then it will exit the whole if/elsif section.

Without getting into any other details, and just addressing the if/
else
stuff, this might be better - it uses a nested if instead of an elsif
which i think is what you wanted to do.


score = 0
turns = 0
faces = [one, two, three, four, five, six]

answered = false

Why call this variable "answered"? It seems like you want the next
line (the start of the loop) to read like "until finished" so why not
make it so.

finished = false # or you could use nil

while (answered == false) do

You don't need to have a "do" here. A while (or an until) implicitly
begins a block.

until finished

puts "Would you like to Roll or Pass?"

You can leave the cursor after the question by using print instead of
puts:

print "Would you like to Roll or Pass? "

input = gets().chomp().downcase()

The empty parentheses are typically omitted.

input = gets.chomp.downcase

if (input == "pass")
puts "\nFinal Score is: " + score.to_s()
(answered = true)

Again, you have optional parentheses that are idiomatically dropped.
Also, it's much more likely that you'd see interpolation that string
concatenation.

if input == "pass"
puts "\nFinal Score is: #{score}"
finished = true

Of course, you could also simply call 'break' here and use the 'loop'
keyword rather than keep track of a variable to control the loop.
(Although the 'loop' does take a block so you'd have: 'loop do ...
end' in place of 'until finished; ... end')

else
roll_1 = rand(6)
roll_2 = rand(6)
puts faces[roll_1] + faces[roll_2]
score = score + (roll_1 + 1) + (roll_2 +1)
turns = turns + 1
puts "Current Score is: " + score.to_s()

if (roll_1 == 0 || roll_2 == 0)
puts "You lose!\nFinal Score is: 0"
answered = true
end
end
end

puts "Turns taken: " + turns.to_s()

I hope this helps you.

-Rob

Rob Biedenharn http://agileconsultingllc.com
(e-mail address removed)