Maze Game

Maze Game is a configurable 2D maze and puzzle game engine developed in Java. The project demonstrates software architecture and extensible design concepts including plugins, scripting, domain-specific languages (DSLs), Gradle multi-module builds, internationalisation, and modular game systems.

Features

• 2D grid-based maze gameplay
• Configurable game worlds using a custom DSL
• Hidden and visible grid exploration system
• Item collection and inventory management
• Obstacles requiring specific inventory items
• Goal-based puzzle progression
• Dynamic plugin loading using reflection
• Python scripting support via Jython
• Internationalisation and locale switching
• UTF-8 / UTF-16 / UTF-32 input file support
• Modular and extensible architecture

Gameplay Overview

The player explores a hidden maze by moving:

• Up
• Down
• Left
• Right

As the player moves:

• Adjacent grid squares become visible
• Items can be collected into the inventory
• Obstacles may block movement unless required items are owned
• The game ends once the player reaches the goal location

Technologies Used

• Java
• Gradle
• JavaCC / ANTLR
• Jython
• Java Reflection
• Resource Bundles
• Unicode Normalisation
• Object-Oriented Design

Input File DSL

The game world is configured through a custom domain-specific language.

Example declarations include:

size (10,10)
start (1,5)
goal (9,8)

item "Wooden Sword" {
    at (0,0), (2,3)
    message "Use wisely."
}

obstacle {
    at (3,3)
    requires "Wooden Sword"
}

plugin edu.curtin.gameplugins.Teleport

The parser supports:

• Grid size declarations
• Player start and goal positions
• Items and obstacles
• Plugin declarations
• Embedded Python scripts

Plugin & Script System

The engine supports runtime extensibility through plugins and scripts.

Plugin Features

• Dynamically loaded using reflection
• Fully-qualified class loading
• Event callback support
• Access to the game API

Script Features

• Embedded Python scripts using Jython
• Custom game logic integration
• Callback event handling

Implemented Plugins / Scripts

The project includes implementations such as:

• Teleport Plugin
• Penalty Obstacle Plugin
• Reveal Map Plugin
• Prize Reward Plugin

These demonstrate the extensibility of the game engine architecture.

Internationalisation

The engine supports:

• Dynamic locale switching using IETF language tags
• Multiple language translations
• Localised in-game dates
• Unicode compatibility normalisation
• UTF-8 / UTF-16 / UTF-32 encoded map files

Architecture Highlights

The project emphasises:

• Modular design
• Separation of concerns
• Extensible APIs
• Plugin-based architecture
• Script integration
• Parser-driven configuration

Learning Outcomes

This project demonstrates understanding of:

• Software architecture principles
• Extensible system design
• Plugin and scripting systems
• DSL parsing and grammar design
• Internationalisation
• Reflection and dynamic loading
• Gradle project organisation

Running the Project

1. ./gradlew clean :app:javaccMyparser
2. ./gradlew build
3. ./gradlew check (optional)
4. ./gradlew run --args="input.utf8.map" (or utf16/utf32, but ensure they are actually encoded as such. The included input files should be.)

Assignment Information

Unit: COMP3003 Software Architecture and Extensible Design

Assignment: Assignment 2

Semester: 2025, Semester 2