Memorama Game in C++

This project is a simple simulation of the classic "Memorama" game, implemented in C++.

Features

• Allows users to choose the size of the game board (from 2x2 to 10x10).
• Includes a variety of emojis as cards.
• Supports UTF-8 encoding for emoji display.
• Provides feedback to users during gameplay (e.g., invalid inputs, matched pairs).
• Clears the screen to simulate a "memory test" between turns.

Requirements

• Operating System: The code was tested on Windows, but it may also work on other platforms with minor adjustments.
• Compiler: Any modern C++ compiler with support for C++11 or later.

Important

Proper visualization of emojis depends on the console or terminal's support for UTF-8 encoding. On Windows, the code includes a function to set the code page to UTF-8.

Game Instructions

1. At the start of the game, you have to enter the size of the board (n x n).
   • The size must be an even number between 2 and 10 (including both numbers).
2. The game will display the emojis for a period of time to help you memorize their positions.
3. Enter the coordinates of two cards you want to flip.
4. If the cards match, they will remain visible; otherwise, they will be hidden again.
5. The game ends when you match all pairs or exceed the allowed number of turns.

System-Specific Behavior

• Emoji Support: The allowEmojis() function ensures UTF-8 encoding for emoji display on Windows.
• Screen Clearing: Functions like clearScreen() and clearScreenAfterTime() abstract platform-specific behaviors for clearing the console.

Game Logic

• The board is represented using a std::vector<std::string> for emojis and a std::vector<bool> for card visibility.
• A shuffle mechanism ensures random card placement.

Example Gameplay

Introduce the size for the board game (n x n): 4
Time to memorize!

   🐸   🐸   ⚽   ⚽
   🏀   🏀   😎   😎
   😀   😀   😁   😁
   😂   😂   😍   😍

The cards will hide after 8 seconds...
This is your turn #1 of 9 in total.
      ❓      ❓      ❓      ❓
      ❓      ❓      ❓      ❓
      ❓      ❓      ❓      ❓
      ❓      ❓      ❓      ❓

Enter the coordinates for the first card (x y): 1 1
Enter the coordinates for the second card (x y): 1 2
Congratulations! You found the same emoji.

Known Limitations

• The game only supports board sizes up to 10x10.
• Emojis may not render correctly on some older terminals.
• Input validation assumes proper integer inputs (no handling for invalid data types).

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute.

Acknowledgements

README Structure and Initial Draft: Generated with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model by OpenAI.

Author

• Christopher Espinosa
• Date: January 12, 2024