Concurrency
Write a program that simulates the following positional game between a given number of players (TSP Game).
At the beginning of the game the board contains n tokens, each token containing a distinct pair of numbers between 1 and n, and a specific positive value.
Each player extracts tokens successively from the board and must create with them a a closed sequence, that is t1=(i1,i2), t2=(i2,i3),…,tk=(ik,i1), where ti are tokens.
The value of a sequences may be evaluated in various modes: the sum of the token values, the number of tokens, etc. A special bonus may be given if the length of the sequence is n.
The game ends when all tokens have been removed from the boar d and each player receives a number of points equal to the the value of its largest sequence, or equal to the sum of its sequences, etc.
The players might take turns (or not…) and a time limit might be imposed (or not…). The main specifications of the application are:
Compulsory (1p)
- Create classes in order to model the problem. You may assume that all possible tokens are initially available, having random values.
- Each player will have a name and they must perform in a concurrent manner, extracting repeatedly tokens from the board.
- Simulate the game using a thread for each player.
Pay attention to the synchronization of the threads when extracting tokens from the board.Optional (2p)
- Implement the scoring and determine who the winner is at the end of the game.
- Make sure that players wait their turns, using a wait-notify approach.
- Consider the situation when each player might have a different strategy for
extracting a number: automated (random) or manual.
A manual player will use the keyboard, while the bot will extract a random
token. Simulate bot contests on large graphs.
• Implement a timekeeper thread that runs concurrently with the player threads,
as a daemon. This thread will display the running time of the game and it will stop the game if it exceeds a certain time limit.
Bonus (2p+)
- Implement a “smart” player. This should try to create valuable sequences, while not allowing others to extend theirs.
- Implement various scoring strategies (in a flexible manner), for example the winner could be the one that determines the most valuable hamiltonian circuit.
- Create a simple graphical user interface for the game, using JavaFX. References
- Slides
- The Java Tutorials: Concurrency
- Java Language Specification: Threads and Locks
- Java Concurrency / Multithreading Tutorial
Objectives
- Understand the basic principles of concurrent programming.
- Create and run threads using the Thread class and the Runnable interface.
- Understand resource contention and thread interference.
- Create synchronized methods or statements.
- Implement the wait-notify mechanism.
- Understand the thread pool and fork/join concepts.
