MINESWEEPER
An ASCII-Graphics Emulation of Minesweeper

MINESWEEPER is a C++ program which emulates the popular Minesweeper game, using ASCII graphics, by Detelina Stoyanova.

The program sets up an 8 by 8 board, with 10 mines. The minefield is displayed, using '-' to indicate unknown squares, a blank for clear squares, and a number for a clear square with that many mined neighbors.

The user selects a square by typing in the row and column number.

There are three optional inputs:

• M means you want to mark a possible mine. The program asks you to specify a row and column, and places a '?' there.
• U means you want to unmark a possible mine. The program places a '-' there.
• Q means you want to quit the game immediately;

Licensing:

The computer code and data files described and made available on this web page are distributed under the GNU LGPL license.

Languages:

MINESWEEPER is available in a C++ version.

Related Data and Programs:

LIFE_OPENGL, a C++ program which uses OpenGL to display the evolution of John Conway's "Game of Life".

LIGHTS_OUT_OPENGL, a C++ program which sets up a "Lights Out" game and allows the user to solve it, using the OpenGL graphics window.

Author:

Detelina Stoyanova

Reference:

1. Richard Kaye,
   Minesweeper is NP Complete,
   Mathematical Intelligencer,
   Volume 22, Number 2, pages 9-15, 2000.

Source Code:

• minesweeper.cpp, the source code.
• minesweeper.hpp, the include file.

List of Routines:

• MAIN is the main function for the MINESWEEPER program.
• INITIALSTATE initializes all the elements of the two arrays to -'s
• PRINTTABLE prints the visible table.
• PLACEMINES places MINES mines randomly in the table.
• CALCULATENUMBERS calculates the number of mines adjacent to each square.
• GETNEIGHBORS returns the indices of the 8 neighbors of a square.
• ISREALNEIGHBOR checks which neighbors are "real neighbors".
• COUNTMINES computes the number of mines that are neighbors to a square.
• PLAY controls the game and allows the player to make moves.
• OPENSAFE is called whenever a square with no neighboring mines is cleared.

You can go up one level to the C++ source codes.