big-c/big-c.org

#+filetags: big-c

* WIP Refactor Cards :refactor_cards:
It's really bloated - should probably be a subcrate.
** WIP Split into module
** TODO Testing
* Backlog :backlog:
** TODO Implement player and game structure
A game should have a table of players, a deck of unplayed cards, a
deck of played cards, and some metadata for the current round.  The
table of players should associate each player with a unique ID.  It
should also track the cards in each players hand.
** TODO Implement playing system
Once an order has been picked, the first player becomes the "round
chooser".  Game play goes like so:
1) Round chooser plays a hand of any round type they wish, which
  determines the round type overall.
2) Each player takes a turn after the round chooser, either:
   - Passing (skipping their turn)
   - Playing a higher ranked hand than the last played hand.
3) Play keeps rotating around the play order until either:
   - A player has played all their cards, in which case that player
     wins
   - All but one player skips, in which case that player becomes the
     round chooser.  Go to (1).
*** TODO Classify round types
Each round type has a definition of what a valid "hand" is, and how
ranking works in it.  So it's important to clarify this before
anything else.
**** TODO Classify hand sizes
- 1: singles
- 2: pairs
- 3: triples
- 5: poker hands
**** TODO Classify hand ranking
Hand ranking only applies for hands of the same round type - you
wouldn't compare a pair to a straight.

- Singles have a trivial ordering based on card ordering.
- Pairs and triples are similar except when two hands have the same
  rank: the hand with the higher order is the one with the higher
  ordered card i.e. [3C, 3H] would lose to [3D, 3S].
- Poker hands have a slightly more complex ranking:
  - Each poker hand is a "strata" of ranking: Two Pairs < Flush <
    Straight < Full House < Four Kind < Five Kind < Straight Flush.
  - Lower strata hands are always beaten by higher strata hand,
    regardless of the strength of the two (i.e. [3D, 4C, 4S, 2D, 2S]
    (two pair) will always be worse than [4D, 5D, 6D, 9D, 10D]
    (flush))
  - Within a strata, the following ranking rules apply:
    - Two pairs: one pair must be higher than both pairs of the
      previous hand.
    - Flush/Straight: at least one card must be higher than the
      previous flush/straight
    - Full house: if the triple is higher than the previous full
      house, then this is a higher hand.  If they're the same triple,
      the pair must be higher.
    - Four kind/Five Kind: At least one of the four/five kind must
      have a higher rank (4D < 4S).
    - Straight Flush: Same rules as Flush/Straight.
*** TODO Jokers
Jokers act as filler cards to allow certain hands.  In classification,
the strongest hand possible is assumed based on the cards available -
players have no influence on how their hand is classified (i.e. [4D,
4S, Joker, Joker, 3K] is always a four of a kind, cannot be classified
as a two pair or a full house).  However, jokers are individually
considered the lowest possible order and thus have no effect on hand
ordering.  Their use in play is dependent on the round type:
- Singles: Jokers cannot be played.
- Pairs/Triples: Can be used as 1/2 cards of the hand for
  pairs/triples respectively.
- Poker hands: at least one card must not be a joker.  Based on the
  strength argument, we can very easily classify what types of hands
  may be generated based on the number of jokers:
  - 4 jokers: straight flush, based on the card choice.
  - 3 jokers: five of a kind if other two cards are a pair, otherwise
    four of a kind against the highest ranked card.
  - 1/2 jokers: much more dependent on the other cards present.
*** TODO Footstools
Footstools are a core mechanic of Big-C.  The basic idea is this: if
your hand is 1 step higher or /exactly/ the same as the previous hand,
the previous player is penalised for it.  It is called a footstool
since your hand is essentially nesting on top of the other hand.

There are two types of footstool:
1) Half footstool: your hand is "1 step higher" than the previous one.
2) Full footstool: your hand is the /exact/ same as the previous one.

The penalties are fairly simple:
- Half footstool: 1 extra card added to the previous player.
- Full footstool: 2 extra cards added to the previous player.

The ordering relationship is taken from the round type - so
equivalency is just based on the important cards in the case of poker
hands.  The "1 step higher" part requires a bit of explanation per
round type:
- Singles: 2S is not half footstooled by 3D (no modulo).  It's
  otherwise just following the ordering of cards.
- Pairs/Triples: Only card that matters is the high card.  So [4C, 4H]
  would be half-footstooled by [4D, 4S].  Similarly, [4D, 4C, 4S] is
  half-footstooled by [5D, 5C, 5S] due to 4S->5D.
- Poker hands:
  - Two pair: Both pairs must follow the half-footstool condition of
    pairs.
  - Flush/Straight: High card must follow the half-footstool
    condition.
  - Full house: Half footstool condition applies to both the pair and
    the triple.
  - Four of a kind: Half footstool condition applies on the high card
    of the four-kind cards.
  - Straight Flush: Same as flush/straight.

How do jokers play into this?  They don't!  Since the highest card is
all that matters in any half-footstool, the joker can never influence
this.  Also note that a hand can only be played if it's better than
the previous one, so that should exclude a bunch of hands from being
footstool-ing.
** TODO Implement order of play
There is a minigame required to determine order of play in big-c.  The
actual routine is a bit complex to go over, given the possible scale
of the game:
1) Players present 1 card each publicly
2) Order all cards from lowest to highest - this should be the play
   order (lowest goes first).
3) Any conflicts due to the same card should be resolved by the
   following routine:
   1) Players present another card publicly
   2) If they conflict, go to (1)
   3) Use the ranking
   4) If all cards are presented to be the exact same (statistical
      nightmare) then randomly assort the players.

What makes this interesting is that players get to CHOOSE what cards
they present.  All sorts of mind games can be played here.
** TODO Write a basic CLI version
MVP goals:
- 2 player
- Each player takes turns playing the game (ensure we add a stage to
  allow handover, clearing screen before and after)
- Ensure hands are valid, and when a round is won play is passed over
  appropriately
** TODO Write webserver