CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Ludo (latin word “ludus” -“I play”) is a board game for two to four players, in which the players race their four tokens from start to finish according to die rolls. Like other cross and circle games, Ludo is derived from the Indian game Pachisi , but simpler. The game and its variants are popular in many countries and under various names.
Pachisi originated in India by the 6th century. The earliest evidence of this game in India is the depiction of boards on the caves of Ajanta. This game was played by the Mughal emperors of India; a notable example is the great Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, who used to play live Pachisi by using his harem girls.
In England, the game was published as early as 11th April 1862 (19th century). Pachisi was modified, using six-sided dice, and patented as Ludo, in 1896, patent number 14636.
Ludo is a game well known to most people, particularly those of advancing years. A simple game played by up to four players on a colourful board. But once the Royal Navy got hold of the game, it changed not only its name but also the way the game was played.
Two, three, or four may play. At the beginning of the game, each player’s tokens are out of play and staged in one of the large corner areas of the board in the player’s colour (called the player’s yard). When able to, the players will enter their tokens one per time on their respective starting squares, and proceed to race them clockwise around the board along the game track (the path of squares not part of any player’s home column). When reaching the square below his home column, a player continues by racing tokens up the column to the finishing square. The rolls of a cube die control the swiftness of the tokens, and entry to the finishing square requires a precise roll from the player. The first to bring all their tokens to the finish wins the game. The others often continue play to determine second-, third-, and fourth-place finishers.
Initially, during the early days of computing only what you tell the computer to do is what it does, but nowadays, the computer can think and even act as human using Artificial Intelligence (AI). With the aid of AI, the computer can act pretty smart. Computers in a single second can perform a function faster than human beings that have programmed them to do these things. It is assumed that only experts are good enough to beat the computer in a game.
It is generally agreed that in all games, there is an element of chance, skill, enjoyment and strategy. Games range according to the degree to which these elements are present, but the most important factors is the strategy and enjoyment involved. For skills, it might not be of great importance.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
As the world is moving towards Information Technology, there was a need for an improvement on our local (manual) ludo game.
The following are the problems observed from the local ludo game:
- Local ludo game cannot be played by just one person, that is, it must involve two to four persons
- Sometime there is no accuracy in counting the pieces. For example, counting 8 moves instead of 7 moves
- Either player can cheat on the other by taking a piece HOME without passing through the normal route.
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main aim of this study is to design and implement a computerized game which case study is a ludo game.
The objectives of the proposed design include:
- To help in reasoning faster and better.
- To bring fun into people’s homes and offices.
- To act as a good form of relaxation.
- To be able to create a real life feature.
- Relate computer games in various spheres of life e.g. business, art, engineering, science etc.
1.4 METHODOLOGY
This application adopts the use of XML – with java programming language for its implementation.
1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY
The scope of the project will cover the development of the ludo game, software designed to be played by one to four persons.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Since we are in the 21st century known as the Jet-Age, it is also expected that we introduce a modern approach in all things which also includes our games.
The inaccuracy in the manual ludo game and the limitation in the number of people that can play the game are worked on in this study. This computer ludo game has a human to computer mode, human to human mode and computer to computer mode (two to four players or one to four players).
In line with the objectives of this study, the computer ludo game helps in the sharpening of the players’ intelligence and improving their ability to think analytically. Its simplicity (i.e. no complicated rules or interface) makes it playable by young children. Unlike most computer games, there is no requirement for registration or login details, and it has a minimal memory and storage requirement.
1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
As every study has its limitation, the limitations of this study are time constraints, insufficient skill and the limited access to materials on the subject on ground.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Heuristic: is any approach to problem solving, learning, or discovery that employs a practical method not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect but sufficient for the immediate goals.
AI (Artificial Intelligence): is the intelligence exhibited by machines or software. It is the name of the academic field of study, which studies how to create computers and computer software that are capable of intelligent behavior.
UI (User Interface): in the industrial design field of human machine interaction, is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur.
Searching: using a computer to find an item with specified properties (E.g. specified text) among a collection of items using a search algorithm.
Algorithms: is a self contained step-by-step set of operations to be performed. Algorithms exist that perform calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning.
Graphic User Interface (GUI): is a type of interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation, as opposed to text-based interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation.
DISCLAIMER: All project works, files and documents posted on this website, UniProjectTopics.com are the property/copyright of their respective owners. They are for research reference/guidance purposes only and some of the works may be crowd-sourced. Please don’t submit someone’s work as your own to avoid plagiarism and its consequences. Use it as a reference/citation/guidance purpose only and not copy the work word for word (verbatim). The paper should be used as a guide or framework for your own paper. The contents of this paper should be able to help you in generating new ideas and thoughts for your own study. UniProjectTopics.com is a repository of research works where works are uploaded for research guidance. Our aim of providing this work is to help you eradicate the stress of going from one school library to another in search of research materials. This is a legal service because all tertiary institutions permit their students to read previous works, projects, books, articles, journals or papers while developing their own works. This is where the need for literature review comes in. “What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original.” - Austin Kleon. The paid subscription on UniProjectTopics.com is a means by which the website is maintained to support Open Education. If you see your work posted here by any means, and you want it to be removed/credited, please contact us with the web address link to the work. We will reply to and honour every request. Please notice it may take up to 24 – 48 hours to process your request.
