Wood Block Puzzle Game

Overview

Wood Block Puzzle is a strategic puzzle game where players place wooden blocks on a grid to clear lines and collect diamonds. The game includes intelligent hint systems and algorithmic solvers to assist players when they get stuck.

Author: Ricardo Gonçalves (rdtg94) Version: 3.0 (April 2025)

Screenshots

Gameplay in action (Hard difficulty):

Main Menu - Select Difficulty:

Using the AI Hint feature:

Game Over screen:

Victory screen:

Game Objective

• Place wooden blocks on the game board
• Clear full lines and columns to earn points
• Collect diamonds for bonus points
• Progress through increasingly difficult levels
• Achieve the highest score possible before running out of valid moves

Features

• Multiple difficulty levels with different board sizes
• Dynamic scoring system
• Diamond collection mechanic
• Wood-themed visual design
• Intelligent hint system
• Various search algorithms for move suggestions

How to Play

1. Start a Game: Select a difficulty level from the main menu
2. Place Blocks: Drag and drop the current block onto the game board
3. Clear Lines: Fill an entire row or column to clear it and earn points
4. Collect Diamonds: Clear lines containing diamonds for bonus points
5. Reroll Pieces: Spend points to get a new piece if you're stuck (costs increase with difficulty)
6. Use Hints: Request a suggested move with the "AI Hint" button

Controls

• Left Mouse Button: Click and drag to move blocks
• Reroll Button: Get a new random piece (costs points)
• AI Hint Button: Shows a suggested valid move
• Quit Button: Return to the main menu

Game Mechanics

• Scoring:

  • Base penalty for placing a piece: 10 points
  • Base score for clearing a line: 50 points × difficulty
  • Diamond bonus: 100 points × difficulty
  • Combo bonus for multiple lines: (base_points ÷ 2) per additional line
  • Reroll penalty: 10 points × difficulty

• Victory Condition:

  • Collect all diamonds on the board

• Game Over Conditions:

  • Score drops to zero or below
  • No valid moves left for the current piece

Difficulty Levels

1. Easy: 4×4 grid
2. Medium: 5×5 grid
3. Hard: 6×6 grid
4. Expert: 7×7 grid

Higher difficulties feature:

• Larger game boards
• More complex pieces
• Increased obstacle density
• Higher scoring potential

Algorithms

The game implements multiple search algorithms for finding optimal moves:

• Breadth-First Search (BFS)
• Depth-First Search (DFS)
• Uniform Cost Search (UCS)
• Depth-Limited Search (DLS)
• Iterative Deepening Search (IDS)
• Greedy Best-First Search
• A* Search
• Weighted A* Search

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• Pygame
• Pygame_gui

Installation

Install Python Dependencies

pip install pygame pygame_gui

Download Game Files

Clone the repository or download the game files:

git clone https://github.com/rdtg94/wood_puzzle_game.git
cd wood_puzzle_game

Running the Game

Execute the main game file:

python WoodPuzzle_GUI.py

Shell Version

The game also includes a console-based version for those who prefer to play in a terminal environment:

python WoodPuzzle_shell.py

The shell version provides the same gameplay mechanics but with a text-based interface, making it suitable for environments where graphical display is unavailable or for users who prefer command-line interfaces.

File Structure

• WoodPuzzle_GUI.py: Main game file with GUI implementation
• constants.py: Game constants and configuration values
• game_state.py: Game state representation and logic
• Ai_algorithms.py: Implementation of hint system and search algorithms
• A_STAR.py, A_STAR_W.py, BFS.py, etc.: Individual search algorithm implementations
• diamond.png, wood_texture.png: Game assets
• images_gameplay: Gameplay images

Troubleshooting

• Missing Assets: Ensure image files are in the same directory as the game
• Display Issues: Try adjusting screen resolution or window size
• Performance Problems: Lower difficulty levels require fewer computational resources