The Conqueror: A Java-Based Strategy Game

Synopsis

The Conqueror is a turn-based grand strategy game developed entirely in Java. Inspired by classic empire-building titles, the game challenges players to manage resources, build cities, raise armies, and conquer a map of ancient-world powers. Choose a faction, expand your territory, and lead your armies to victory!

This project is a demonstration of core software engineering principles, including Object-Oriented Programming and GUI development, all implemented from the ground up.

Screenshots

[Walkthrough]https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k7qOO0KgKZbeLP-OOYfdZPMhOYQXzKW-/view?usp=drive_link

Key Features

• Turn-Based Strategy: Plan your moves, manage your empire, and end your turn to see the world react.
• Faction Selection: Start your journey as one of three iconic cities: Rome, Sparta, or Cairo.
• Army Management: Recruit and command armies composed of three distinct unit types: Archers, Infantry, and Cavalry.
• City Development: Construct a variety of economic and military buildings, including Farms, Markets, Barracks, and Stables, each with unique benefits.
• Resource Management: Balance your treasury (Gold) and food supplies. Levy taxes and harvest food to fund your military and avoid starvation.
• World Map & Combat: Move armies across the map to besiege and attack enemy cities. Engage in an auto-resolved combat system to determine the victor.
• Dynamic GUI: An interactive user interface built with Java Swing allows for intuitive control over all aspects of the game.

Technical Deep Dive & Architecture

This project was built to showcase robust software architecture and a deep understanding of Java.

• Language: Java SE
• UI Framework: Java Swing for the graphical user interface.
• Design Patterns & Principles:
  • Model-View-Controller (MVC): The project is cleanly structured to separate concerns:
    • Model: The engine package contains all the core game logic, state, and rules (e.g., Game.java, Player.java, City.java). It is completely independent of the user interface.
    • View: The view package contains all GUI components, responsible for presenting the game state to the user (e.g., WorldMap.java, CityView.java).
    • Controller: Event listeners (ActionListener) within the view classes handle user input and translate it into actions on the model.
  • Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): The game is built on strong OOP principles. Clear class hierarchies are used to model game entities, for example:
    • Unit is the base abstract class for Archer, Infantry, and Cavalry.
    • Building is the base class for EconomicBuilding and MilitaryBuilding, which are further extended by specific building types like Farm and Barracks.
  • Data-Driven Design: Initial game setup (e.g., city locations, distances, and starting armies) is loaded from external .csv files. This makes the game highly configurable and scalable without altering the source code.
• Custom Exception Handling: A comprehensive custom exception hierarchy is defined in the exceptions package. This allows for specific and graceful handling of game-rule violations and invalid user actions (e.g., NotEnoughGoldException, FriendlyCityException, MaxLevelException).

How to Run the Project

1. Compile the code: Navigate to the src directory and compile all .java files into the bin directory.

   javac -d ../bin ./**/*.java

2. Run the game: Navigate to the bin directory and run the main entry point of the application.

   cd ../bin
   java view.StartScreen

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This README was generated by GitHub Copilot based on a scan of the project's source code.