Pacman Simulator

This is a simple CLI application written in Node.js to simulate the movement of Pacman on a 5x5 grid.

How to Run

Dependencies

• Node.js
• jest (if you would like to run the unit test)

Please install Node.js if you do not currently have it.

Start

Install the dependencies by running npm i within the program directory.

Simply run node pacmanSimulator.js to start the program within the program directory. You can also run the unit test by running npm test.

Quit

Quit the program by pressing Ctrl + D.

Process

You will be prompted to enter one of the available commands (PLACE, MOVE, LEFT, RIGHT or REPORT. The prompt will continue after each command, until you quit the program.

If the command entered is valid, the program will execute the command. Otherwise, it will ignore the command.

Development

The current state of the program is based on my efforts within 24hrs.

The library module lib.js is complete, addressing the requirements in the problem description, as can be demonstrated by running the test file. Test cases for both valid, invalid and multiple steps including a mix of both are provided in lib.test.js.

The CLI interface pacmanSimulator.js needs improvement, mainly in the area of input validation. Right now it simply ignores any invalid commands. I would like to validate the format of the input before trying to execute them.

To Do

• More stringent tests for user input.
• Refactor commands as a module.
• Write unit test for input validation.
• Test multiple-step operations.
• Make directions an instance property or use another class.
• Add intro interface to display available commands.
• Maybe make Board a class and pass in to move().

To Revise

• move() validates the command based on a hard-coded grid size of 5.