Best Practices and Next Steps

In this final section, we’ll recap the best practices we’ve followed in our Tic-Tac-Toe implementation and explore potential enhancements and next steps.

Best Practices Recap

Throughout our Tic-Tac-Toe implementation, we’ve followed several best practices that make our code more maintainable, readable, and extensible:

1. Event Constants

We used typed constants for event names instead of string literals:

export const TIC_TAC_TOE_EVENTS = {
  GAME_CREATED: "tictactoe:game:created",
  GAME_STARTED: "tictactoe:game:started",
  // ...
} as const;

Benefits:

• Prevents typos and inconsistencies
• Provides autocompletion in IDEs
• Makes refactoring easier

2. State Management

We defined clear game states with explicit transitions:

export enum GameState {
  WAITING_FOR_PLAYERS = 'waitingForPlayers',
  READY_TO_START = 'readyToStart',
  IN_PROGRESS = 'inProgress',
  GAME_OVER = 'gameOver'
}

Benefits:

• Predictable application flow
• Easier to reason about game state
• Prevents invalid state transitions

3. Command Pattern

We implemented player actions as commands with validation:

messageRouter.registerCommandHandler('tictactoe:makeMove', (player, data) => {
  // Validate command
  if (typeof data.row !== 'number' || typeof data.col !== 'number') {
    player.sendMessage({
      type: 'error',
      message: 'Invalid move coordinates'
    });
    return;
  }
  
  // Execute command
  // ...
});

Benefits:

• Centralized validation logic
• Clean separation of command handling
• Easy to add new commands

4. Separation of Concerns

We separated game logic from event handling and command processing:

• game-logic.ts: Core game mechanics
• command-handlers.ts: Player action handling
• utils.ts: Helper functions
• index.ts: Server setup

Benefits:

• Easier to maintain and test
• Components can be modified independently
• Clear responsibilities for each module

5. Type Safety

We used TypeScript interfaces for event payloads and game state:

export interface MovePayload {
  row: number;
  col: number;
  symbol: 'X' | 'O';
  playerId: string;
}

Benefits:

• Catches errors at compile time
• Self-documenting code
• Improved developer experience

6. Error Handling

We implemented robust validation and error responses:

if (!isValidMove(table, row, col)) {
  player.sendMessage({
    type: 'error',
    message: 'Invalid move'
  });
  return;
}

Benefits:

• Prevents invalid game states
• Provides helpful feedback to players
• Makes debugging easier

7. Debug Monitoring

We used event monitoring for development:

eventBus.debugMonitor(
  true,
  (eventName) => eventName.startsWith('tictactoe:'),
  (event, ...args) => {
    console.log(`[TicTacToe Event] ${event}`, JSON.stringify(args, null, 2));
  }
);

Benefits:

• Easier to trace event flow
• Helps identify issues
• Simplifies debugging

8. Immutable Data

We handled state carefully to avoid unexpected mutations:

// Clone the board before modifying
const board = table.getAttribute('board');
board[row][col] = symbols[currentPlayerIndex];
table.setAttribute('board', board);

Benefits:

• Prevents side effects
• Makes state changes explicit
• Easier to reason about code

Enhancing Your Tic-Tac-Toe Game

Here are some ideas to enhance your Tic-Tac-Toe game:

1. Adding a Frontend

Create a web-based UI using a framework like React, Vue, or Angular:

• Display the game board visually
• Add animations for moves and wins
• Implement a lobby for finding games
• Show player statistics

2. Implementing Game History

Store completed games for replay and analysis:

• Save game moves in a database
• Add a replay feature
• Show statistics about past games
• Implement a “watch live” feature

3. Adding Leaderboards

Track player performance:

• Count wins, losses, and draws
• Calculate ELO or other rating systems
• Display top players
• Add achievements and badges

4. Supporting Game Variations

Extend the game with different rules:

• Different board sizes (4x4, 5x5)
• Connect Four style gameplay
• 3D Tic-Tac-Toe (4x4x4)
• Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe (9 boards)

5. Implementing AI Opponents

Add computer players with different difficulty levels:

• Random move AI (easy)
• Minimax algorithm (medium)
• Alpha-beta pruning (hard)
• Machine learning-based AI (expert)

Scaling Your Game

As your game grows, consider these scaling strategies:

1. Horizontal Scaling

Run multiple instances of your game server:

• Use a load balancer to distribute traffic
• Implement sticky sessions for consistent player connections
• Consider containerization with Docker and Kubernetes

2. Database Integration

Store game data in a database:

• Use MongoDB for flexible schema
• Implement Redis for caching and real-time data
• Consider PostgreSQL for relational data

3. Authentication and Accounts

Add user accounts:

• Implement JWT authentication
• Support OAuth providers (Google, Facebook, etc.)
• Add profile management

4. Monitoring and Analytics

Track performance and usage:

• Add application monitoring
• Implement error tracking
• Collect usage analytics
• Set up alerting

Learning from Tic-Tac-Toe

Building a Tic-Tac-Toe game teaches many important concepts:

1. Event-Driven Architecture: Understanding how events facilitate communication between components
2. State Management: Learning to track and transition between different application states
3. Real-Time Communication: Using WebSockets for instant updates
4. Multiplayer Coordination: Managing turn-based gameplay between multiple players
5. Game Design Patterns: Applying software design patterns to game development

Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this Tic-Tac-Toe tutorial! You’ve built a complete, event-driven multiplayer game using the Shoehive framework. The concepts and patterns you’ve learned can be applied to more complex games and real-time applications.

Remember that game development is an iterative process. Start with a minimal viable product, test it thoroughly, and then expand with new features based on player feedback.

Happy coding, and enjoy building your next game with Shoehive!