Cat Lady — Java Console Board Game

Object-Oriented Design Group Project (COMP 2711)
Language: Java
Architecture: Model–View–Controller (MVC)

Contributors:
Flora Campbell · Emil Paul · Asher Lawrence · Serena Davis

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Overview

This project is a Java console implementation of Cat Lady (designed by Josh Wood), a turn-based board game in which players compete to score points by collecting, feeding, and managing cats and item cards.

The project was developed for an Object-Oriented Design course with a strong emphasis on clean architecture, maintainability, and testability, rather than graphical presentation. The game supports 1–4 players and runs entirely in the terminal.

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Design & Architecture

MVC Pattern

• Model: Encapsulates game rules, state, cards, actions, decks, and scoring.
• View: Handles all console input and output.
• Controller: Manages game flow, turn order, and coordination between model and view.

SOLID Principles

The project intentionally applies SOLID design principles:

• Single Responsibility Principle (SRP)
  Controllers are split by responsibility (game start, turns, input, feeding, game end).

• Open/Closed Principle (OCP)
  New card types and actions can be added with minimal changes to existing code.

• Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP)
  Polymorphic action and card hierarchies allow interchangeable behavior.

• Interface Segregation Principle (ISP)
  Interfaces are kept small and focused.

• Dependency Inversion Principle (DIP)
  High-level game flow depends on abstractions rather than concrete implementations.

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Testing

The project includes a test suite to validate:

• Game state transitions
• Player actions
• Card and deck behavior
• Scoring logic

Testing supported refactoring and helped prevent regressions during development.

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How to Run the Game

Using VS Code (Recommended)

1. Open the project root (the folder containing src/) in VS Code.
2. Open src/controller/Game.java.
3. Select Run Java (not “Run Code”).

Using the Command Line

From the project root:

cd src
javac controller/*.java model/*.java view/*.java
java controller.Game

Gameplay Summary

• Players determine turn order before starting.
• The board uses rows and columns labeled A–F.
• On each turn, players may draw cards or use item cards (spray bottle, laser pointer, lost cat cards).
• After the deck is exhausted, players feed their cats.
• Final scores are calculated and displayed.

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Learning Outcomes

Through this project, I gained experience with:

• Designing medium-scale object-oriented systems
• Applying SOLID principles in practice
• Structuring applications using the MVC architectural pattern
• Writing testable and maintainable Java code
• Collaborating effectively in a team-based Git workflow

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Notes

This project was developed for academic purposes and focuses on software design quality and architecture rather than graphical presentation.