Question

Write a program that plays the game of "guess the number" as follows: Your program chooses the number to be guessed by selecting an integer at random in the range 1 to \(1000 .\) The program then displays the following: I have a number between 1 and 1000 . Can you guess my number? Please type your first guess. The player then types a first guess. The program responds with one of the following: 1\. Excellent! You guessed the number! Would you like to play again (y or n)? \(2 .\) Too 7 ow. Try again. 3\. Too high. Try again. If the player's guess is incorrect, your program should loop until the player finally gets the number right. Your program should keep telling the player Too high or Too low to help the player "zero in" on the correct answer.

Short answer

Import the 'random' module, generate a random number between 1 to 1000, loop to take guesses from the user, compare the guess to the generated number and provide feedback, and ask the player if they want to play again after a correct guess.

Step-by-step solution

Import the Random Module

Begin by importing the random module, which contains functions that allow you to generate random numbers. You can do this by adding 'import random' to the beginning of your program.

Generate a Random Number

Use the 'random.randint' function to generate a random number between 1 and 1000, and store this number in a variable. This will be the number that the player has to guess. For example, 'number_to_guess = random.randint(1, 1000)'.

Initialize the Player's Guess

Prompt the player to make their first guess by printing a message to the console. Then use the 'input' function to take an integer input from the player and store it in another variable. For example: 'guess = int(input('I have a number between 1 and 1000. Can you guess my number? Please type your first guess.'))'.

Create a Loop to Check the Guess

Implement a while loop that will repeatedly ask the player for a guess until the correct number is guessed. Inside the loop, check if the player's guess is too high, too low, or correct by comparing it with the number to guess. Depending on the result, print 'Too high. Try again.', 'Too low. Try again.', or 'Excellent! You guessed the number! Would you like to play again (y or n)?'.

Provide Feedback and Next Steps

After evaluating the player's guess, if the guess is not correct, prompt the player to guess again by using another input statement within the loop. If the guess is correct, then ask the player if they want to play again. If the player selects 'y', then generate a new number and restart the loop. If the player selects 'n', then break the loop and end the game.

Program's Loop Structure

The program's loop should have a structure that continuously checks for the correct guess and handles the user's input for whether they want to play again after a correct guess. It should also handle cases where the input may not be an integer or the 'y'/'n' input may not be valid, using exception handling or input validation as necessary.

Key concepts

Random Number Generation in C++

Creating a game where a user has to guess a number involves generating a number that is unpredictable. In C++, this is usually accomplished using the random number generation functionalities provided by the standard library. The method to generate a random number involves initializing the random number generator and then creating a number in the desired range, which in this context is between 1 and 1000.

To ensure that the number is different each time the game is played, it's common to seed the random number generator using the current time, as this is always changing. The seeding can be done using the srand(time( NULL )) function, and the actual number can be generated using the rand() function. The resulting number is then typically scaled to the desired range using modulus and addition operations.

Control Structures in C++

Control structures are fundamental in programming languages, and C++ offers various types that enable developers to control the flow of execution. These structures include conditionals such as if, else, and switch statements, as well as loops like for, while, and do-while.

In the context of a guessing game, control structures are used to determine whether the user’s guess is too high, too low, or correct. An if statement can evaluate the user's guess, and additional else if or else branches handle the response to the user. This control over the execution flow ensures that the correct feedback is provided, guiding the user toward the right answer.

C++ User Input

User interaction is crucial for a dynamic game experience. In C++, user input can be taken using the cin object, which allows you to capture data entered by the user. The use of cin coupled with the stream operator >> enables the program to read integers, characters, strings, etc., from the standard input.

For our number guessing game, capturing user input is essential for receiving the player’s guesses. After prompting the player with cout, we use cin >> guess to store their guess in a variable. It’s also important to include error checking when dealing with user input to handle unexpected or invalid data gracefully.

C++ While Loops

The 'while' loop is a fundamental concept in C++ that enables repeated execution of a block of code as long as a certain condition remains true. In the number guessing game, a while loop is used to continuously prompt the player for a guess until they succeed in guessing the number correctly.

The condition of the loop checks if the user’s guess is different from the generated number. Within the loop, one can provide feedback for incorrect guesses and prompt for another guess immediately. The loop will only terminate when the correct number is guessed, or if the player chooses to exit the game. This repetitive checking is what makes the while loop an ideal choice for such a guessing game.