Help adding a few features to Tetris

[Snario]

I'm using the code that this website provides to build a Tetris game: http://zetcode.com/tutorials/javagamestutorial/tetris/

I'd like to add:
- A ghost piece that rests where the piece would land if the player pressed space or nothing at all.
- A way to hold a piece for later use (e.g., you get a line piece but want to use it when there is a good space, so you hold it and another piece comes)

The holding I feel like I have a good sense of how to get it to work, but the ghost piece isn't working as I expected it to.

[Amarylis]

What have you tried so far for the ghost piece?

[Snario]

This is what I've tried so far:

code:

public void ghost(Graphics g, int x, int y, Tetrominoes shape) {         super.paint(g);         Dimension size = getSize();         int boardTop = (int) size.getHeight() - BoardHeight * squareHeight();         if (shapeAt(x, y - 1) == Tetrominoes.NoShape){             ghost(g,x, y - 1, shape);         }         g.setColor(Color.GRAY);         g.fillRect(x * squareWidth(), boardTop + (BoardHeight - y - 1) * squareHeight() + 1, squareWidth(), squareHeight());     }

Obviously the code isn't quite right. Basically what I want to do is find the lowest possible spot that the block would fit if kept on the same path. So that means I need to find the maximum value for y in the board of the lowest values that each part of a shape can rest on and then orient the shape based on that value.

[Snario]

Alright so I updated that code a bit and it sort of works now, the shape is drawn in the correct x positions but the y value are a bit off. Ghost shapes appear inside already placed shapes and if the board is empty sometimes some of the blocks fall beneath the lowest line.

code:

public int ghost(Tetrominoes shape) { // This method gets the coordinates for a ghost block         // To get the coordinates, the smallest y value of a shape is matched with the largest possible y once dropped         int x;         int y;         int minY = 22;         int maxY = 0;         if (curPiece.getShape() != Tetrominoes.NoShape) {             for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {                // This for loop gets the x,y coordinates                 x = curX + curPiece.x(i);                // of each block in a shape                 y = curY - curPiece.y(i);                 if (y < minY) {                     minY = y;    // One the loop is finished, minY will be the lowest y value of a shape                 }                 for (int k = minY; k >= 0; k--) {                     if (shapeAt(x, k) != Tetrominoes.NoShape) {                         maxY = k; // This value for maxY will be the highest y value that all blocks in a shape                         break;    // are all able to exist in relative to their current x                     }                 }             }         }         return maxY;     }

[Snario]

I'm checking this thread every 5 minutes or so by the way, so if you want any additional info I'll be able to reply very quickly. :p

I've put the Ghost project aside for now, working on a timer and high scores system as well as a reset button at the moment.

[Amarylis]

My suggestion is to use the system you have for checking when the original piece has reached the bottom-most point it can be placed at on your ghost piece to figure out where it's bottom-most point is

[Snario]

I got it to work! If anyone is interested in the solution, here it is:

Created a ghost method that gathers the co-ordinates of a ghost piece using the contents of the dropDown method but modified a bit (you will see later in the tryMove method)

code:

private void ghost(Graphics g) {         Dimension size = getSize();         // boardTop is the number of pixels leftover at the top of the board         int boardTop = (int) size.getHeight() - BoardHeight * squareHeight(); // Determines the unused space at the top of the board         updateTime();         int newY = curY;         while (newY > 0) {             if (!tryMove(curPiece, curX, newY - 1, true)) {                 break;             }             newY--;         }         drawSquare(g, ghostX * squareWidth(),                 boardTop + (BoardHeight - ghostY - 1) * squareHeight(),                 curPiece.getShape());     }

Then inside the if statement of the paint method

code:

/* Draws each indidivual block of a ghost of the current shape */             for (int i = 0; i < 4; ++i) {                 ghost(g);                 x = ghostX + ghostPiece.x(i);                 y = ghostY - ghostPiece.y(i);                 drawSquare(g, x * squareWidth(),                         boardTop + (BoardHeight - y - 1) * squareHeight(),                         ghostPiece.getShape());             }

Had to add this if statement to the tryMove method, and the ghost boolean

code:

private boolean tryMove(Shape newPiece, int newX, int newY, boolean ghost) {         if (!ghost) {             curPiece = newPiece;             curX = newX;             curY = newY;             repaint();             return true;         } else {             ghostPiece = newPiece;             ghostX = newX;             ghostY = newY;             repaint();             return true;         }     }

[Snario]

Is there any way I can put this entire application inside of a Desktop Application rather easily?

By which I mean the entire application is inside a box and outside of the box I can add some buttons and such.

[Snario]

Also could anyone tell me how I could go about adding a main menu and screen to display all of the high scores? I know how to do all of the leaderboard stuff, but I don't know how to display it.