Question 2D Array Result Checking?

Hello forum,

I am still fairly new to C# programming but I do have some experience programming in other languages. I am working on a slot machine app that I have working pretty well but I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions for cycling through my 2D array to evaluate a win criteria. I have my slot string values all storing my 2D array just fine.

My slot is 3 rows across with 5 columns down. Below is an example of what I am doing:

Code (CSharp):

1.  
2. //2d array which is storing my stopped slot values
3. new string[,] slotMatrix = string[5,3];
4.  
5. // top row, 3 matches
6. if(slotMatrix[0,0] == slotMatrix[1,0] && slotMatrix[1,0] == slotMatrix[2,0])
7. {
8.   winValue += 5;
9. }
10.  
11. //middle row, 4 matches
12. else if (slotMatrix[0,1] == slotMatrix[1,1] && slotMatrix[1,1] == slotMatrix[2,1] && slotMatrix[2,1] == slotMatrix[3,1])
13. {
14. winValue += 10;
15. }
16.  
17. // middle row, 3 matches
18. else if (slotMatrix[0,1] == slotMatrix[1,1] && slotMatrix[1,1] == slotMatrix[2,1])
19. {
20. winValue += 5;
21. }
22.  

Like I said, the slotMatrix 2D array is working and this method of checking results is also working. I am just wondering if there is a better way to do this? I plan on having a lot of win combinations (some starting at the top corner and going to the bottom and vice versa, backwards and forwards wins, combinations of 3, 4, and 5 matches) and I will have a long line of if/else statements to evaluate all possible win situations if I continue like this.

I am at work right now but, I can post the actual code when I get home if that would make my intentions a bit clearer. I appreciate your assistance with this.

 

If you post a code snippet, ALWAYS USE CODE TAGS:

How to use code tags: https://forum.unity.com/threads/using-code-tags-properly.143875/

Look up how slot machines evaluate. Most modern ones operate based primarily on paylines which indicate which offset in each slot reel to consider for possible matches.

Actually matching the table is analogous to regular expression (regex) parsing... eg (cherry,cherry,cherry,---,---) would match any line that starts with 3 cherries.

Otherwise, if you have a bug...

Time to start debugging! Here is how you can begin your exciting new debugging adventures:

You must find a way to get the information you need in order to reason about what the problem is.

Once you understand what the problem is, you may begin to reason about a solution to the problem.

What is often happening in these cases is one of the following:

- the code you think is executing is not actually executing at all
- the code is executing far EARLIER or LATER than you think
- the code is executing far LESS OFTEN than you think
- the code is executing far MORE OFTEN than you think
- the code is executing on another GameObject than you think it is
- you're getting an error or warning and you haven't noticed it in the console window

To help gain more insight into your problem, I recommend liberally sprinkling

Debug.Log()

statements through your code to display information in realtime.

Doing this should help you answer these types of questions:

- is this code even running? which parts are running? how often does it run? what order does it run in?
- what are the names of the GameObjects or Components involved?
- what are the values of the variables involved? Are they initialized? Are the values reasonable?
- are you meeting ALL the requirements to receive callbacks such as triggers / colliders (review the documentation)

Knowing this information will help you reason about the behavior you are seeing.

You can also supply a second argument to Debug.Log() and when you click the message, it will highlight the object in scene, such as

Debug.Log("Problem!",this);

If your problem would benefit from in-scene or in-game visualization, Debug.DrawRay() or Debug.DrawLine() can help you visualize things like rays (used in raycasting) or distances.

You can also call Debug.Break() to pause the Editor when certain interesting pieces of code run, and then study the scene manually, looking for all the parts, where they are, what scripts are on them, etc.

You can also call GameObject.CreatePrimitive() to emplace debug-marker-ish objects in the scene at runtime.

You could also just display various important quantities in UI Text elements to watch them change as you play the game.

Visit Google for how to see console output from builds. If you are running a mobile device you can also view the console output. Google for how on your particular mobile target, such as this answer for iOS: https://forum.unity.com/threads/how-to-capturing-device-logs-on-ios.529920/ or this answer for Android: https://forum.unity.com/threads/how-to-capturing-device-logs-on-android.528680/

If you are working in VR, it might be useful to make your on onscreen log output, or integrate one from the asset store, so you can see what is happening as you operate your software.

Another useful approach is to temporarily strip out everything besides what is necessary to prove your issue. This can simplify and isolate compounding effects of other items in your scene or prefab.

If your problem is with OnCollision-type functions, print the name of what is passed in!

Here's an example of putting in a laser-focused Debug.Log() and how that can save you a TON of time wallowing around speculating what might be going wrong:

https://forum.unity.com/threads/coroutine-missing-hint-and-error.1103197/#post-7100494

"When in doubt, print it out!(tm)" - Kurt Dekker (and many others)

Note: the

print()

function is an alias for Debug.Log() provided by the MonoBehaviour class.

 

Thank you, Kurt,

I really just wrote the code for insight into what I was doing but I will remember to tag it moving forward.

As I said, I am not having an issue with my code running and everything is working swimmingly. I was just wondering if there was a simpler solution to evaluate my 2D array than by using a slurry of if/else statements.

 

maybe use a loop statement to iterate through the slots

 

Yes, as I already mentioned... regex-style parsing.

You can either roll your own or else convert the symbols to a string and use the built-in regex.

Think of it as data-driven if statements.