.. _game-refinements:

Next Steps
==========

Besides squashing bugs, feel free to make changes and experiment with new
features. You can browse the options below for ideas, but there are plenty of
other directions you can follow.

.. admonition:: Tip

   Before you start making changes to the game, be sure to create a new Git
   branch!

   .. sourcecode:: bash

      git checkout -b new-branch-name

   This way, you preserve a working copy of your project. If your new idea ends
   in disaster, you can always make a fresh start from the working application.

Appearance Options
------------------

#. The styling for the home and game page is pretty minimal. Change the look
   of the website by updating the rules inside the ``style.css`` file.
   Alternatively, import the `Bootstrap <https://getbootstrap.com/docs/5.0/getting-started/introduction/>`__
   library and play around with different ``class`` values.
#. Currently, the application doesn't tell the user how to play Minesweeper.
   Include some instructions to fix this.
#. Automatically resize the table to fit different screens. Scrolling is
   distracting for this type of game! To test resizing behavior, click and drag
   the bottom corer of your browser window. You want the content to grow and
   shrink to keep all the rows, columns, and text in view.
      
   .. figure:: figures/responsive-board.gif
      :alt: The game table resizes to fit the window.
      :width: 70%
   
      Having to scroll to play Minesweeper provides a poor UX. The table should
      resize to fit in the available space.

Gameplay Options
----------------

#. Currently, the game board is set as a 10x10 grid. Try refactoring your code
   to work with different table layouts. Can you give the player a choice for
   the board they want to use?
#. How can you tell if your Minesweeper performance improved? By adding a
   timer, of course! Research different Python modules and/or functions to
   track how long it takes to win a game.
#. Add more server-side validation for the *Main Menu* input. Currently, there
   is no check for mine numbers that fall outside of the 5 - 25 range.
#. Entering the URL for the game board *before* visiting the home page throws
   an error. Smooth over this rough patch by checking if ``num_mines`` is in
   the session.
#. When a game is in progress, clicking the *Back* button in the browser causes
   problems. Explore what goes wrong, then try to code a solution.

Database Options
----------------

#. How about adding a *Save Game* feature? A player might want to leave their
   current game and come back later.
   
   a. Try storing all of the session data to a new table in the database, then
      practice retrieving it.
   b. Include a *Save* button on the game page, and add a *Resume* button to
      the main menu.

#. Save a player's name (or initials) plus their win/loss data. Maybe you can
   display some type of *High Scores* list.

   .. figure:: figures/high-scores.png
      :alt: An high scores list from an arcade game.

      This is from an arcade game, not Minesweeper, but you get the idea.