Cobal isn’t obsolete, it’s thriving in processing $3 trillion worth of transactions every day. Creating Minesweeper in Cobal was a trip down the “not-so-random” number lane. But we made it work, despite Cobal’s quirks. Who knew grandma Cobal had so much spunk? Now, let’s win at Minesweeper in style! ๐๐ฎ๐น๏ธ
# Making Minesweeper in COBOL
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## Introduction
COBOL is a programming language that was designed by a committee 10 years before the moon landing happened. It was designed to be similar to English, meant to be used by business people rather than mathematicians or computer scientists.
### Key Takeaways
| COBOL | Programming Language |
|—|—|
| Designed to be similar to English | Used by business people |
| Developed 10 years before the moon landing |
## The Obsolescence of COBOL
According to PC Meg, COBOL is considered obsolete and barely anyone knows it anymore. However, the reality is that $3 trillion worth of financial transactions per day are processed by COBOL, and IBM is using AI to translate it.
### Interesting Fact
“The first modern crossword puzzle is published, and Oreo cookies are introduced.”
## Understanding Minesweeper
Minesweeper is a game where players are faced with a grid of cells that must be uncovered to find where the mines are without uncovering them.
### Gameplay
– Uncover cells to find mines
– Use numbers to determine surrounding mines
– Avoid uncovering mines
## Creating Minesweeper in COBOL
In COBOL, variables must be declared at the top of the code. For example, a Playfield can be defined as a table with a grid of strings, each representing a cell.
### Variable Declaration
| Variable | Description |
|—|—|
| Playfield | Grid of strings for cells |
## Implementing the Game
Adding mines at random locations requires utilizing COBOL’s random function to generate unique seeds for actual randomness.
### Unique Seeds
– Utilize system clock for unique seeds
– Place mines at random coordinates
## Game Development Challenges
Creating a table to specify which tiles are uncovered and which ones are still closed presents challenges due to COBOL’s indexing starting at one.
### Obstacles
– Cells not existing on edges
– Inefficiencies in code organization
## The Final Game
Implementation of the actual game in COBOL involves prompting the player for coordinates and setting cells to visible or closed based on player input.
### Playability
– End game if mine is opened
– Check for a win condition
## Conclusion
Despite the challenges of working with an outdated programming language like COBOL, a working Minesweeper clone can be developed using innovative solutions to adapt to its limitations.
### Final Result
“Okay, now I’m going to win.”
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