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Battleship Multiplayer

Networked multiplayer game built in C using low-level socket programming. Handles concurrent connections and game state synchronization.

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Battleship Multiplayer

A production-quality, multiplayer turn-based Battleship game implemented in pure C using POSIX sockets and threading. This network programming project features a beautiful ANSI-colored terminal UI and custom ship shapes inspired by Sea Battle 2.

The game demonstrates mastery of low-level systems programming: socket communication, multi-threading, mutex synchronization, and binary protocol design. It works seamlessly across different machines on the same network.

Tech Stack

C POSIX Sockets pthreads CMake ANSI Terminal

Key Features

  • 6×6 grid with classic battleship mechanics
  • Custom ship shapes including L and Z patterns
  • Real TCP networking across LAN
  • Client-server architecture with authoritative server
  • Multi-threaded with one thread per client
  • Terminal UI with ANSI color rendering
  • Fog of war hiding opponent ships
  • Graceful disconnect handling and reconnection

Technical Highlights

  • POSIX sockets with non-blocking I/O
  • Thread-safe game state with pthread mutexes
  • Binary network protocol with proper serialization
  • Comprehensive input validation and error handling
  • Clean modular architecture with separated concerns
  • CMake build system for cross-platform compilation

Architecture

Threading Model

  • Main thread accepts connections and manages game state
  • Client threads handle per-player message processing
  • Mutex protection for all shared state access
  • Condition variables for turn synchronization

Network Protocol

  • Custom binary protocol for minimal bandwidth
  • Message types: PLACEMENT, FIRE, HIT/MISS, GAME_OVER
  • Serialization with network byte order
  • Heartbeat system for connection monitoring

Game State Machine

  • Server: WAITING → PLACEMENT → PLAYING → FINISHED
  • Client: CONNECTING → WAITING → PLACEMENT → PLAYING → FINISHED
  • State transitions triggered by network events

Challenges & Solutions

1

Handling race conditions in multi-threaded server

2

Designing a robust network protocol for game state

3

Implementing proper cleanup on client disconnect

4

Creating an intuitive terminal-based UI

Gallery

Battleship Multiplayer Screenshot 1
Battleship Multiplayer Screenshot 2
Battleship Multiplayer Screenshot 3
Battleship Multiplayer Screenshot 4