Connections — Client/Server Word-Grouping Game (CLI)

This repository contains a Java client–server implementation of Connections, a word-grouping game inspired by The New York Times Connections.

In each game, players receive 16 words that belong to 4 hidden thematic groups (4 words per group). Players submit proposals (groups of 4 words). The server validates proposals, tracks mistakes and score, and manages a single global active game for all logged-in players within a time window.

What the system provides (per project spec)

Client (CLI)

• User management:
  • Register
  • Login (joining the currently active game and receiving current state)
  • Update credentials
  • Logout
• Game operations (when logged in):
  • Submit a 4-word proposal
  • Request game info/status (current or by game id)
  • Request game statistics (current or by game id)
• General info (when logged in):
  • Request leaderboard (full / top-K / position of a player)
  • Request personal statistics (NYT-like summary and histogram-style breakdown)
• Receives server asynchronous notifications (e.g., end-of-game updates)

Server

• Central coordinator for the global active game:
  • Creates and rotates games over time
  • Accepts client requests over a persistent TCP connection
  • Evaluates proposals and updates per-player state (correct groups, mistakes, score)
  • Sends asynchronous notifications (e.g., when a game ends)
• Loads game data (words and correct groupings) from a JSON file provided with the project
• Periodically persists users and game-related data in JSON to support restart recovery

Scoring rules (summary)

• +6 / +12 / +18 bonus for exactly 1 / 2 / 3 correct groups (3 correct groups means the player wins)
• −4 for each wrong proposal (up to 4 wrong proposals)
• 0 points if participating without sending any proposal

Build and run (Windows)

• build.bat — compile
• run-server.bat — start server
• run-client.bat — start client

Repository layout (high level)

• src/ — Java sources (client, server, shared models)
• test/ — tests (if present)
• build.bat, run-server.bat, run-client.bat — helper scripts