Battleship MAUI

A polished Battleship game built with .NET MAUI and a shared C# game core. This repository now publishes 2 separate Windows apps from the same codebase:

• BattleshipMaui: the original single-player release against the onboard CPU.
• LANBattleshipMAUI: a dedicated same-network multiplayer release for 2 Windows PCs on the same LAN.
• Both releases now launch in borderless full screen, play a cinematic startup sequence on a true full-screen black intro layer, and use Esc for the in-game command menu.
• Both releases now layer a slower drifting ocean backdrop behind the UI and render the boards as translucent tactical glass over moving water with sonar ripples on cell taps.
• Both releases now delay the ocean-backdrop animation startup until after first window show so the main app window opens visibly again while keeping the moving water effect and F11 full-screen support.
• Press F11 in either release to toggle true Windows full-screen mode on or off after launch.

Versioning & Releases

• Current solo public app release: BattleshipMaui v1.9.12
• Current LAN public app release: LANBattleshipMAUI v2.2.12
• Release history and public-release notes: CHANGELOG.md
• Tag mapping:
  • v1.x.x publishes the solo BattleshipMaui line.
  • v2.x.x publishes the LAN LANBattleshipMAUI line.
• Public distribution format: self-contained Windows win-x64 zip

Release Readiness

• BattleshipMaui v1.9.12 is in Public Release status.
• LANBattleshipMAUI v2.2.12 is in Public Release status.

Product Lines

BattleshipMaui

• Original single-player Battleship against the computer enemy
• Borderless full-screen launch with cinematic startup title cards driven by the supplied Echo_startup.wav, VS_Code_startup.wav, and Title.wav files, now isolated from the live dashboard on a true full-screen black intro layer with a cleaned VS Code logo card and a larger zooming title reveal
• A more realistic animated ocean treatment with a slower drifting full-screen sea backdrop, deeper board-water lighting, a translucent glass command-board shell, and blue sonar ripple feedback on grid taps
• The solo CPU targeting prelude now roams smoothly across the player board as a free-floating reticle instead of hopping cell-to-cell before locking the final shot
• Manual fleet placement with hover preview and right-click rotation
• Enlarged combat boards with compact in-game chrome so the window stays focused on the 2 boards
• Default turn-cinematic strike overlay now uses a lighter floating thinking bubble while the CPU reticle roams your board for 2-4 seconds before it locks the chosen cell with the supplied Target_Locked.wav cue
• Supplied commander voice clips now cover hit, miss, enemy destroyed, player vessel destroyed, victory, defeat, and draw outcomes
• Win, draw, and loss end-state callouts now select randomly from their supplied outcome clip pools instead of always using the same order
• Background music now ducks to 2% during gameplay audio playback, then restores to the player-selected volume
• Esc command menu now holds the former settings panel plus mission controls during play, including Quit
• Adjustable CPU difficulty from the Esc command menu
• Startup visuals now remove the stray intro guide marks, render the VS Code logo card correctly, and use a larger MAUI / Battleship title reveal with layered depth, crack accents, and backlit glow
• Windows startup now uses the stable pre-v1.9.8 full-screen activation flow so the published .exe opens with a visible WinUI window again instead of staying hidden in the background
• Persistent stats, post-game recap, music, FX, and visual themes

LANBattleshipMAUI

• Dedicated LAN release for 2 players on the same local network
• Borderless full-screen launch with cinematic startup title cards driven by the supplied Echo_startup.wav, VS_Code_startup.wav, and Title.wav files, now isolated from the live dashboard on a true full-screen black intro layer with a cleaned VS Code logo card and a larger zooming title reveal
• A more realistic animated ocean treatment with a slower drifting full-screen sea backdrop, deeper board-water lighting, a translucent glass command-board shell, and blue sonar ripple feedback on grid taps
• Host/join flow directly in the app header
• Private local fleet placement on both PCs
• Placement layout tuned so rows I and J remain visible while deploying fleets
• Enlarged combat boards, optional turn-cinematic strike overlay, supplied commander voice hit/miss/destroyed plus win/loss/draw callouts, and a hit-only intel bubble pop-up after animated impacts
• Win, draw, and loss end-state callouts now select randomly from their supplied outcome clip pools instead of always using the same order
• Background music now ducks to 2% during gameplay audio playback, then restores to the player-selected volume
• Esc command menu now holds the former settings panel plus mission controls during play, including Quit
• Game-over debrief now keeps the compact combat header and reduced battle-board scale so rows I and J remain visible behind the overlay in both releases
• Startup visuals now remove the stray intro guide marks, render the VS Code logo card correctly, and use a larger MAUI / Battleship title reveal with layered depth, crack accents, and backlit glow
• Windows startup now uses the stable pre-v2.2.8 full-screen activation flow so the published .exe opens with a visible WinUI window again instead of staying hidden in the background
• Synced alternating turns, synced rematch via New Mission, and session disconnect support

Tech Stack

• .NET 10
• .NET MAUI (Windows target currently configured)
• C# game engine in Battleship.GameCore
• xUnit test project in BattleshipMaui.Tests

Project Structure

• Battleship.GameCore/: game-domain logic (GameBoard, ships, attacks, results)
• ViewModels/: gameplay state, turn loop, placement, AI, LAN session flow, stats persistence
• Behaviors/: UI animation behavior for reveal and board effects
• MainPage.xaml: full game UI
• BattleshipMaui.Tests/: unit tests for board rules, AI targeting, and LAN view-model flow

Run Locally

1. Clone the repository.
2. Open in Visual Studio 2022+ with the MAUI workload installed.
3. Build and run the flavor you want.

CLI alternatives:

dotnet build BattleshipMaui.sln
dotnet run --project BattleshipMaui.csproj
dotnet run --project BattleshipMaui.csproj -p:AppFlavor=Lan

• dotnet run --project BattleshipMaui.csproj launches the solo BattleshipMaui build.
• dotnet run --project BattleshipMaui.csproj -p:AppFlavor=Lan launches the dedicated LANBattleshipMAUI build.

Publish Public Windows Zips

Publish one flavor:

.\scripts\Publish-WindowsZip.ps1 -AppFlavor Solo
.\scripts\Publish-WindowsZip.ps1 -AppFlavor Lan

Publish both public releases together:

.\scripts\Publish-PublicReleases.ps1

This creates:

• artifacts\release\BattleshipMaui-v1.9.12-win-x64.zip
• artifacts\release\BattleshipMaui-v1.9.12-win-x64.sha256
• artifacts\release\LANBattleshipMAUI-v2.2.12-win-x64.zip
• artifacts\release\LANBattleshipMAUI-v2.2.12-win-x64.sha256

After extracting the zips, launch:

• BattleshipMaui-v1.9.12-win-x64\BattleshipMaui.exe
• LANBattleshipMAUI-v2.2.12-win-x64\LANBattleshipMAUI.exe

The public zips are built as:

• .NET self-contained
• WindowsAppSDKSelfContained=true
• unpackaged Windows desktop output

LAN Session Setup

Use the dedicated LAN build: LANBattleshipMAUI v2.2.12.

1. Put the same published LAN zip on both PCs.
2. Extract the zip on both PCs and launch LANBattleshipMAUI.exe.
3. Make sure both machines are on the same router or switch.
4. On the host PC:
   • Leave the default port 47652 or choose another unused port.
   • Note one of the LAN IPs shown in the header.
   • Click Host LAN.
5. On the joining PC:
   • Enter the host PC's LAN IP in Host IP.
   • Enter the same port number.
   • Click Join LAN.
6. Both players place fleets locally on their own PC.
7. The host fires the first shot after both fleets are ready.
8. Use New Mission for a synced rematch and Disconnect to close the LAN session.

During LAN play:

• The game starts in borderless full screen and plays the startup intro automatically.
• Press Esc during the intro to skip straight to the game.
• Press Esc during play to open or close the command menu.
• Use Quit in the Esc command menu to close the app directly.
• Press F11 to toggle true full screen on or off at any time.
• Turn Cinematic Overlay can be toggled in the Esc command menu.
• The default LAN behavior keeps rapid-fire turn flow enabled when cinematics are off.
• When cinematics are on, incoming and outgoing strikes get a full-screen targeting overlay before the shot resolves.
• LAN hit results also show a short intel bubble after the animation. Misses do not trigger that bubble.

If the connection fails:

• Make sure the host IP is the host PC's local network address, not a public internet IP.
• Allow LANBattleshipMAUI.exe through Windows Firewall on private networks if Windows prompts.
• Confirm both PCs are running the same published LAN build.

Gameplay

BattleshipMaui

1. Press New Mission.
2. Let the startup sequence finish, or press Esc to skip it.
3. Place all ships on Your Fleet.
4. Fire on Enemy Waters.
5. Watch the default strike cinematic resolve the exchange, then continue the battle.
6. Alternate turns against the CPU until one fleet is sunk.
7. Use Esc to open the command menu for CPU difficulty, commander voice, turn cinematics, music, and accessibility settings.

LANBattleshipMAUI

1. Complete the steps in LAN Session Setup.
2. Let the startup sequence finish, or press Esc on either PC to skip it.
3. Place all ships on both PCs.
4. The host fires first.
5. Leave rapid-fire pacing on for instant handoff turns, or enable turn cinematics in the Esc command menu for a slower dramatic strike reveal.
6. Alternate turns until one fleet is sunk.
7. Use New Mission to start a synced rematch.

Controls

• New Mission: resets boards and starts a new mission
• Reset Stats: clears saved cumulative stats
• Host LAN: starts listening on the selected port in LANBattleshipMAUI
• Join LAN: connects to the host PC by LAN IP and matching port in LANBattleshipMAUI
• Disconnect: closes the current LAN session in LANBattleshipMAUI
• Esc: skips the intro sequence or opens/closes the in-game command menu
• Quit: closes the app from the Esc command menu
• Theme Shift and the theme picker: switch among 10 visual themes
• F11: toggles true Windows full-screen mode on or off
• Turn Cinematic Overlay: enables or disables the animated strike transition
• Commander Voice: enables or disables the supplied spoken battle callouts, including target lock, hit, miss, ship-destroyed, victory, defeat, and draw clips while temporarily ducking music to 2%
• Rotate or right-click: rotates the selected ship during placement

Testing

Run the default solution test pass:

dotnet test BattleshipMaui.sln

Run the LAN-flavor test pass:

dotnet test BattleshipMaui.Tests\BattleshipMaui.Tests.csproj -p:AppFlavor=Lan

Run the CI core subset:

dotnet test BattleshipMaui.Tests\BattleshipMaui.Tests.csproj --filter "Category=Core9"

CI

• Core tests workflow: .github/workflows/core-tests.yml
• Public Windows release workflow: .github/workflows/windows-release.yml
• Push v1.x.x tags for the solo public release.
• Push v2.x.x tags for the LAN public release.

License

This project is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 (BSL). See LICENSE.md for full terms.

• Additional Use Grant: None
• Change Date: 2029-01-01
• Change License: Apache License 2.0

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Battleship MAUI | Developed by JamesGillDev and contributors