BlackDuck - Blackjack Game

A feature-rich, full-screen Blackjack game built with Java Swing, featuring persistent game data, customizable settings, and an immersive gaming experience.

Features

🎮 Core Gameplay

• Classic Blackjack Rules - Play traditional Blackjack against the dealer
• Full Betting System - Place bets with virtual chips ($5, $10, $25, $50)
• Clear Bet - Clear your current bet before dealing to adjust your wager
• Double Down - Double your bet and take exactly one more card
• Win Streaks - Track your consecutive wins
• Smart Dealer AI - Dealer behavior adapts to difficulty settings
• 🌐 LAN Multiplayer - Play dealer vs player over local network(currently, this application feature is only working on two instances of a single PC)

💰 Virtual Economy

• Persistent Chip Balance - Your chips are automatically saved and restored between sessions
• Virtual Chip Purchases - Buy more chips with test payment system
• Multiple Chip Packages:
  • 50 chips - $5
  • 100 chips - $10
  • 250 chips - $20
  • 500 chips - $35
  • 1000 chips - $60
  • 5000 chips - $250
• Test Card Support - Use the "Use Test Card" button to auto-fill valid test card details
• Starting Balance - Begin with 100 chips
• Out of Chips - When balance reaches $0, betting is disabled until chips are purchased

🎨 Customization

• Background Themes
  • Default Dark Theme (free)
  • Green Poker Table (purchasable with 150 chips)
  • Animated Menu Background (purchasable with 200 chips)
• Custom Card Images - High-quality PNG card graphics
• Full-Screen Mode - Immersive, distraction-free gaming

⚙️ Game Settings

• Difficulty Levels

  • Easy: Dealer hits on 16 or less
  • Medium: Standard blackjack rules (hits on soft 17)
  • Hard: Dealer plays optimally with soft hands

• Luck Levels

  • Normal: Standard blackjack odds
  • Lucky: 10% bonus on wins, 15% chance to win on push
  • Very Lucky: 25% bonus on wins, 25% chance to win on push, 10% chance bet is returned on loss

• Audio Settings

  • Sound Volume: Off / Low / Medium / High
  • Background Music: On / Off

💾 Data Persistence

• Automatic Save System - Chips, purchases, and settings are saved automatically
• Database Storage - Uses properties file (gamedata.properties) to store:
  • Current chip balance
  • Owned backgrounds/themes
  • Selected background
  • Volume level
  • Music on/off preference
  • Difficulty level
  • Luck level

🎯 User Interface

• Intuitive Controls

  • Click-based betting system
  • Clear status messages
  • Real-time chip/bet/streak display

• Visual Feedback

  • Animated buttons with hover effects
  • Color-coded stats (gold for chips, green for wins, red for bets)
  • Card value display for both player and dealer

• Menu System

  • Main menu with game start, settings, and quit options
  • Settings panel with scrollable options
  • In-game menu button for quick navigation

🔊 Audio System

• Sound Effects - Button clicks and game events with adjustable volume
  • Button click sounds
  • Bet placement sound
  • Win celebration sound
  • Loss sound
  • Push/tie sound
• Background Music - Looping background music (toggle on/off)
• Volume Control - Four levels: Off, Low, Medium, High
• Persistent Settings - Audio preferences saved between sessions
• Audio Files (located in src/data/audio/):
  • click.wav - Button click sound effect
  • bet.wav - Bet placement sound effect
  • win.wav - Win celebration sound effect
  • lose.wav - Loss sound effect
  • push.wav - Push/tie sound effect
  • background_music.wav - Background music loop

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

• ESC - Exit the application

🌐 Multiplayer Mode (BETA)

• Host Game (Dealer) - Start a server and act as the dealer for another player
• Join Game (Player) - Connect to a dealer's server and play as a remote player
• Same-PC Testing - Currently works by running two instances on the same computer (use localhost or 127.0.0.1 to connect)
• Real-time Gameplay - All actions synchronized between dealer and player
• Server Info Display - Dealer can see their IP address for connection sharing

Note: Multiplayer is currently in beta. Chip balances in multiplayer mode are session-only and not saved to the database. For persistent chip tracking, use single-player mode.

How to Play

Single Player Mode

1. Start the Game - Click "Start Game" from the main menu
2. Place Your Bet - Use the betting buttons ($5, $10, $25, $50) to place your bet
3. Deal Cards - Click "Deal Cards" to start the round
4. Make Your Move
   • Hit - Take another card
   • Stand - Keep your current hand
   • Double Down - Double your bet and take one final card (available only with 2 cards)
5. Win or Lose - Beat the dealer without going over 21
6. Repeat - Place a new bet and play another round

Multiplayer Mode (Beta)

Current Limitation: Multiplayer currently works best when running two instances on the same computer. Use localhost or 127.0.0.1 as the IP address to connect.

As Dealer (Host):

1. Click "Multiplayer" from the main menu
2. Select "Host Game" - Server starts automatically on port 7777
3. Note Your IP - Your IP address is displayed on screen (use localhost for same-PC testing)
4. Wait for Player - Game begins when a player connects
5. Monitor Game - Watch the player's actions and dealer responses in real-time
6. View Logs - Server activity logged in the bottom panel

As Player (Client):

1. Click "Multiplayer" from the main menu
2. Select "Join Game" and enter the dealer's IP address (use localhost for same-PC testing)
3. Connect - Wait for connection confirmation
4. Place Bets - Use betting buttons like in single-player mode
5. Play Cards - Hit, Stand, or Double Down as usual
6. Results - Chips updated based on game outcome (session-only, not saved)

Winning Conditions

• Blackjack - Get 21 with your first two cards (pays 3:2 + luck bonus)
• Higher Hand - Beat the dealer's hand without busting (pays 2:1 + luck bonus)
• Dealer Bust - Dealer goes over 21 (pays 2:1 + luck bonus)
• Push - Tie with the dealer (bet returned, possible luck bonus)

System Requirements

• Java 8 or higher
• Display resolution: 1024x768 or higher (recommended for full-screen)
• Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux

Project Structure

src/
├── data/
│   ├── Card.java          - Card data model (Serializable)
│   ├── Rank.java          - Card rank enum with values
│   ├── Suit.java          - Card suit enum
│   ├── ChipsDatabase.java - Persistent storage handler
│   ├── audio/             - Audio files folder
│   │   ├── click.wav      - Button click sound
│   │   ├── bet.wav        - Bet placement sound
│   │   ├── win.wav        - Win celebration sound
│   │   ├── lose.wav       - Loss sound
│   │   ├── push.wav       - Push/tie sound
│   │   └── background_music.wav - Background music
│   └── images/            - Image files folder
│       ├── logo.png       - Game logo
│       ├── PNG-cards-1.3/ - Playing card images
│       ├── First_Background.png
│       ├── Second_Background.webp
│       └── Third_Background.png
├── logic/
│   ├── Deck.java          - Deck management and shuffling
│   └── Hand.java          - Hand calculation and blackjack logic
├── network/
│   ├── GameMessage.java   - Network message protocol (Serializable)
│   ├── GameServer.java    - Server (dealer) networking logic
│   └── GameClient.java    - Client (player) networking logic
└── ui/
    ├── BlackjackGUI.java           - Main game interface
    ├── MultiplayerDialog.java      - Multiplayer mode selection
    ├── MultiplayerServerGUI.java   - Dealer server interface
    ├── MultiplayerClientGUI.java   - Player client interface
    ├── RedButton.java              - Custom styled button
    ├── AnimatedBackgroundPanel.java - Animated menu background
    ├── CardImages.java             - Card image loading and caching
    ├── PaymentDialog.java          - Virtual chip purchase interface
    ├── AudioManager.java           - Audio playback and volume control
    ├── UIConstants.java            - Centralized UI constants
    └── GraphicsUtil.java           - Graphics utility methods

Technical Highlights

Clean Code Architecture

• Separation of Concerns - Data, logic, and UI are separated into distinct packages
• No Code Repetition - Utility classes eliminate duplicate code
• Enum-Based Design - Card ranks and suits use enums with display methods
• Helper Methods - Dialog helpers and graphics utilities reduce boilerplate

Multiplayer Networking (Beta)

• TCP Sockets - Reliable connection between dealer and player
• Object Serialization - Game state transmitted as serializable objects
• Message Protocol - Comprehensive GameMessage class handles all game events
• Threaded I/O - Non-blocking network communication
• Real-time Sync - Card deals, bets, and results synchronized instantly
• Default Port - Uses port 7777
• Current Status - Beta feature, tested with same-PC instances using localhost

Performance Optimizations

• Image Caching - Card images are cached to prevent redundant loading
• Efficient Rendering - Graphics2D with antialiasing for smooth visuals
• Lazy Loading - Resources loaded only when needed

User Experience

• Immediate Feedback - Real-time updates to chips, bets, and game state
• Error Prevention - Buttons disabled when actions aren't available
• Persistent State - Game state automatically saved after every change

Running the Application

From Source

# Compile all files
javac -d bin src/**/*.java

# Run single player game
java -cp bin ui.BlackjackGUI

# Run multiplayer server (dealer)
java -cp bin ui.MultiplayerServerGUI

# Run multiplayer client (player) - replace <server-ip> with dealer's IP
java -cp bin ui.MultiplayerClientGUI <server-ip>

From IDE

Open the project in your favorite Java IDE and run BlackjackGUI.java

Credits

Developed as a final project for SE1course.

License

Educational project

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Note: This game uses test payment cards for demonstration purposes. No real money or payment processing is involved.