♟️ Quarto Client-Server

A Java client-server implementation of the Quarto board game featuring offline AI gameplay, online multiplayer over a custom TCP protocol, and persistent player statistics backed by MySQL.

✨ Key Features

• Offline Mode: Single-player gameplay against an intelligent AI opponent.
• Online Multiplayer: Custom text-based protocol over raw TCP sockets for real-time game state synchronization.
• Robust Concurrency: Multi-threaded server utilizing a thread-per-connection model.
• Thread-Safe Matchmaking: Implemented using fair ReentrantLock(true) to eliminate race conditions and guarantee strict FIFO ordering.
• Modern UI: JavaFX desktop graphical interface with clear separation of concerns (MVC-inspired).
• Persistence: MySQL authentication and statistical tracking via a DAO-like pattern.

🎮 Game Interface

The engine provides a polished graphical interface for both local and network play.

Main Menu	Online Matchmaking

🏗️ Architecture Overview

This project follows a layered client-server architecture separating presentation, networking, business logic, and persistence layers. The system is architected for deterministic state synchronization, prioritizing thread safety and data integrity during dynamic player state transitions.

        +----------------+
        | JavaFX Client  |
        +-------+--------+
                |
         TCP Socket Protocol
                |
    +-----------+-----------+
    |   Matchmaking Server  |
    +-----------+-----------+
                |
          Game Sessions
                |
         +------+------+
         |    MySQL    |
         |  Database   |
         +-------------+

⚙️ Technical Specifications

Technologies

• Core: Java, JavaFX, TCP Sockets
• Concurrency: Multithreading, ReentrantLock
• Persistence: MySQL, JDBC

Implementation Details

• Networking: Custom TCP protocol utilizing java.net.Socket and BufferedReader/PrintWriter for stream framing.
• Connection Model: Thread-per-connection architecture using dedicated threads for isolated client sessions.
• Synchronization: Fair ReentrantLock(true) guaranteeing deterministic matchmaking and eliminating race conditions.
• UI Layer: MVC-inspired architecture with independent network layer and thread-safe UI updates via Platform.runLater().
• Persistence: MySQL integration for player authentication and statistical tracking via a DAO-like pattern.

🛠️ Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• JDK: 17 or higher.
• JavaFX SDK: Configured in your IDE module path.
• MySQL Server: Running locally.

Database Configuration

1. Create a MySQL database instance named quarto_db.
2. Run the provided schema script: quarto_db.sql.
3. Configure your database credentials (URL, User, Password) in src/server/db/DBHelper.java.

Execution

1. Launch the server application: TCPServer.java (Required for online multiplayer).
2. Launch the client application: Main.java (Supports offline AI mode and online matchmaking).