Middle East Map Game with C# in WPF

• Download demo - 249 KB
• Download source - 368 KB

Introduction

This is a simple game in WPF that gives you some information about working with XAML and C#. I also use a little LINQ for reading the XML files.

Background

There are some Flash games like this project here, I actually got the idea from there.

Using the code

First, I created Middle East's map. For that, I used a Pen of Expression Blend 2 . I put the original map image in the back of my layout space, and then I drew the lines according to the country borders with the Pen. At last, I had a Path code in XAML like this:

<Path Fill="#FF3DAB0F" Stretch="Fill" Stroke="#FF000000" 
    HorizontalAlignment="Right" Margin="0,39.687,0,192.468" 
    x:Name="Iran" Width="243.538" 
    Data="M151.72299,176.838 L154.42299,177.93799 151.82297,180.43799 
        149.823,181.53798 146.62303, ..." />

After creating the map, I created four Storyboards for my game:

<!-- When Mouse enters the bound of a country -->
<Storyboard x:Key="StoryboardMouseEnter">...</storyboard>
<!-- When Mouse leaves the bound of a country -->
<Storyboard x:Key="StoryboardMouseLeave">...</storyboard>
<!-- When the program should shows a new question -->
<Storyboard x:Key="StoryboardInfo1">...</storyboard><!-- fade out -->
<Storyboard x:Key="StoryboardInfo2">...</storyboard><!-- fade in -->

OK, now I have tocontrol them (Storyboards) with C#:

void country_MouseEnter(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    try
    {
        Path senderPath = (Path)sender;
        changeColorValue(senderPath.Name);
        StoryboardMouseEnter.Begin();
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Exception", MessageBoxButton.OK);
    }
}

void country_MouseLeave(object sender, MouseEventArgs e)
{
    try
    {
        StoryboardMouseLeave.Begin();
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Exception", MessageBoxButton.OK);
    }
}

//I've created a XML file and wrote country information in it (XMLcountriesInfo.XML)
//In this method I've used LINQ for reading information from XML file
void updateCountryInfo(string countryName)
{
    try
    {
        var countryNode = from c in xmlFile.Descendants(countryName)
        select c;
        var Area = (from q in countryNode.Descendants("Area")
                    select q).First().Value;
        var Population = (from q in countryNode.Descendants("Population")
                        select q).First().Value;
        var Capital = (from q in countryNode.Descendants("Capital")
                    select q).First().Value;
        var OfficialLanguage = (from q in countryNode.Descendants("OfficialLanguage")
                        select q).First().Value;
        var flagName = (from q in countryNode.Descendants("flagName")
                    select q).First().Value;
        //////////////////////////////////////////////
        this.NameOfCountry.Text = countryName;
        this.Flag.Source = new 
                BitmapImage(new Uri("Flags\\" + flagName, UriKind.Relative));
        this.area.Text = Area + " KM2";
        this.population.Text = Population;
        this.capital.Text = Capital;
        this.languages.Text = OfficialLanguage;
    }
    catch { }
}

After that, I check whether the user answers the question correctly or not:

void changeColorValue(string countryName)
{
    try
    {
        /////////////////////////////////
        //changing color of target path
        Color newColor = (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString(this.enterColorString);
        ColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames colorAnimationUsingKeyFrames 
            = (from c in StoryboardMouseEnter.Children
              where (Storyboard.GetTargetName(c) == countryName) 
              select c).First() as ColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames;
        colorAnimationUsingKeyFrames.KeyFrames[0].Value = newColor;
        ////////////////////////////////////////////// 
        //changing color of others path except target
        Color grayColor = (Color)ColorConverter.ConvertFromString(this.leaveColorString);
        var othersColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames = from c in StoryboardMouseEnter.Children
        where (Storyboard.GetTargetName(c) != countryName)
        select c;
        foreach (ColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames tmp in othersColorAnimationUsingKeyFrames)
        tmp.KeyFrames[0].Value = grayColor;
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
            MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Exception", MessageBoxButton.OK);
    }
}


void changeQuestion()
{
    try
    {
        string[] countries = new string[] { "Iran", "Turkey", 
            "Iraq", "Kuwait", "Bahrain", "Oman", 
            "Qatar", "SaudiArabia", "UAE", 
            "Yemen", "Israel", "Jordan", 
            "Lebanon", "Syria", "Egypt", 
            "Palestine" };
        Random rand = new Random(DateTime.Now.Second.GetHashCode());
        this.answer = countries[rand.Next(0, countries.Count() - 1)];
        StoryboardInfo1.Begin();
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Exception", MessageBoxButton.OK);
    }
}

void StoryboardInfo1_Completed(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    try
    {
        updateCountryInfo(this.answer);
        StoryboardInfo2.Begin();
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message, "Exception", MessageBoxButton.OK);
    }
}

History

• 03 December, 2008: First post.