bs: No more pens and paper

Here’s another one I should have mentioned long before now: Battleships, which is probably in your repos as just bs.

Of course, finding it might be a trick, considering how short the name is. Which is appropriate, given the game itself.

If you’ve never played the pen-and-paper version, or the two-player kit game that was popular 30 or 40 years ago, the premise is simple, and the rules are more or less in the public domain. I daresay this electronic version is a good way to learn it.

Mostly because bs has an exceptionally clean, well-designed interface. Both maps are simultaneously visible, cell selection is done with arrow keys or keyboard equivalents, and the computer’s counterattacks are quick and easily visible. You can place your ships manually or have them randomly assigned.

Win the game, and bs asks politely for a rematch. There are options to play blitz mode (score a hit and keep firing) or salvo (fire five shots in a row), and to pack ships tightly as a defensive strategy.

In sum, bs takes the basic premise of the game, streamlines it for clean and concentrated play, adds enough options to keep you interested, and takes out a lot of the drudgery of the pen-and-paper version.

If every program did that much, my job would be a lot easier. 😉 A well-deserved K.Mandla gold star for Battleships: ⭐ 😉