Thu, 17 Nov 2011, 01:54

A student writes:

> Hello Dr. Patt, 
> I noticed that there is a contradiction in the Nim instructions under 
> What to Do it says to update the board every time before determining 
> a winner and when that winner is determined print the appropriate string. 
> However in the Sample Input/Output which we are required to exactly match 
> a blank board isn't displayed after a player wins, instead it simply says 
> who won. Would mind clarifying which will receive full credit? Will we 
> lose points if we don't print a blank board before determining the winner? 
> 
> thanks so much! 
> <<name withheld to protect the student who is reading a little too carefully>>

Thanks for pointing this out to me.  The fact is that we really never intended
for you to display the game board with no rocks present!  The sample we provided
is what we are looking for.

We will change the wording of Lab 5, as follows:

    After a player has chosen a valid move, your program should check 
    for a winner.  If there is one, display the appropriate banner declaring 
    the winner.  If there is no winner, your program should update the state 
    of the game board to reflect the move, re-display the updated game board, 
    and continue with the next player's turn.

Good luck finishing the lab before Thanksgiving.

YNP