CONTRACTS: Proposal for Contract Progression System (#2230)

markdown/bitburner.codingcontractobject.md

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export type CodingContractObject = {
     data: CodingContractSignatures[T][0];
     submit: (answer: CodingContractSignatures[T][1] | string) => string;
     description: string;
+    difficulty: number;
     numTriesRemaining: () => number;
   };
 }[keyof CodingContractSignatures];

src/CodingContract/ContractGenerator.ts

@@ -70,17 +70,20 @@ export function tryGeneratingRandomContract(numberOfTries: number): void {
 }
 
 export function generateRandomContract(): void {
-  // First select a random problem type
-  const problemType = getRandomProblemType();
-
-  // Then select a random reward type. 'Money' will always be the last reward type
-  const reward = getRandomReward();
-
   // Choose random server
   const randServer = getRandomServer();
   if (randServer === null) {
     return;
   }
+  // Then select a random reward type. 'Money' will always be the last reward type
+  const reward = getRandomReward();
+
+  // Finally select a random problem type.
+  // Difficulty is capped to not overwhelm a new player.
+  const totalSFs = [...Player.sourceFiles].reduce<number>((total, [__bn, lvl]) => (total += lvl), 0);
+  const maxDif = 2 * totalSFs + 1;
+
+  const problemType = getRandomProblemType(maxDif);
 
   const contractFn = getRandomFilename(randServer, reward);
   const contract = new CodingContract(contractFn, problemType, reward);
@@ -179,8 +182,8 @@ function sanitizeRewardType(rewardType: CodingContractRewardType): CodingContrac
   return type;
 }
 
-function getRandomProblemType(): CodingContractName {
-  const problemTypes = Object.values(CodingContractName);
+function getRandomProblemType(maxDif = 10): CodingContractName {
+  const problemTypes = Object.values(CodingContractName).filter((x) => CodingContractTypes[x].difficulty <= maxDif);
   const randIndex = getRandomIntInclusive(0, problemTypes.length - 1);
 
   return problemTypes[randIndex];

src/CodingContract/contracts/AlgorithmicStockTrader.ts

@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ export const algorithmicStockTrader: Pick<
         "If no profit can be made, then the answer should be 0.",
       ].join(" ");
     },
-    difficulty: 5,
+    difficulty: 4,
     generate: (): number[] => {
       const len: number = getRandomIntInclusive(3, 50);
       const arr: number[] = [];

src/CodingContract/contracts/ArrayJumpingGame.ts

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export const arrayJumpingGame: Pick<
         "Your answer should be submitted as 1 or 0, representing true and false respectively.",
       ].join(" ");
     },
-    difficulty: 2.5,
+    difficulty: 2,
     generate: (): number[] => {
       const len: number = getRandomIntInclusive(3, 25);
       const arr: number[] = [];

src/CodingContract/contracts/HammingCode.ts

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ export const hammingCode: Pick<
   CodingContractName.HammingCodesEncodedBinaryToInteger | CodingContractName.HammingCodesIntegerToEncodedBinary
 > = {
   [CodingContractName.HammingCodesIntegerToEncodedBinary]: {
-    difficulty: 5,
+    difficulty: 6,
     desc: (n: number): string => {
       return [
         "You are given the following decimal value: \n",
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ export const hammingCode: Pick<
     validateAnswer: (ans): ans is string => typeof ans === "string",
   },
   [CodingContractName.HammingCodesEncodedBinaryToInteger]: {
-    difficulty: 8,
+    difficulty: 9,
     desc: (n: string): string => {
       return [
         "You are given the following encoded binary string: \n",

src/CodingContract/contracts/TotalWaysToSum.ts

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ export const totalWaysToSum: Pick<
         "two positive integers?",
       ].join(" ");
     },
-    difficulty: 1.5,
+    difficulty: 1,
     generate: (): number => {
       return getRandomIntInclusive(8, 100);
     },

src/Documentation/doc/basic/codingcontracts.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ They can be accessed through the [Terminal](terminal.md) or through [Scripts](sc
 Each contract has a limited number of attempts.
 If you provide the wrong answer too many times and exceed the number of attempts, the contract will self destruct (delete itself).
 
-Currently, Coding Contracts are randomly generated and spawned over time.
+Coding Contracts are randomly generated and spawn over time. Initially, you'll only see a small range of the easier contracts, but as you progress further through the game more challenging ones will unlock.
 They can appear on any [server](servers.md) (including your home computer), except for your purchased [servers](servers.md).
 
 ## Running in Terminal
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ Interacting with Coding Contracts via the [Terminal](terminal.md) can be tedious
 Consider using the [API](https://github.com/bitburner-official/bitburner-src/blob/stable/markdown/bitburner.codingcontract.md) to automate various aspects of your solution.
 For example, some contracts have long solutions while others have even longer solutions.
 You might want to use the [API](https://github.com/bitburner-official/bitburner-src/blob/stable/markdown/bitburner.codingcontract.md) to automate the process of submitting your solution rather than copy and paste a long solution into an answer box.
+The [Coding Contract API](https://github.com/bitburner-official/bitburner-src/blob/stable/markdown/bitburner.codingcontract.md) can also be used to find out useful information about a contract including the number of attempts you have left, the type of contract and its difficulty.
 
 However, using the [API](https://github.com/bitburner-official/bitburner-src/blob/stable/markdown/bitburner.codingcontract.md) comes at a cost.
 Like most functions in other APIs, almost all of the functions in the [Coding Contract API](https://github.com/bitburner-official/bitburner-src/blob/stable/markdown/bitburner.codingcontract.md) have a RAM cost.
@@ -67,7 +68,6 @@ There are currently four possible rewards for solving a Coding Contract:
 - Money
 
 The `amount` of the reward varies based on the difficulty of the problem posed by the Coding Contract.
-There is no way to know what a Coding Contract's exact reward will be until it is solved.
 
 ## Notes
 

src/NetscriptFunctions/CodingContract.ts

@@ -92,7 +92,6 @@ export function NetscriptCodingContract(): InternalAPI<ICodingContract> {
       const filename = helpers.string(ctx, "filename", _filename);
       const host = _host ? helpers.string(ctx, "host", _host) : ctx.workerScript.hostname;
       const contract = getCodingContract(ctx, host, filename);
-
       return structuredClone(contract.getData());
     },
     getContract: (ctx) => (_filename, _host?) => {
@@ -109,6 +108,7 @@ export function NetscriptCodingContract(): InternalAPI<ICodingContract> {
           return attemptContract(ctx, server, contract, answer);
         },
         description: contract.getDescription(),
+        difficulty: contract.getDifficulty(),
         numTriesRemaining: () => {
           helpers.checkEnvFlags(ctx);
           return contract.getMaxNumTries() - contract.tries;

src/ScriptEditor/NetscriptDefinitions.d.ts

@@ -8780,6 +8780,7 @@ export type CodingContractObject = {
     data: CodingContractSignatures[T][0];
     submit: (answer: CodingContractSignatures[T][1] | string) => string;
     description: string;
+    difficulty: number;
     numTriesRemaining: () => number;
   };
 }[keyof CodingContractSignatures];