Results Screen

When a game ends, the current display simply shows “P1 WINS!” or “DRAW!” overlaid on the board. This unit creates a proper results screen with structured information: a header, final scores for both players in their colours, the winner announcement, and the victory margin.

The results screen transforms the end of game from an afterthought into a satisfying conclusion.

Run It

pasmonext --sna inkwar.asm inkwar.sna

Play a complete game to see the enhanced results screen with final scores and victory margin.

Results Screen Layout

The screen shows information in a clear hierarchy:

         GAME OVER

    P1:32          P2:32

       P1 WINS!
       BY 04 CELLS

     PRESS ANY KEY

Each element has a defined position:

The layout uses the lower portion of the screen, below the game board.

Enhanced Show Results

The show_results function now builds the complete results display:

Key improvements:

• “GAME OVER” header — Clear signal the game has ended
• Final scores — Both players’ scores displayed prominently with their colours
• Winner message — In the winner’s colour (P1 = red, P2 = blue)
• Victory margin — How many cells the winner led by

Calculating Victory Margin

When someone wins, we show the score difference:

The margin calculation uses neg to negate one score before adding:

ld      a, (p1_count)
ld      b, a
ld      a, (p2_count)
neg                         ; A = -p2_count
add     a, b                ; A = p1_count - p2_count

This gives the difference without needing a subtraction instruction.

Draw Handling

Draws skip the margin display entirely — there’s no meaningful difference to show:

.sr_draw:
            ; Display "DRAW!" (centred)
            ld      b, WINNER_ROW
            ld      c, WINNER_COL + 2
            ld      hl, msg_draw
            ld      e, TEXT_ATTR
            call    print_message
            ; No margin for draw - skip directly to prompt

The DRAW! message is centred differently (offset by 2) because it’s shorter than “P1 WINS!”.

Visual Consistency

The results screen maintains visual consistency with the rest of the game:

• P1’s score uses P1_TEXT attribute (red background)
• P2’s score uses P2_TEXT attribute (blue background)
• Winner message uses the winner’s colour
• Header and margin use neutral TEXT_ATTR

This colour coding reinforces the game’s visual language — players immediately recognise “their” colour.

The Complete Code

Try This: Percentage Display

Show victory as a percentage of the board:

; Calculate percentage: (score * 100) / 64
ld      a, (p1_count)
; ... multiply by 100, divide by 64 ...
; Display as "50%" instead of "32"

This gives players a different perspective on their performance.

Try This: Best Score Tracking

Track and display the highest winning margin:

best_margin:    defb    0

; After calculating margin:
ld      b, a                ; B = current margin
ld      a, (best_margin)
cp      b
jr      nc, .not_best
ld      a, b
ld      (best_margin), a    ; New record
; ... display "NEW RECORD!" ...

This adds replay value by giving players a target to beat.

What You’ve Learnt

• Screen composition — Building complex displays from simple elements
• Information hierarchy — Ordering content by importance
• Visual consistency — Maintaining colour coding throughout
• Calculation techniques — Using neg for subtraction

What’s Next

In Unit 16, we’ll complete Phase 1 with final polish and a complete playable game.

What Changed