Contributing

Thank you for your interest in contributing to UNO Card Game RL!

Getting Started

1. Fork the Repository

Fork the repository on GitHub and clone your fork:

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/uno-card-game-rl.git
cd uno-card-game-rl

2. Set Up Development Environment

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # or venv\Scripts\activate on Windows

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

3. Create a Branch

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Development Guidelines

Code Style

We follow PEP 8 with some modifications:

Line length: 100 characters
Use type hints where possible
Docstrings for all public functions/classes

def calculate_reward(done: bool, winner: int) -> float:
    """
    Calculate reward for the current step.

    Args:
        done: Whether the game is finished
        winner: Index of winning player (-1 if ongoing)

    Returns:
        Reward value: 1.0 for win, -1.0 for loss, 0.0 otherwise
    """
    if not done:
        return 0.0
    return 1.0 if winner == 0 else -1.0

Testing

Write tests for new features:

# Run all tests
pytest tests/ -v

# Run specific test file
pytest tests/test_game.py -v

# Run with coverage
pytest tests/ --cov=src --cov-report=html

Documentation

Update documentation for any changes:

# Build docs locally
cd docs
make html

# View in browser
open _build/html/index.html

Pull Request Process

1. Ensure Tests Pass

pytest tests/ -v

2. Update Documentation

Update docstrings
Update relevant .rst files
Add to CHANGELOG if significant

3. Submit PR

Provide clear description of changes
Reference any related issues
Include screenshots for GUI changes

4. Code Review

Address reviewer feedback
Keep commits clean and focused

Types of Contributions

Bug Fixes

Check existing issues first
Include test case that reproduces bug
Explain the fix in PR description

New Features

Discuss in issue first for major features
Include tests and documentation
Follow existing code patterns

Algorithm Improvements

Include benchmark comparisons
Document hyperparameters used
Provide training logs

Documentation

Fix typos and clarify explanations
Add examples and tutorials
Improve API documentation

Areas for Contribution

We especially welcome contributions in:

New RL Algorithms: Implement and benchmark new algorithms
Hyperparameter Tuning: Find better configurations
GUI Improvements: Better graphics, animations
Testing: Increase test coverage
Documentation: Tutorials, examples
Performance: Optimization, profiling

Code of Conduct

Please be respectful and constructive in all interactions.

Be welcoming to newcomers
Provide helpful feedback
Focus on the code, not the person
Assume good intentions

Questions?

Open an issue for bugs or features
Use discussions for questions
Check existing issues before posting

Thank you for contributing! 🎮