Play Dou Dizhu Inside IntelliJ IDEA: A Complete Step‑by‑Step Guide

Introduction

If playing chess in IDEA feels excessive, battling a landlord in Dou Dizhu is even more outrageous – and this guide shows you how.

1. Login

Enter the server with the command #login {nickname}.

2. View Game List

Show available games using #showGame.

3. Start a Game

Run a specific game with #play {game_id}. For example:

#play 1

The plugin supports both single‑player (human vs robot) and multiplayer modes.

Single‑Player Mode

Click the “Start Game” button to begin. The built‑in robot is intentionally weak, so be prepared for quirky moves.

Gameplay Steps

① Call Points

After the game starts, the system randomly selects a player to call points (1‑3). The highest caller becomes the landlord; if nobody calls, the cards are reshuffled.

② Play Cards

Select cards and click the “Play” button when it becomes clickable. If you cannot or do not want to play, click “Pass!” to skip.

③ Multiplayer Mode

Click “Create Room” to make a 2‑player or 3‑player room, then invite others with the “Invite” button. Players join using #join. Once everyone is ready, click “Start Game”.

4. Debug (Safe “Fish‑Catching”) Mode

In the lower‑right “Debug Mode” you can change the UI display:

Default : Normal game view.

Soft : Hides the game title and suit symbols, using the IDE theme color for cards.

Hard : Shows “Synergy Debugging” with machine‑style player names, and card values in hexadecimal.

To hide the chat window, enable “Fish‑Catching” mode with #mode 1 and then clean the screen with #clean, which removes chat history.

Source Code

The plugin’s source code is available at:

https://github.com/anlingyi/xechat-idea