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Home > Game Development > Game Scripting > Beginning C++ Game Programming
Beginning C++ Game Programming
Beginning C++ Game Programming

Beginning C++ Game Programming: Learn to program with C++ by building fun games , Second Edition

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Beginning C++ Game Programming

Chapter 2: Variables, Operators, and Decisions – Animating Sprites

In this chapter, we will do quite a bit more drawing on the screen and, to achieve this, we will need to learn about some of the basics of C++. We will learn how to use variables to remember and manipulate values, and we will begin to add more graphics to the game. As this chapter progresses, we will find out how we can manipulate these values to animate the graphics. These values are known as variables.

Here is what is in store:

  • Learning all about C++ variables
  • Seeing how to manipulate the values stored in variables
  • Adding a static tree graphic, ready for the player to chop away at
  • Drawing and animating a bee and three clouds

C++ variables

Variables are the way that our C++ games store and manipulate values/data. If we want to know how much health the player has, we need a variable. Perhaps you want to know how many zombies are left in the current wave. That is a variable as well. If you need to remember the name of the player who got a high score, you guessed it—we need a variable for that. Is the game over or still playing? Yes, that's a variable too.

Variables are named identifiers for locations in the memory of the PC. The memory of the PC is where computer programs are stored as they are being executed. So, we might name a variable numberOfZombies and that variable could refer to a place in memory that stores a value to represent the number of zombies that are left in the current wave.

The way that computer systems address locations in memory is complex. Programming languages use variables to give us a human-friendly way to manage our data in that memory.

The small amount we have...

Manipulating variables

At this point, we know exactly what variables are, the main types they can be, and how to declare and initialize them. We still can't do that much with them, however. We need to manipulate our variables; add them; take them away; and multiply, divide, and test them.

First, we will deal with how we can manipulate them and then we will look at how and why we test them.

C++ arithmetic and assignment operators

In order to manipulate variables, C++ has a range of arithmetic operators and assignment operators. Fortunately, most arithmetic and assignment operators are quite intuitive to use and those that aren't are quite easy to explain. To get us started, let's look at a table of arithmetic operators, followed by a table of assignment operators, all of which we will regularly use throughout this book:

And now for the assignment operators:

Important note

Technically, all of these operators...

Adding clouds, a tree, and a buzzing bee

In this section, we will add clouds, a tree, and a buzzing bee to our Timber!!! game. First, we will add a tree. This is going to be easy. The reason for this is because the tree doesn't move. We will use the same procedure that we used in the previous chapter when we drew the background. The bee and the clouds will also be easy to draw in their starting positions, but we will need to combine what we have just learned about manipulating variables with some new C++ topics to make them move.

Preparing the tree

Let's get ready to draw the tree! Add the following highlighted code. Notice the unhighlighted code, which is the code we have already written. This should help you to identify that the new code should be typed immediately after we set the position of the background but before the start of the main game loop. We will provide a recap regarding what is going on in the new code after we have added it:

int main()
{
 ...

Random numbers

Random numbers are useful for lots of reasons in games—perhaps determining what card the player is dealt or how much damage within a certain range is subtracted from an enemy's health. We will now learn how to generate random numbers to determine the starting location and speed of the bee and the clouds.

Generating random numbers in C++

To generate random numbers, we will need to use some more C++ functions—two more, to be precise. Don't add any code to the game yet. Let's just look at the syntax and the steps that are required with some hypothetical code.

Computers can't genuinely pick random numbers. They can only use algorithms/calculations to pick a number that appears to be random. So that this algorithm doesn't constantly return the same value, we must seed the random number generator. The seed can be any integer number, although it must be a different seed each time you require a unique random number. Look at the...

Making decisions with if and else

The C++ if and else keywords are what allow us to make decisions. We have already seen if in action in the previous chapter when we detected whether the player had pressed the Esc key each frame:

if (Keyboard::isKeyPressed(Keyboard::Escape))
{
    window.close();
}

So far, we have seen how we can use arithmetic and assignment operators to create expressions. Now, we will look at some new operators.

Logical operators

Logical operators are going to help us to make decisions by building expressions that can be tested for a value of either true or false. At first, this might seem like quite a narrow choice and insufficient for the kind of choices that might be needed in an advanced PC game. Once we dig a little deeper, we will see that we can make all of the required decisions we will need with just a few of the logical operators.

Here is a table of the most useful logical operators. Look at them and the associated examples...

Timing

Before we can move the bee and the clouds, we need to consider timing. As we already know, the main game loop executes repeatedly until the player presses the Escape key.

We have also learned that C++ and SFML are exceptionally fast. In fact, my aging laptop executes a simple game loop (like the current one) at around five thousand times per second.

The frame rate problem

Let's consider the speed of the bee. For the purpose of discussion, we could pretend that we are going to move it at 200 pixels per second. On a screen that is 1,920 pixels wide, it would take, very approximately, 10 seconds to cross the entire width, because 10 x 200 is 2,000 (near enough to 1,920).

Furthermore, we know that we can position any of our sprites with setPosition(...,...). We just need to put the x and the y coordinates in the parentheses.

In addition to setting the position of a sprite, we can also get the current position of a sprite. To get the horizontal x coordinate of...

Moving the clouds and the bee

Let's use the elapsed time since the last frame to breathe life into the bee and the clouds. This will solve the problem of having a consistent frame rate across different PCs.

Giving life to the bee

The first thing we want to do is set up the bee at a certain height and a certain speed. We only want to do this when the bee is inactive. Due to this, we will wrap the following code in an if block. Examine and add the following highlighted code, and then we will discuss it:

/*
****************************************
Update the scene
****************************************
*/
// Measure time
Time dt = clock.restart();
// Setup the bee
if (!beeActive)
{
    // How fast is the bee
    srand((int)time(0));
    beeSpeed = (rand() % 200) + 200;
    // How high is the bee
    srand((int)time(0) * 10);
    float height = (rand(...

Summary

In this chapter, we learned that a variable is a named storage location in memory in which we can keep values of a specific type. The types include int, float, double, bool, String, and char.

We can declare and initialize all of the variables we need to store the data for our game. Once we have our variables, we can manipulate them using the arithmetic and assignment operators, as well as use them in tests with the logical operators. Used in conjunction with the if and else keywords, we can branch our code depending on the current situation in the game.

Using all of this new knowledge, we animated some clouds and a bee. In the next chapter, we will use these skills some more to add a Heads Up Display (HUD) and add more input options for the player, as well as represent time visually using a time-bar.

FAQ

Q) Why do we set the bee to inactive when it gets to -100? Why not just zero since zero is the left-hand side of the window?

A) The bee graphic is 60 pixels wide and its origin is at the top left pixel. As a result, when the bee is drawn with its origin at x equals zero, the entire bee graphic is still on screen for the player to see. By waiting until it is at -100, we can be sure it is out of the player's view.

Q) How do I know how fast my game loop is?

A) If you have a modern NVIDIA graphics card, you might be able to already by configuring your GeForce Experience overlay to show the frame rate. To measure this explicitly using our own code, however, we will need to learn a few more things. We will add the ability to measure and display the current frame rate in Chapter 5, Collisions, Sound, and End Conditions – Making the Game Playable.

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Key benefits

  • Learn game development and C++ with a fun, example-driven approach
  • Build clones of popular games such as Timberman, Zombie Survival Shooter, a co-op puzzle platformer, and Space Invaders
  • Discover tips to expand your finished games by thinking critically, technically, and creatively

Description

The second edition of Beginning C++ Game Programming is updated and improved to include the latest features of Visual Studio 2019, SFML, and modern C++ programming techniques. With this book, you’ll get a fun introduction to game programming by building five fully playable games of increasing complexity. You’ll learn to build clones of popular games such as Timberman, Pong, a Zombie survival shooter, a coop puzzle platformer and Space Invaders. The book starts by covering the basics of programming. You’ll study key C++ topics, such as object-oriented programming (OOP) and C++ pointers, and get acquainted with the Standard Template Library (STL). The book helps you learn about collision detection techniques and game physics by building a Pong game. As you build games, you’ll also learn exciting game programming concepts such as particle effects, directional sound (spatialization), OpenGL programmable shaders, spawning objects, and much more. Finally, you’ll explore game design patterns to enhance your C++ game programming skills. By the end of the book, you’ll have gained the knowledge you need to build your own games with exciting features from scratch

Who is this book for?

This book is perfect for you if you have no C++ programming knowledge, you need a beginner-level refresher course, or you want to learn how to build games or just use games as an engaging way to learn C++. Whether you aspire to publish a game (perhaps on Steam) or just want to impress friends with your creations, you’ll find this book useful.

What you will learn

  • Set up your game development project in Visual Studio 2019 and explore C++ libraries such as SFML
  • Explore C++ OOP by building a Pong game
  • Understand core game concepts such as game animation, game physics, collision detection, scorekeeping, and game sound
  • Use classes, inheritance, and references to spawn and control thousands of enemies and shoot rapid-fire machine guns
  • Add advanced features to your game using pointers, references, and the STL
  • Scale and reuse your game code by learning modern game programming design patterns
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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Oct 31, 2019
Length: 746 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781838648572
Category :
Game Development
Languages :
C++
Concepts :
Game Scripting
Tools :
SFML

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Product Details

Publication date : Oct 31, 2019
Length: 746 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781838648572
Category :
Game Development
Languages :
C++
Concepts :
Game Scripting
Tools :
SFML

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Table of Contents

24 Chapters
Chapter 1: C++, SFML, Visual Studio, and Starting the First Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 1: C++, SFML, Visual Studio, and Starting the First Game
The games we will build
Meet C++
Microsoft Visual Studio
SFML
Setting up the development environment
Planning Timber!!!
The project assets
Understanding screen and internal coordinates
Getting started with coding the game
Opening a window using SFML
The main game loop
Drawing the game’s background
Handling errors
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 2: Variables, Operators, and Decisions – Animating Sprites Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 2: Variables, Operators, and Decisions – Animating Sprites
C++ variables
Manipulating variables
Adding clouds, a tree, and a buzzing bee
Random numbers
Making decisions with if and else
Timing
Moving the clouds and the bee
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 3: C++ Strings and SFML Time – Player Input and HUD Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 3: C++ Strings and SFML Time – Player Input and HUD
Pausing and restarting the game
C++ Strings
SFML's Text and Font classes
Implementing the HUD
Adding a time-bar
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 4: Loops, Arrays, Switches, Enumerations, and Functions – Implementing Game Mechanics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 4: Loops, Arrays, Switches, Enumerations, and Functions – Implementing Game Mechanics
Loops
Arrays
Making decisions with switch
Class enumerations
Getting started with functions
Growing the branches
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 5: Collisions, Sound, and End Conditions – Making the Game Playable Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 5: Collisions, Sound, and End Conditions – Making the Game Playable
Preparing the player (and other sprites)
Drawing the player and other sprites
Handling the player's input
Handling death
Simple sound FX
Improving the game and the code
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 6: Object-Oriented Programming – Starting the Pong Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 6: Object-Oriented Programming – Starting the Pong Game
OOP
The theory of a Pong Bat
Creating the Pong project
Coding the Bat class
Using the Bat class and coding the main function
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 7: Dynamic Collision Detection and Physics – Finishing the Pong Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 7: Dynamic Collision Detection and Physics – Finishing the Pong Game
Coding the Ball class
Using the Ball class
Collision detection and scoring
Running the game
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 8: SFML Views – Starting the Zombie Shooter Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 8: SFML Views – Starting the Zombie Shooter Game
Planning and starting the Zombie Arena game
OOP and the Zombie Arena project
Building the player – the first class
Controlling the game camera with SFML View
Starting the Zombie Arena game engine
Managing the code files
Starting to code the main game loop
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 9: C++ References, Sprite Sheets, and Vertex Arrays Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 9: C++ References, Sprite Sheets, and Vertex Arrays
C++ references
SFML vertex arrays and sprite sheets
Creating a randomly generated scrolling background
Using the background
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 10: Pointers, the Standard Template Library, and Texture Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 10: Pointers, the Standard Template Library, and Texture Management
Learning about Pointers
The Standard Template Library
The TextureHolder class
Building a horde of zombies
Using the TextureHolder class for all textures
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 11: Collision Detection, Pickups, and Bullets Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 11: Collision Detection, Pickups, and Bullets
Coding the Bullet class
Making the bullets fly
Giving the player a crosshair
Coding a class for pickups
Using the Pickup class
Detecting collisions
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 12: Layering Views and Implementing the HUD Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 12: Layering Views and Implementing the HUD
Adding all the Text and HUD objects
Updating the HUD
Drawing the HUD, home, and level-up screens
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 13: Sound Effects, File I/O, and Finishing the Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 13: Sound Effects, File I/O, and Finishing the Game
Saving and loading the high score
Preparing sound effects
Leveling up
Restarting the game
Playing the rest of the sounds
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 14: Abstraction and Code Management – Making Better Use of OOP Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 14: Abstraction and Code Management – Making Better Use of OOP
The Thomas Was Late game
Structuring the Thomas Was Late code
Building the game engine
Coding the main function
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 15: Advanced OOP – Inheritance and Polymorphism Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 15: Advanced OOP – Inheritance and Polymorphism
Inheritance
Polymorphism
Abstract classes – virtual and pure virtual functions
Building the PlayableCharacter class
Building the Thomas and Bob classes
Updating the game engine to use Thomas and Bob
Summary
FAQ
Chapter 16: Building Playable Levels and Collision Detection Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 16: Building Playable Levels and Collision Detection
Designing some levels
Building the LevelManager class
Coding the loadLevel function
Updating the engine
Collision detection
Summary
Chapter 17: Sound Spatialization and the HUD Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 17: Sound Spatialization and the HUD
What is spatialization?
Handling spatialization using SFML
Building the SoundManager class
Adding SoundManager to the game engine
Populating the sound emitters
Playing sounds
Implementing the HUD class
Using the HUD class
Summary
Chapter 18: Particle Systems and Shaders Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 18: Particle Systems and Shaders
Building a particle system
Exploring SFML's Drawable class and OOP
OpenGL, Shaders, and GLSL
Summary
Chapter 19: Game Programming Design Patterns – Starting the Space Invaders ++ Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 19: Game Programming Design Patterns – Starting the Space Invaders ++ Game
Space Invaders ++
Design patterns
C++ smart pointers
Casting smart pointers
C++ assertions
Creating the Space Invaders ++ project
Where are we now?
Coding the Screen class and its dependents
Adding the WorldState.h file
Coding the derived classes for the select screen
Coding the derived classes for the game screen
Running the game
Summary
Chapter 20: Game Objects and Components Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 20: Game Objects and Components
Preparing to code the components
Coding the Component base class
Coding the collider components
Coding the graphics components
Coding the TransformComponent class
Coding update components
Coding the GameObject class
Summary
Chapter 21: File I/O and the Game Object Factory Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 21: File I/O and the Game Object Factory
The structure of the file I/O and factory classes
Describing an object in the world
Coding the GameObjectBlueprint class
Coding the ObjectTags class
Coding the BlueprintObjectParser class
Coding the PlayModeObjectLoader class
Coding the GameObjectFactoryPlayMode class
Coding the GameObjectSharer class
Coding the LevelManager class
Updating the ScreenManager and ScreenManagerRemoteControl classes
Where are we now?
Summary
Chapter 22: Using Game Objects and Building a Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 22: Using Game Objects and Building a Game
Spawning bullets
Handling the player's input
Coding the PhysicsEnginePlayMode class
Making the game
Understanding the flow of execution and debugging
Reusing the code to make a different game and building a design mode
Summary
Chapter 23: Before You Go... Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 23: Before You Go...
Thanks!
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J Anderson Jan 27, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
The method the author uses may not be for everyone, but for me, it's exactly what I've been looking for.I picked up C++ a few months ago in order to get to a point in which I could make my own game(s), or to get a job in game programming. I've learned a lot about C++ but also much about myself as a learner in my 30s, trying to pick something up that is, essentially, another language. I've read through the first 15-25% of multiple text books since having started. I enjoy learning new programming concepts, and getting further into the knowledge of C++, but most of the resources I'd found were either [A] not actually teaching game programming but were teaching general programming with C++, or [B] the "games" being taught in these books were command line text-based games, nothing all that directly applicable to a rendered 2D/3D game that I wanted to create from the very beginning.This book starts right off the bat getting the reader in with very simple concepts to get a window to open and pop up, which is far more than any of the other books I'd read into had done. It then teaches you directly how to use SFML to attach textures to sprites, and then render said sprites on the screen.One thing that might be a tad intimidating is that the author introduces classes VERY early, like within the first few pages of the book, but it is a necessity and, so long as the reader can somewhat grasp that a class is like a template, and an object is a single usage of said template, the reader will be able to follow along. The book is challenging but being able to step-by-step read how he breaks down each bit of code is enough to get me over those challenging parts.I've just completed Chapter 5 and the first full game engine the author walks you through coding. To be introduced to beginner concepts by building a game engine is exactly what I'd been looking for this entire time but hadn't found. The author walks the reader through every single line of code, explains what it does and why it's there. It's really wonderful. I've learned so much more relevant information in this book in the first 5 chapters than everything I'd read on C++ prior, and I'm actually excited to continue.I truly am grateful for this book. Packt.com was having a sale so I got the ebook for 5 bucks, but this is worth so much more. I'll be purchasing the print version soon enough to support the author.If you're interested in actual game development, game engine programming, and you're a bit of a noob, you need to check this book out. I absolutely love it. It's exactly what I've been looking for.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
R. Tkatch Jul 26, 2021
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The book is simple because the author is teaching someone that knows nothing about c++ including basic data structures. However, for this is a perfect approach even for the one who knows this because it gives the student a simple example to make into more refined code. This gives an example but allows one to put their approach to it. I have only gotten a bit into the book. I will update this review when I get closer to the end.
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JKG Feb 24, 2021
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C++ fundamentals are laid out in an easy to read and easy to follow format. Plenty of practice exercises to reinforce the material.
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satcom4fun Mar 13, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I really liked the incremental approach to learning C++ using games. The final game architecture is amazing and shows how to abstract game components into classes. Just what I needed.
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Dawit Mar 02, 2021
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book is pretty pog!
Amazon Verified review Amazon

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About the author

Profile icon John Horton
John Horton
John Horton is a programming and gaming enthusiast based in the UK. He has a passion for writing apps, games, books, and blog articles. He is the founder of Game Code School.
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