Table Of ContentCreating Games in C++: A Step-by-Step Guide
By David Conger, Ron Little
...............................................
Publisher: New Riders
Pub Date: February 21, 2006
Print ISBN-10: 0-7357-1434-7
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-7357-1434-2
Pages: 464
Table of Contents | Index
Do you love video games? Ever wondered if you could create one of your own, with all the bells and whistles?
It's not as complicated as you'd think, and you don't need to be a math whiz or a programming genius to do it.
In fact, everything you need to create your first game, "Invasion of the Slugwroths," is included in this book and
CD-ROM. Author David Conger starts at square one, introducing the tools of the trade and all the basic
concepts for getting started programming with C++, the language that powers most current commercial games.
Plus, he's put a wealth of top-notch (and free) tools on the CD-ROM, including the Dev-C++ compiler, linker,
and debugger--and his own LlamaWorks2D game engine. Step-by-step instructions and ample illustrations take
you through game program structure, integrating sound and music into games, floating-point math, C++
arrays, and much more. Using the sample programs and the source code to run them, you can follow along as
you learn. Bio: David Conger has been programming professionally for over 23 years. Along with countless
custom business applications, he has written several PC and online games. Conger also worked on graphics
firmware for military aircraft, and taught computer science at the university level for four years. Conger has
written numerous books on C, C++, and other computer-related topics. He lives in western Washington State
and has also published a collection of Indian folk tales.
Creating Games in C++: A Step-by-Step Guide
By David Conger, Ron Little
...............................................
Publisher: New Riders
Pub Date: February 21, 2006
Print ISBN-10: 0-7357-1434-7
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-7357-1434-2
Pages: 464
Table of Contents | Index
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Introduction
What's Different About This Book
What's in This Book?
System Requirements
Free Stuff on the CD
Who Am I?
Part 1: The Really Basic Stuff
Chapter 1. What it Takes to be a Game Programmer
Programming Skills
Computer Graphics Skills
Game Design Skills
Art Skills
Sound and Music Skills
Summary
Chapter 2. Writing C++ Programs
Introducing the Dev-C++ Compiler
Programming in C++
Essential Math Operators
Loops
While Loops
Do-while loops
Windows Programming
Game Programming
Summary
Part 2: ObjectOriented Programming in Games
Chapter 3. Introducing Object-Oriented Programming
Software Objects
Classes
Logical Operators
The If-Else Statement
Namespaces and Scope Resolution
A Brief Word About Structures
Summary
Chapter 4. Introducing the LlamaWorks2D Game Engine
A Step-by-Step Overview
How Does Llamaworks2D Work?
A Stationary Ball
A Bouncing Ball
Getting Good Results
Summary
Chapter 5. Function and Operator Overloading
What Is Overloading?
Implementing a Vector Class with Overloading
Summary
Chapter 6. Inheritance: Getting a Lot for a Little
What Is Inheritance?
Deriving Classes
Protected Members
Overriding Base Class Functions
Customizing Your Game with Inheritance
Summary
Part 3: The Essentials of Game Development
Chapter 7. Program Structure
Program Structure
File Structure
A Game Called Ping
Summary
Chapter 8. Sound Effects and Music
Sound Effects and Music Are Emotion
Storing Sound Data
Sound Effects in LlamaWorks2D
Noise, Sweet Noise
Play That Funky Music, Geek Boy
Summary
Part 4: Graduating to Better C++
Chapter 9. Floating-Point Math in C++
Getting into the Guts of Floating-Point Numbers
Case Study: Floating-Point Numbers and Gamespaces
Summary
Chapter 10. Arrays
What Are Arrays?
Declaring and Using Arrays
Initializing Arrays
Problems with Array Boundaries
Summary
Chapter 11. Pointers
Why Are Pointers Important to Games?
Declaring and Using Pointers
Pointers and Dynamic Memory Allocation
Pointers and Inheritance
Arrays Are Pointers in Disguise
Summary
Chapter 12. File Input and Output
Games and File I/O
Types of Files
Summary
Chapter 13. Moving into Real Game Development
Sprites that Come Alive
High-Speed Input
Summary
Part 5: The Big Payoff
Chapter 14. No Slime Allowed: Invasion of the Slugwroths
What It Takes to Make a Real Game
Essential Game Design
Designing Invasion of the Slugwroths
Summary
Chapter 15. Captain Chloride Gets Going
Introducing Captain Chloride
Pulling It Together In The Game Class
Summary
Chapter 16. The World of Captain Chloride
The New Captain Chloride
Levels in LlamaWorks2D
Summary
Chapter 17. Captain Chloride Encounters Solid Objects
Bumping into a Solid Door
Picking Up a Key
Making the Door Open and Close
Summary
Chapter 18. That's a Wrap!
Time for Consolidation
Enter villains, Stage Left
Additions to the Game
Epilogue: Not the End
Glossary
Index
Copyright
Creating Games in C++: A Step-by-Step Guide
David Conger with Ron Little
New Riders
1249 Eighth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
510/524-2178
800/283-9444
510/524-2221 (fax)
Find us on the Web at: www.newriders.com
To report errors, please send a note to
The information in this book is distributed on an "As Is" basis without
warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the
book, neither the author nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or
entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused
directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the
computer software and hardware products described in it.
Trademarks
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish
their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in
this book, and Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations
appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names
and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only
and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the
trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey
endorsement or other affiliation with this book.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed and bound in the United States of America
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my mother, Jan Conger, for all the good that she has
done and still does.
Thanks, Mom.
Acknowledgments
This book has been one of the hardest projects I've ever worked on. Not
because the book itself was hard to write, but because of three major
computer crashes (and two replacement motherboards), two serious illnesses,
two surgeries, having to change compilers after the third chapter, and having
to entirely rewrite the game engine after the fourth. I can honestly say that I
could not have got through this book without the support of all those who
worked on it. I especially want to thank Kristin Kalning, who is simply the best
project editor I've ever worked with. Thanks also to Davina Baum, Liz Welch,
Myrna Vladic, Owen Wolfson, Eric Geoffroy, Aren Howell, and Denise Lincoln.
I especially want to thank Ron Little. His technical edits were excellent. And
without his help on the sample programs for the last five chapters, I'd probably
still be working on this book.
Introduction
The first video game I ever played (at age 13) was Pong. It was a very simple
ping-pong simulation. During my teenage years, a few, more advanced games
appeared on the market. Most notable were the Atari games such as Missile
Command, a nuclear warfare simulator. When I was 19, I went to live for a
couple of years in Japan. There I discovered a whole new worldseveral, in fact.
Around the time I arrived in Japan, the game Space Invaders had just crested
its phenomenal wave of popularity. I had never seen anything so cool. By the
time I returned to the United States, video games were everywhere.
In the fall of 1981, I started college. Keith, a longtime friend and roommate,
pointed to a class in the university's catalog and told me, "You have to take
this programming class. I know you'll love it." He was right. By the time two
weeks had passed, I knew I would be working with computers for the rest of
my life.
And what did I specialize in? Graphics and games, of course.
When I started writing games in college, it was a long and difficult task. The
only people who had a prayer of writing decent games were complete geeks
(like me).
A lot has changed since then. With the tools available now, nearly anyone can
write an original and inventive game.
What's Different About This Book
There are lots of beginning game programming books. In the end, the question
everyone asks is, "What's special about this book in particular?"
I'm glad you asked.
The short answer to your question is that this book is unlike 99 percent of all
beginning game programming books in several respects.
It Doesn't Assume You Know How to Program Computers
Most people who want to get started in game programming don't know how to
program at all. They are bright, creative, and innovativeand they like games.
But they can't yet write computer programs.
Virtually every beginning game programming book I've ever seen assumes you
know a programming language like C or C++. That means that most beginning
game programmers have to spend months or years learning to program before
they can even start a game.
What a waste.
If you want to be a game programmer, but you have little or no programming
experience, this book is for you. As I mentioned earlier, the tools available for
writing games make the whole experience much easier than when I started in
the industry more than 25 years ago. There's no reason that a bright and
creative person like you should have to jump through a lot of silly hoops
learning to program before you learn to write games. You can learn to
program computers and write games at the same time. Unfortunately,
that thought hasn't occurred to most authors of beginning game programming
books.
It Teaches You Real Game Programming Skills
There are a few, very rare, beginning game programming books that are
written for nonprogrammers. To try and make things easy, they teach you to
write games in a programming language called Basic. Unfortunately, no games
are written in Basic. It's far too slow for real games. Instead, game
programmers use a language called C++ (pronounced see-plus-plus). So if you
