The games we will build

This journey will be smooth as we will learn about the fundamentals of the super-fast C++ language one step at a time, and then put this new knowledge to use by adding cool features to the four games we are going to build.

The following are our four projects for this book.

Timber!!!

The first game is an addictive, fast-paced clone of the hugely successful Timberman. Our game, Timber!!!, will introduce us to all the beginner basics of C++ while we build a genuinely playable game. Here is what our version of the game will look like when we are done and we have added a few last-minute enhancements:

Figure 1.1: Timber game

Timberman can be found at http://store.steampowered.com/app/398710/.

Pong

Pong was one of the first video games ever made. It is an excellent example of how the basics of game object animation, player input, and collision detection work. We will build a version of this simple retro game to explore the concept of classes and object-oriented programming. Here is what it will look like by the end of Chapter 7:

Figure 1.2: Pong game

The player will use the bat at the bottom of the screen and hit the ball back to the top of the screen. If you are interested, find out about Pong’s history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pong.

Zombie Arena

Next, we will build a frantic, zombie survival shooter, not unlike the Steam hit Over 9,000 Zombies!, which you can find out more about at http://store.steampowered.com/app/273500/. The player will have a machine gun and must fight off ever-growing waves of zombies. All this will take place in a randomly generated, scrolling world:

Figure 1.3: Zombie Arena game

To achieve this, we will learn about how object-oriented programming allows us to have a large code base (lots of code) that is easy to write and maintain. Expect exciting features such as hundreds of enemies, rapid-fire weaponry, pickups, and a character that can be leveled up after each wave.

Platform game

The final game is a platform game called Run. Run will be packed with more features enabled by the C++ skills we will have acquired and made easier by the great features of SFML. Take a look at the finished game below:

Figure 1.4: Platform game

Features include a photo-realistic shader background, parallax scrolling cityscape, spatialized (directional) sound, mini-map, animated player character, rain weather effect, music, pop-up menu, and more. Best of all, the final game will have a reusable code structure that you can use to invent and add your own features to.