As a reader of this book, you are expected to have basic computer operational skills. You should also be capable of installing the required applications and setting up your programming environment.

To follow this chapter, you are required to install MS Visual Studio 2022 or a later version along with the C++ compiler. Additionally, download the sample code from this book’s GitHub repository.

Here is the link to the GitHub repository:

https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Practical-C-Game-Programming-with-Data-Structures-and-Algorithms

Additionally, you can access the Demo1 project here: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Practical-C-Game-Programming-with-Data-Structures-and-Algorithms/tree/main/Knight

The recommended minimum development environment for running the sample projects is as follows:

• Operating System (OS): Windows 10
• Central Processing Unit (CPU): Intel 7th generation or equivalent
• Graphics Processing...

Algorithms play a crucial role in game development, serving as the backbone for many core functionalities and features. Here are several key points highlighting their importance.

Algorithms can be used to define how game mechanics operate and even provide solutions for solving problems in effective and performative ways, including player interactions, artificial intelligence behavior, physics simulations, and so on. For example, pathfinding algorithms determine how Non-Player Characters (NPCs) navigate through environments, enhancing realism and player engagement.

Efficient algorithms are essential for optimizing game performance, ensuring smooth gameplay experiences. Performance is an important concern for game developers. Appropriate algorithms applied for resource management, rendering, collision detection, and other game operations can contribute significantly to achieving consistent frame rates and reducing latency.

They...

C++ is a versatile programming language renowned for its performance, compatibility, and adaptability, making it an ideal choice for game development. Its efficiency in resource management and speed of execution are critical for high-performance applications such as games. Additionally, C++ is compatible with a wide range of platforms and libraries, providing developers with the flexibility to create complex and interactive gaming experiences.

C++ is widely used in game development because of its performance, versatility, and precise control over system resources. It is supported by many leading game engines, such as Unreal Engine and Unity, as well as proprietary SDKs developed and used by game studios.

This book explains algorithms directly in C++ instead of using pseudo-code, offering fully functional and executable sample code. You can experiment with the code and observe the algorithms in action. Each sample project is based on the covered...

In this book, we will explore a wide range of algorithms that are essential for game development. Each chapter is structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of an algorithm through several key components. Each algorithm will be introduced and explained following this structure:

1. Use case and requirement analysis: Each algorithm will begin with some use case examples that address the challenges in game development.
2. Algorithm explanation: We will delve into the algorithm’s logic and thought process. This section aims to break down the algorithm and introduce the idea and steps, which explain the underlying principles.
3. C++ implementation: Based on the algorithm’s theory, the book presents key blocks of code of the C++ implementation to help you grasp the core idea of the algorithm. To better understand the source code, you can read into the demo projects’ code, which...

By now, you are aware that we are using C++ and Knight to demonstrate algorithms in this book. In the final section of this chapter, we will provide guidelines for setting up your work environment. This will enable you to explore the sample code and experiment with your own implementations.

Now it’s time to get hands-on by following these steps to set up your working environment.

Install Visual Studio 2022

Microsoft Visual Studio (MSVS) is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that can be used to create, edit, debug, and compile your C++ code. You should have a Microsoft account before installation.

To install MSVS, you can visit the official website (http://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/) and download the Visual Studio 2022 (VS2022) Community version installation package. This is what the website should look like:

Figure 1.2 – Downloading VS2022 from Microsoft

When installing VS2022, make sure...

raylib is a straightforward and free-to-use open-source programming library written in C, primarily for video game development. It supports the creation of both 2D and 3D games and graphical applications, offering a wide range of functions and utilities for graphics handling, input management, audio integration, and physics simulations.

raylib is lightweight and cross-platform, compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and other operating systems. Its simplicity makes it accessible to developers of all levels, supported by clear API documentation and practical examples. While lacking fancy interfaces, visual helpers, and GUI tools, raylib compensates with robust code examples and comprehensive functionality.

The game engine, Knight, and the samples provided in this book are developed based on raylib. raylib is already integrated and well-configured with the downloaded package when you check out the sample projects from this book’s...

Knight is an object-oriented programming (OOP) wrapper written in C++ that builds upon raylib. Serving as a higher-level engine layer, Knight offers enhanced game development tools designed to simplify the process for you by abstracting away raylib-specific rendering details. Let’s inspect the new features included in Knight.

What’s new in Knight?

In addition to raylib’s fundamental rendering and low-level operations, Knight introduces higher-level concepts and tools. These include a streamlined game-flow structure centered around Start, Update, DrawFrame, and EndGame functions. Knight also defines key concepts such as Scene, SceneObject, and ObjectComponent to facilitate the creation of hierarchical scenes.

Let’s start understanding the game flow structure next.

Introducing the game flow structure

Knight is designed with a very straightforward structure that encompasses only the most basic game flow elements. Using...

Demo1 is a project that demonstrates how to use the Knight engine to create a game scene and add scene objects. In this project, eight scene objects are created and added to the scene:

Figure 1.8 – Demo1 scene and the scene objects

1. Main Camera is a perspective camera positioned at coordinates (60, 60, 60) and aimed at the target coordinates (0, 10, 0). Figure 1.8 is a screenshot captured from the camera’s perspective, so the camera itself is not visible in the image.

This first chapter of the book served as a foundational introduction, aimed at equipping you with the necessary prerequisites for delving into subsequent chapters and mastering game development. It began by elucidating the book’s objectives, outlining how it will empower you to advance as a proficient game developer. Emphasizing the use of C++, the chapter underscored its suitability for illustrating the concepts and implementations discussed throughout the book.

Central to this chapter was the introduction of the format used to present algorithms throughout the book. Following this, we introduced raylib, an open-source graphics library, and Knight, an easy-to-use OOP game engine developed by the author. We discussed the structure and fundamentals of Knight, emphasizing its role in streamlining game development through practical, hands-on examples. This included an in-depth exploration of Demo1, a demo project that showcases the engine’s capabilities and...