I've got a basic Pong game happening here, but I'd very mugh like to be able to read user's input to control one of the paddles... Cin doesn't work, and I found a similar question here before, but the method at use there still holted the game until there was input, the only advantage was not needing to then press enter. Even the beginners here should be able to understand this code, I havent gotten up to using pointers and classes yet (havent needed too), but once I get this happening that's where I'll be. So if anyone can help me read some user input to get one of the paddles under control, it'd be very helpful. Also, what's the convention on global vars, and constant global vars? are all global vars in caps, or just the constant ones? As you can see I've been a little inconsistant there. thanks! Here's the code:

//ASCII PONG!!!
//By Dean Rather.

//Library's to include.
#include <stdlib.h> // C++'s Standard Template Library (all the standard functions)
#include <iostream> // cin and cout
#include <ctime> // timer-related functions
#include <string> // string-related functions

using namespace std; // refine scope to std namespace

//Function Declerations
inline int TIMER(); // returns miliseconds (10 in a second)
inline int wrap(int degrees); // makes numbers between 0 and 360
void aiPaddle(); // alters paddle coords
void drawArena(); // draws items to buffer and displays screen
void miss(int player); // called when a player misses the ball
void moveBall(); // calculates collisions/bounces ball, and mods ball coords

//Global vars

//Time-relates vars
const int ORIG_TIME_SECS = time(0); // seed time
const int ORIG_TIME_MS = clock(); // seed time
int speed = 1; // speed/10

//arena related vars
const int ARENA_HEIGHT = 20; // Height of arena
const int ARENA_WIDTH = 50; // Width of arena
char arena[ARENA_HEIGHT][ARENA_WIDTH]; // the 2D character array that is the arena

//ball related vars
int BALL_Y = ARENA_HEIGHT/2; // ball's Y starts in middle of arena
int BALL_X = ARENA_WIDTH/2; //  ball's X begins in middle of arena
int BALL_DEGREES = 45; // ball starts facing 45 degrees (note - degrees are upside down)
const char BALL = 'o'; // graphics for the ball.

//paddle related vars
const int PADDLE_WIDTH = 1; // Width of paddles
const int PADDLE_HEIGHT = 4; // Height of paddles
int PADDLE1_Y = (ARENA_HEIGHT/2) - (PADDLE_HEIGHT/2); // start paddle in the middle
int PADDLE2_Y = (ARENA_HEIGHT/2) - (PADDLE_HEIGHT/2);
const char PADDLE[PADDLE_HEIGHT] = {'#',
                                    '+',
                                    '+',
                                    '#'};// graphics for paddle
            
//layout related vars
string leftMargin(15,' '); // fifteen spaces make the left margin

//Angle related vars
int angles[8]; // an array of 8 different angles (un-initialized)
const int directions[8][2]  = {{2,0},
                               {1,1},
                               {0,2},
                               {-1,1},
                               {-2,0},
                               {-1,-1},
                               {0,-2},
                               {1,-1}};
                               //These are how many paces in what direction
                              //I want the ball to move corresponding to
                             //what angle the ball is facing. (the andgles array)
                            
//player-related vars
int hitLast = 1; // the last player to hit the ball
string message = " "; // a message I might want to display


int main ()
{

             
    //Setting Up
    int temp_time = TIMER(); // sets temp time to the current time (in ms)
    bool gameOver = false; // the game is not over... yet.
    for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++) // innitialising the angles array
        angles = 45 * i; //angles[0] is 0, angles[1] is 45, [2] is 90, etc. 
    
    while (!gameOver) // while the game isn't over, loop this
    {
        // Screen refreshes every x/10'th of a second.
        if (TIMER() == temp_time+speed)
        {
             //The Actual Loop!!!
             
             message = " "; // clear the message var
             
             aiPaddle(); // move the paddles
             moveBall(); // move the ball
             
             drawArena(); // draw the arena
             temp_time = TIMER(); //update the temp timer
             
             //End The Actual Loop!!
         }
    }
    

    //Game Over Info.
    string quit; // makes a string
    cout << "Now Quitting, ok?\n"; // lets the player know were quitting
    cin >> quit; //waits for user input
    return 0; // ends the game regardless (the point of this was so it wouldn't
             // just close without waiting for the users input.)
}

inline int TIMER() // returns miliseconds (10 in a second)
{                  //Inlining short fns makes it faster on runtime
    int secs = time(0) - ORIG_TIME_SECS; // how many seconds the game has passed
    int ms = (clock() - ORIG_TIME_MS)/100; // this int is how many ms have passed
    return ms; //10 ms in a second.

}

void moveBall() // calculates collisions/bounces ball, and mods ball coords
{
    //calculate wall collisions.
    if (BALL_Y >= ARENA_HEIGHT-2 || BALL_Y <= 1) // if the ball is at the very top
                                                 //or very bottom, then:
       BALL_DEGREES = wrap(180 - BALL_DEGREES); //alter it's angle
    
    //calculate colisions with left paddle
    if (BALL_X <= 1 && hitLast == 2) // if the paddle is on the left wall, and
                                     //player 2 hit it last;
        if (BALL_Y < PADDLE1_Y ||               // if the ball isn't hitting the
            BALL_Y > PADDLE1_Y + PADDLE_HEIGHT) //paddle
            miss(1); //call the miss function, and tell it who missed.
        else // otherwise
        {
            BALL_DEGREES = wrap(0-BALL_DEGREES); //alter the ball's angle
            hitLast = 1; // and change who hit it last
        }
            
    //calculate colisions with right paddle
    if (BALL_X >= ARENA_WIDTH - 3 && hitLast == 1)
        if (BALL_Y < PADDLE2_Y || BALL_Y > PADDLE2_Y + PADDLE_HEIGHT)
            miss(2);
        else
        {
            BALL_DEGREES = wrap(0-BALL_DEGREES);
            hitLast = 2;
        }
            
     //compare ball's angle to the arrays of viable angles, and their corresponding
    //coordinate alterations.
    for (int i = 0; i<8; i++) //loop 8 times (0 - 7)
        if (angles == BALL_DEGREES) // if the ball's angle corresponds to the angle
                                       // stored in andgles
        {
            BALL_Y += directions[0]; // alter the ball's Y by the corresponding value
            BALL_X += directions[1]; // and the ball's X.
            return; // exit the function early once this loop's succeeded
        }
}


inline int wrap(int degrees)  // makes numbers between 0 and 360
{
    //filter all numbers to be from 0 to 359.
    while (degrees < 0) // add 360 till it untill it's in range
        degrees += 360;
    while (degrees > 359) // or minus 360 from it till it's in range
        degrees -= 360;
    return degrees; // return the result.
    
}

void drawArena() // draws items to buffer and displays screen
{
    //initiate arena to all blank
    for (int y=0; y<ARENA_HEIGHT; y++) // for every arena Y position
        for (int x=0; x<ARENA_WIDTH; x++) // and for every arena X position
             arena[y][x] = ' '; // make that position a blank
    
    //paste top and bottom bars onto arena
    for (int x = 0; x < ARENA_WIDTH; x++) // for every arena x position
    {
        arena[0][x] = '-'; //make the top row dashes 
        arena[ARENA_HEIGHT-1][x] = '-'; // and the bottom row dashes
    }
             
    //paste ball position into arena array
    arena[BALL_Y][BALL_X] = BALL; // put the BALL char into the arena
                                  //at the ball's X and Y coord.
    
    //paste paddle positions into arena array
    for (int i = 0; i<PADDLE_HEIGHT; i++) // for ever piece of paddle
    {
        arena[PADDLE1_Y+i][0] = PADDLE; // put the left paddle in it's place
        arena[PADDLE2_Y+i][ARENA_WIDTH-1] = PADDLE; // and the right paddle too
    }
    
    //clear screen.
    system("cls");
        
    //display arena array
    for (int y=0; y<ARENA_HEIGHT; y++) // for every arena Y position
    {    
        //cout << leftMargin;
        for (int x=0; x<ARENA_WIDTH; x++)  //and every arena X position
        {
             cout << arena[y][x]; // print the arena's X Y position to screen
        }
        
        switch (y) // with reference to the line
        {
            case 1: // if it's line 1, print this message.
                cout << "   Ball Angle: " << BALL_DEGREES;
                break;
            case 2: // if it's line 2, print this message.
                cout << "   Ball Y/X: " << BALL_Y << "/" << BALL_X;
                break;
            case 3: // etcetera.
                cout << "   HitLast: " << hitLast;
                break;
            case 4:
                cout << "   Time: " << TIMER();
                break;
            case 5:
                cout << "    " <<  message;
                break;
                
        }
        
        cout << endl; // after each line is read, start a new one
    }
}

void miss(int player) // if a player misses
{
    if (player == 1) // and it's player one
        while(true)
            cout << "Player Two Scores!!\n"; // player two scores!
            
    if (player == 2)
        while(true)
            cout << "Player One Scores!!\n";
}//note: this function should never occur with this AI

void aiPaddle() // alters paddle coords
{
     {
        
        if (hitLast == 2) // if player 2 hit the ball,
           if (PADDLE1_Y < BALL_Y-2) // and if the paddle is too low
               PADDLE1_Y ++; // increase it's height.
           else if (PADDLE1_Y > BALL_Y-2) // but if it's too high
               PADDLE1_Y --; // decrease it's height!
        
        if (hitLast == 1) //same
           if (PADDLE2_Y < BALL_Y-2)
               PADDLE2_Y ++;
           else if (PADDLE2_Y > BALL_Y-2)
               PADDLE2_Y --;
    }
}

For input in any game I think you need to look at an API, Windows or Directx, you can get it working with window's messages but you'll need to learn how to use that. (I don't have a good reference I'm sure some else will)

As for global variable, defined constants and enumerated constants both tend to be in caps, however there's not official convention. I tend not to use capitals in anything but a defined constant as I try to keep capitals for my Classes.

Final thought though is if your not going to share your code, it doesn't matter because it just sends it all to 1s and 0s in memory locations when it generates your executable.