OOP, global variables, and large projects

bjle · 2005-03-29T20:44:44

This is kind of a big, and abstract, question (and probably there is no "correct" answer) so I can't expect a complete answer but any tips or explanations would be appreciated. I have consistantly run into trouble with games and programs I've made where they just get too complicated after a while, so I'm trying to change my programming style. The books and tutorials about game-programming I've read don't seem to match up with what I have read about things like avoiding global variables, and I always have a hard time expanding what is in the tutorials to make something else. The main question I have is, what sort of basic structure works well for a game? To give a specific example, say I want to make a game using C++ windows and Direct3D. I have always made the main D3D Device global because many different functions need it. To process messages from the WndProc correctly, I've needed to make my HWNDs global as well. Then I need a global bool to tell whether the game is minimized or active, etc. etc... I realize this is "bad style" but I can't think of a way to fix it. Is throwing all these things into some global "g_app" class any better? Even more specifically, say I want to make a breakout game. I understand that going the OOP route, I'd make classes for Paddle, Ball, and Brick. These would contain information about the objects in the game, and something like an Update() function. But where in my program should I declare these? If I don't declare Ball, Brick, and Paddle globally, it doesn't seem that I could do collision detection properly without a ridiculous amount of parameter-passing. The same goes for rendering...how do I render each object from within its own class (if that makes sense) without either a global D3D device or a copy of my device in every single instance of each object? What would be most helpful is an example of a "good style" framework for that breakout game (or any game) including what sort of things are "allowed" to be global, how complicated the main function should be, how classes and variables should be divided amongst .h and .cpp files, what should #include what, how inheritance should be used, or anything else I'm missing. Basically, how to avoid insane increase in complexity as the game gains functionality. Or if anyone knows of any articles focusing on my problem on this or any other site I would like to know :) Thanks

For Beginners

Started by bjle March 29, 2005 04:01 PM

11 comments, last by bjle 19 years ago

Trap

684

March 29, 2005 05:19 PM

Some random things:
class or not class

To continue JohnBoltons thoughts, don't stop after you made a new feature work. After you confirmed that it works take a step back and check if you can refactor it into something conceptually simpler which still works.

Genjix

100

March 29, 2005 05:51 PM

Quote:Original post by Trap
To continue JohnBoltons thoughts, don't stop after you made a new feature work. After you confirmed that it works take a step back and check if you can refactor it into something conceptually simpler which still works.

to build stable code bases. some projects implement this every even release, and do experimental developer updates in every odd release.

bjle

322

Author

March 29, 2005 08:44 PM

Thanks everyone! I'm going to try out the suggestions and hopefully I'll have something up and running (and clean) soon.

OOP, global variables, and large projects

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OOP, global variables, and large projects

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