Classes: Critter Caretaker

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a

different way of thinking about

programming. It’s a modern methodology that’s used in the creation of the vast majority of games (and other commercial software, too). In OOP, you define different types of objects with relationships to each other that allow the objects to interact. You’ve already worked with objects from types defined in libraries, but one of the key characteristics of OOP is the ability to make your own types from which you can create objects. In this chapter, you’ll see how to define your own types and create objects from them. Specifically, you’ll learn to:

n Create new types by defining classes

n Declare class data members and member functions

n Instantiate objects from classes

n Set member access levels

n Declare static data members and member functions

Defining New Types Introducing the Simple Critter Program Defining a Class Defining Member Functions Instantiating Objects Accessing Data Members Calling Member Functions Using Constructors Introducing the Constructor Critter Program Declaring and Defining a Constructor Calling a Constructor Automatically Setting Member Access Levels Introducing the Private Critter Program Specifying Public and Private Access Levels Defining Accessor Member Functions Defining Constant Member Functions Using Static Data Members and Member Functions Introducing the Static Critter Program Declaring and Initializing Static Data Members Accessing Static Data Members Declaring and Defining Static Member Functions Calling Static Member Functions Introducing the Critter Caretaker Game Planning the Game Planning the Pseudocode The Critter Class The main() Function Summary Questions and Answers Discussion Questions Exercises

< Previous | Contents | Next >