Q: Do you have to use the keywords 'true' and 'false'?
A: No, but it's a good idea Before the advent of the keywords 'true' and 'false', programmers often used to represent true and 0 to represent lale. However, now that 'true' and 'false' are available, it's best to use them instead of the old-fashioned I and 0.
Q: Can you assign a bool variable something other than 'true' or 'false'?
A: Yes You can assign an expression to a bool variable, which will store the truth or falsity of the expression
Q: Can you use a 'switch' statement to test some non-integer value?
A: No. 'Switch' statements only work with integers (including 'char' values).
Q: How can you test a single non-integer value against multiple values if can't use a 'switch' statement?
A: You can use a series of 'if' statements.
Q: What's an infinite loop?
A: A loop that will never end, regardless of user input
Q: Why are infinite loops considered bad?
A: Because a program stuck in an infinite loop will never end on its own. Ik to be shut down by the operating system. In the worst case, a user will have shut his computer off to end a program stuck in an infinite loop.
Q: Won't a compiler catch an infinite loop and flag it as an error?
A: No. An infinite loop is a logical error — the kind of error a programmer must track down
Q: If infinite loops are a bad thing, then isn't a 'while (true)' loop a bad thing?
A: No. When a programmer creates a 'while (true)' loop, he should provide a way for the loop to end (usually through a 'break' statement).
Q: Why would a programmer create a 'while (true)' loop?
A: 'while (true)' loops are often used for the main loop of a program, like the game loop.
Q: Why do some people feel that using a 'break' statement to exit a loop is poor programming?
A: Because indiscriminate use of 'break' statements can make it hard to understand the conditions under which a loop break. However, sometimes the use of a 'while (true)' loop along with a 'break' statement can be clearer than creating the same loop in a more traditional way.
Q: What's a pseudorandom number?
A: A random number that's usually generated by a formula. As a result, a series of pseudorandom numbers is not truly random, but good enough for most purposes.
Q: What's seeding a random number generator?
A: It's giving the random number a seed, such as an integer, which affects the way the generator produces random numbers. If you don't seed a random number generator, it will produce the same series of number time its run from the beginning of a program.
Q: Don't you always want to seed the random number generator before using it?
A: Not necessarily. You might want a program to produce the exact same sequence of "random" numbers each time it runs for testing purposes, for example.
Q: How can I generate more truly random numbers?
A: There are third-party libraries that produce better pseudorandom numbers than the ones that typically come with C++ compilers.
Q: Do all games use the game loop?
A: The game loop is just way of looking at a typical game's flow of events. And just because this paradigm fits a particulars game, that doesn't necessarily mean that the games implemented with a loop around the bulk or its code.
- What kinds of things would be difficult to program without loops?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of the 'switch' statemnet versus a series of 'if' statement?
- When might you omit a 'break' statement from the end of a 'case' in a 'switch' statement?
- When should you use a 'while' loop over a 'do' loop?
- Describe your favorite game in terms of the game loop. Is the game loop a good fit?