A quick crash tour of C++ basics, for those with previous object oriented programming experience.

An introduction to the SDL library, the problem it solves, and why we're using it to learn C++

The SDL Library and Cross-Platform Development

Learn the fundamentals of C++ programming: declaring variables, using built-in data types, and performing operations with operators

Variables, Types and Operators

Learn the basics of writing and using functions in C++, including syntax, parameters, return types, and scope rules.

Introduction to Functions

A quick introduction to namespaces in C++, alongside the standard library and how we can access it

Namespaces, Includes, and the Standard Library

Learn the fundamentals of controlling program flow in C++ using if statements, for loops, while loops, continue, and break

Conditionals and Loops

A crash tour on how we can create custom types in C++ using classes, structs and enums

Classes, Structs and Enums

Learn the fundamentals of the C++ build process, including the roles of the preprocessor, compiler, and linker.

Preprocessor Directives and the Build Process

Learn the fundamentals of references, pointers, and the `const` keyword in C++ programming.

Understanding Reference and Pointer Types

Discover operator overloading, allowing us to define custom behavior for operators when used with our custom types

Operator Overloading

Learn how to write flexible and extensible C++ code using polymorphism, virtual functions, and dynamic casting

Run-time Polymorphism

A quick tour of ten useful techniques in C++, covering dates, randomness, attributes and more

Odds and Ends: 10 Useful Techniques

Whirlwind Tour of C++ Basics

A guide to getting our machine set up for creating SDL3 projects, across a range of operating systems.

Learn how to use the command line and install a C++ compiler (GCC, Clang, or MSVC)

Command Lines and Compilers

Learn the basics of Git for version control, including initializing repositories, making commits, and managing project dependencies with submodules.

Version Control with Git and Submodules

Learn how to install and use CMake, the industry-standard build system for C++, to configure and build cross-platform projects.

Building Projects with CMake

Learn how to create a complete, cross-platform SDL3 project using CMake.

Creating an SDL3 Project

Setting up an SDL3 Development Environment

An introduction to creating a basic window and application loop using SDL3.

Learn how to create and customize windows using SDL3, covering initialization, window management, and handling properties.

Creating a Window

Explore SDL3 surfaces, the canvases for drawing, understand pixel formats, colors, and set your window's background.

SDL3 Surfaces and Colors

Detecting and responding to SDL3 runtime errors, and learn about the updated error-handling patterns in the new library version.

Detecting and Managing Errors in SDL3

Step-by-step guide on creating the SDL3 application and event loops.

Implementing an Application Loop

Learn the essentials of double buffering in C++ with practical examples and SDL3 specifics

Double Buffering

Creating an SDL Application

The basics of capturing user input with the keyboard and mouse in SDL, and creating a simple framework to create a scalable UI system

Discover how to process mouse input, including position tracking and button presses

Mouse Input Basics

Learn to create, render, and interact with basic rectangles using the `SDL_Rect` and `SDL_Color` types.

Rectangles and `SDL_Rect`

Learn how to organize SDL components using manager classes, inheritance, and polymorphism for cleaner code.

Structuring SDL Programs

Learn to create interactive buttons in SDL3 and manage communication between different UI components.

Creating SDL3 Buttons

Learn how to create and manage your own game-specific events using SDL's event system.

Creating Custom Events

Implementing User Interaction

A guide on rendering images and text onto our SDL surfaces using the `SDL_Image` and `SDL_ttf` libraries

Learn how to load, display, and optimize image rendering in your applications with SDL3.

Loading and Displaying Images

Learn to precisely control image display using source and destination rectangles.

Cropping and Positioning Images

Learn techniques for scaling images and working with aspect ratios

Image Scaling and Aspect Ratios

Learn to load, manipulate, and save various image formats using `SDL3_image`.

Introduction to `SDL3_image`

Learn to render and manipulate text in SDL3 applications using the `SDL3_ttf` extension.

Rendering Text with `SDL3_ttf`

Explore advanced techniques for optimizing and controlling text rendering when using `SDL3_ttf`

Text Performance, Fitting and Wrapping

Rendering Images and Text

Putting everything we've learnt to the test by creating a clone of the classic game using SDL surfaces and events

An introduction to the generic engine classes we'll use to create the game

Engine Overview

Building a two-dimensional grid of interactive minesweeper cells

Creating the Grid

Updating the game to to place bombs randomly in the grid and render them when cells are cleared.

Adding Bombs to the Grid

Implement the techniques for detecting nearby bombs and clearing empty cells automatically.

Adjacent Cells and Bomb Counting

Implement win/loss detection and add a restart feature to complete the game loop

Ending and Restarting Games

Implement flag placement and tracking to complete your Minesweeper project.

Placing Flags

Project: Minesweeper

Enhancing our program with ticking logic, allowing our objects to update continuously through time

Using `Tick()` functions to update game objects independently of events

Ticking

Learn how to create smooth, time-aware game loops that behave consistently across different hardware configurations

Tick Rate and Time Deltas

Learn to measure time intervals with high accuracy in your games

High-Resolution Timers

An introduction to first-class functions, function pointers, and the flexible design options that they unlock

Callbacks and Function Pointers

Explore advanced techniques for working with class member functions

Member Function Pointers and Binding

An introduction to SDL3's main callback pattern - an alternative to the traditional application loop for smoother platform integration.

SDL3 Main Callbacks

Learn how to use callbacks with `SDL_AddTimer()` to provide functions that are executed on time-based intervals

SDL3 Timers and Callbacks

An overview of the options we have for building flexible notification systems between game components

Delegates and the Observer Pattern

Ticks, Timers and Callbacks

Learn how to detect and react to keyboard input in SDL applications, either through the event loop or by directly querying the keyboard state.

Learn how to detect and respond to keyboard input events in your SDL3-based applications. This lesson covers key events, key codes, and modifier keys.

Handling Keyboard Input

Learn how to manage and control window input focus in SDL3 applications, including how to create, detect, and manipulate window focus states.

Managing Window Input Focus

Learn how to detect and handle keyboard input in SDL3 using both event-driven and polling methods. This lesson covers obtaining and interpreting the keyboard state array.

Understanding Keyboard State

Keyboard Input

Going deeper on how to manage our windows using SDL2's API

Explore window creation, configuration, and event handling using SDL3's windowing system

Window Configuration

Discover how to monitor and respond to window state changes in SDL3 applications

Window Events and Window IDs

Learn how to control and monitor the position of SDL windows on screen

Managing Window Position

Learn how to resize, constrain, and manage SDL3 windows

Window Sizing

An introduction to managing SDL3 window decorations, borders, and client areas.

Window Decorations and Borders

Learn how to set, get, and update window titles dynamically

Window Titles

Discover how to use SDL3 functions for controlling and retrieving window transparency settings.

Window Opacity

Learn how to control the visibility of SDL3 windows, including showing, hiding, minimizing, and more

Window Visibility

Learn how to manage multiple windows in SDL3, with practical examples using utility windows like tooltips and menus.

Multiple Windows and Utility Windows

Window Management

Apply what we've learned to create a modern version of the classic Snake game

Introducing the foundational components for our game and setting up the project

Snake Game Core Components

Build the foundational grid structure that will power our Snake game's movement and collision systems.

Building the Snake Grid

Learn how to implement core snake game mechanics including movement, controls, and state management

Snake Movement and Navigation

Allowing our snake to eat apples, and grow longer each time it does

Snake Growth

Giving our Snake game the ability to pause itself, and adding a clickable button for restarting the game

Pausing and Restarting

Add game-ending logic with custom events, state management, and visual cues for player feedback.

Win/Loss Logic for Snake

Build a dynamic score counter that tracks the player's progress and displays it with custom graphics and text.

Building the Score Display

Animate the snake's movement across cells for a smooth, dynamic visual effect.

Animating Snake Movement

Project: Snake

Learn how our SDL programs can interact with and control physical displays

Learn how to handle multiple monitors in SDL3, including creating windows on specific displays.

Video Displays

Learn how to create and manage fullscreen windows in SDL3, including desktop and exclusive fullscreen modes.

Fullscreen Windows

Learn how to manage screen resolutions and refresh rates in SDL3 games using display modes.

Fullscreen Display Modes

Learn how to create SDL3 applications that look great on modern displays across different platforms

Pixel Density and High-DPI Displays

Monitors and Display Modes

Learn how to interact with the mouse from SDL, including responding to mouse actions and controlling mouse movement

Learn how to detect and handle mouse scroll wheel events in SDL3, including vertical and horizontal scrolling, as well as scroll wheel button events.

Handling Mouse Scrolling

Learn how to track and respond to mouse focus events in SDL3, including handling multiple windows and customizing focus-related click behavior.

Managing Mouse Focus

Implement mouse constraints in SDL3 to control cursor movement using window grabs and rectangular bounds

Mouse Input Constraints

Learn how to monitor mouse position and button states in real-time using SDL3's state query functions

Mouse State

Learn how to track mouse movements and button states across your entire application, even when the mouse leaves your window.

Mouse Capture and Global Mouse State

Learn how to restrict cursor movement to a window whilst capturing mouse motion continuously.

Relative Mouse Mode

Learn how to control cursor visibility, switch between default system cursors, and create custom cursors

Customising Mouse Cursors

Mouse Input

Using SDL3's I/O utilities to store and read game data from external sources

Learn techniques for managing game data, including save systems, configuration, and networked multiplayer.

Working with Data

Learn how to read and parse game data stored in external files using SDL3's I/O functions.

Reading Data from Files

Learn how to read, parse, and use config files in your game using `std::string` and SDL3's I/O functions.

Parsing Data using `std::string`

Learn to write and append data to files using SDL3's I/O functions, and an introduction to serialization libraries.

Writing Data to Files

Learn how C++ represents numbers and data in memory using binary, decimal, and hexadecimal systems.

Numeric and Binary Data

Learn how to handle byte order in using SDL3's endianness functions

Byte Order and Endianness

Learn how memory alignment affects data serialization and how to handle it safely

Padding and Alignment

Learn how to manipulate the read/write offset of an `SDL_IOStream` object to control stream interactions.

Read/Write Offsets and Seeking

Reading and Writing Data

Learn how to create a 2D level editor which can be used to build levels for our games

Project: Level Editor

An practical introduction to geometry and vectors, and how they're used in games

Geometry and Vectors

Learn why games represent their scenes across multiple spaces, and how to transform objects between them

Spaces and Transformations

Implementing physical motion, forces, and collision detection in our games

Motion and Collisions

This course is currently under construction. New content will be added regularly, and you can preview what is already available

Creating the Grid

Understanding the Basics

Practical Applications

Common Mistakes

Next Steps

Additional Resources

Assessment Preparation

Game Development with SDL3