Create Your Own Pinball Game in C++

Introducing Pinball: The Classic Arcade Game

Pinball has been around since the 1930s, and it's one of the most beloved arcade games of all time. Today, you can find pinball machines in arcades around the world. It's easy to learn and provides endless hours of fun. The goal of the game is simple: use the paddle (or flippers) to keep the ball from dropping through the bottom of the playing field.

Creating Your Own Pinball Game in C++

If you want to experience the full thrill of playing pinball but don't have access to a real machine, don't worry! You can program your own pinball game using C++. To get started, you'll need to know a few basics about programming with C++. The first step is to design the game board. Think about how many lanes, targets, and bumpers you want, and where they should be placed.

Once the board is designed, you'll need to create the code for the game logic. This includes designing the movement of the ball, collisions of the ball with objects, and scoring. You can also customize the physics engine so that the objects move and interact realistically. Finally, you'll need to take care of the graphical user interface (GUI) design, such as the colors and animations.

By following these steps, you can build a fully-functional pinball game in C++. With some time and effort, you can have your own personal pinball machine right at home!

Full source code

#include <iostream>
#include <conio.h> // For _kbhit() and _getch()

using namespace std;

class PinballGame {
private:
    int ballX, ballY;
    int paddleX;
    int screenWidth, screenHeight;
    bool isRunning;

public:
    PinballGame(int width, int height)
        : ballX(width / 2), ballY(height - 2), paddleX(width / 2), screenWidth(width), screenHeight(height), isRunning(true) {}

    void draw() {
        system("cls"); // Clear the screen

        for (int y = 0; y < screenHeight; ++y) {
            for (int x = 0; x < screenWidth; ++x) {
                if (x == ballX && y == ballY) {
                    cout << "O"; // Ball
                } else if (y == screenHeight - 1 && x >= paddleX - 2 && x <= paddleX + 2) {
                    cout << "="; // Paddle
                } else {
                    cout << " ";
                }
            }
            cout << endl;
        }
    }

    void update() {
        if (_kbhit()) {
            char key = _getch();
            if (key == 'a' && paddleX > 0) {
                paddleX--;
            } else if (key == 'd' && paddleX < screenWidth - 5) {
                paddleX++;
            }
        }

        // Ball movement logic
        ballY--;

        // Check for collisions
        if (ballX == 0 || ballX == screenWidth - 1) {
            // Ball hit side wall
            // Change ball's X direction
        }

        if (ballY == 0) {
            // Ball hit top wall
            // Change ball's Y direction
        }

        if (ballY == screenHeight - 1 && ballX >= paddleX - 1 && ballX <= paddleX + 1) {
            // Ball hit paddle
            // Change ball's Y direction
        }

        if (ballY >= screenHeight) {
            // Ball fell off the screen
            isRunning = false;
        }
    }

    void run() {
        while (isRunning) {
            draw();
            update();
        }
        system("cls");
        cout << "Game Over!" << endl;
    }
};

int main() {
    PinballGame game(40, 20);
    game.run();

    return 0;
}

Conclusion:

This is simple pinball game that uses the conio.h library to handle input and output. The PinballGame class has the following members:

• ballX and ballY: The position of the ball on the screen.
• paddleX: The position of the paddle on the screen.
• screenWidth and screenHeight: The width and height of the screen.
• isRunning: A boolean value that indicates whether the game is running.

The draw() method clears the screen and then draws the ball and the paddle. The update() method handles the game logic, such as moving the ball and the paddle, and checking for collisions. The run() method is the main game loop. It repeatedly calls the draw() and update() methods until the game is over.

The main() function creates a PinballGame object and calls its run() method. The return 0; statement at the end of the main() function indicates that the program has successfully terminated.

Here is a more detailed explanation of the draw() and update() methods:

• The draw() method clears the screen by calling the system() function with the cls command. This command clears the screen to the default color.
• The draw() method then iterates over the rows and columns of the screen, drawing the ball and the paddle at the appropriate positions. The if statements in the for loop check to see if the ball or the paddle is at the current row and column. If it is, the cout statement prints the corresponding character to the screen.
• The update() method first checks to see if the user has pressed a key. If the user has pressed the a key, the paddle moves one position to the left. If the user has pressed the d key, the paddle moves one position to the right.
• The update() method then moves the ball one position down.
• The update() method then checks for collisions. If the ball hits a side wall, it changes direction. If the ball hits the top wall, it changes direction. If the ball hits the paddle, it changes direction. If the ball hits the bottom of the screen, the game is over.