Chapter 1. C++, SFML, Visual Studio, and Starting the First Game

Welcome to Beginning C++ Game Programming. I will waste no time in getting you started on your journey to writing great games for the PC, using C++ and OpenGL-powered SFML.

This is quite a hefty first chapter, but we will learn absolutely everything we need to, in order to have the first part of our first game up-and-running. Here is what we will cover in this chapter:

• Find out about the games we will build
• Learn a bit about C++
• Explore SFML and its relationship with C++
• Look at the Visual Studio software, which we will use throughout the book
• Set up a game development environment
• Create a reusable project template, which will save a lot of time
• Plan and prepare for the first game project, Timber!!!
• Write the first C++ code of the book and make a runnable game that draws a background