C++ Foundations and Tooling

This unit introduces students to the C++20 toolchain, development environments, and core language fundamentals required for game programming and design. Students will learn to create and organize projects, write and debug basic C++ programs using modern features (variables, control flow, functions, pointers, classes, and standard library utilities), and prepare for advanced topics in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• analyze and select appropriate C++20 compilers and IDEs, configure projects, and manage multiple source files for a game programming workflow
• apply fundamental C++ language constructs including variables, control structures, functions, arrays, pointers, and basic data stacking to implement working programs
• demonstrate object-oriented fundamentals by defining classes, implementing constructors/destructors, applying inheritance, and overloading stream operators for class I/O
• evaluate and debug C++ code using breakpoints and debuggers, and apply modern C++ practices (lambdas, standard library containers, streams, and basic templates/regex) to improve code correctness and readability