Engine Overview

Adding a Timer to Minesweeper

How can I implement a timer for the Minesweeper game?

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Implementing a timer for your Minesweeper game can add an extra layer of challenge and excitement. We can use SDL's time-related functions to create a simple but effective timer. Here's how you can implement it:

Step 1: Add timer-related variables

First, let's add some variables to keep track of the time in our MinesweeperUI class:

1class MinesweeperUI {
2private:
3  Uint32 StartTime{0};
4  Uint32 CurrentTime{0};
5  bool TimerRunning{false};
6
7  // ... (other members)
8};

Step 2: Start the timer

We'll start the timer when the first cell is revealed. In your HandleEvent method:

1void MinesweeperUI::HandleEvent(
2  const SDL_Event &E) {
3  if (E.type == SDL_MOUSEBUTTONDOWN) {
4    // ... (existing code)
5    if (FirstCellRevealed && !TimerRunning) {
6      StartTime = SDL_GetTicks();
7      TimerRunning = true;
8    }
9  }
10}

Step 3: Update the timer

We need to update the timer in each frame. Add this to your Update method:

1void MinesweeperUI::Update() {
2  if (TimerRunning) {
3    CurrentTime = SDL_GetTicks() - StartTime;
4  }
5  // ... (other update logic)
6}

Step 4: Display the timer

Now, let's display the timer. We'll create a method to format the time:

1std::string MinesweeperUI::FormatTime(
2  Uint32 Milliseconds) {
3  int Seconds = Milliseconds / 1000;
4  int Minutes = Seconds / 60;
5  Seconds %= 60;
6
7  std::stringstream SS;
8  SS << std::setfill('0') << std::setw(2)
9     << Minutes << ":" << std::setfill('0')
10     << std::setw(2) << Seconds;
11  return SS.str();
12}

And use it in our Render method:

1void MinesweeperUI::Render(
2  SDL_Surface *Surface) {
3  // ... (existing rendering code)
4
5  std::string TimeString =
6    FormatTime(CurrentTime);
7  Engine::Text TimeText{10, 10, 100, 30,
8                        TimeString};
9  TimeText.Render(Surface);
10}

Step 5: Stop the timer

We should stop the timer when the game ends (either win or lose):

1void MinesweeperUI::EndGame(bool Win) {
2  TimerRunning = false;
3  // ... (other end game logic)
4}

Here's a complete example putting it all together:

1#include <SDL.h>
2#include <iomanip>
3#include <sstream>
4#include "Engine/Text.h"
5
6class MinesweeperUI {
7public:
8  void HandleEvent(const SDL_Event &E) {
9    if (E.type == SDL_MOUSEBUTTONDOWN) {
10      // ... (existing code)
11      if (FirstCellRevealed && !TimerRunning) {
12        StartTime = SDL_GetTicks();
13        TimerRunning = true;
14      }
15    }
16  }
17
18  void Update() {
19    if (TimerRunning) {
20      CurrentTime = SDL_GetTicks() - StartTime;
21    }
22    // ... (other update logic)
23  }
24
25  void Render(SDL_Surface *Surface) {
26    // ... (existing rendering code)
27    std::string TimeString =
28      FormatTime(CurrentTime);
29    Engine::Text TimeText{10, 10, 100, 30,
30                          TimeString};
31    TimeText.Render(Surface);
32  }
33
34  void EndGame(bool Win) {
35    TimerRunning = false;
36    // ... (other end game logic)
37  }
38
39private:
40  std::string FormatTime(Uint32 Milliseconds) {
41    int Seconds = Milliseconds / 1000;
42    int Minutes = Seconds / 60;
43    Seconds %= 60;
44
45    std::stringstream SS;
46    SS << std::setfill('0') << std::setw(2)
47       << Minutes << ":" << std::setfill('0')
48       << std::setw(2) << Seconds;
49    return SS.str();
50  }
51
52  Uint32 StartTime{0};
53  Uint32 CurrentTime{0};
54  bool TimerRunning{false};
55
56  // ... (other members)
57};

This implementation provides a basic timer that starts when the first cell is revealed, updates every frame, and stops when the game ends. The time is displayed in the format "MM:SS" in the top-left corner of the game window. You can adjust the position and formatting as needed to fit your game's UI design.

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