Sometimes with my pharisaical way of thinking, looking at the modern “IT” industry, one can't help but want to renounce it and go into a free, personal study of this science, delving deeper and comprehending every detail, every aspect of the subject. It is a pity that we have forgotten that a programmer used to be a scientist, and now every fifth or ninth person is thinking about going into IT. It's ridiculous, some will say, it's evolution and development that has brought us to this point. I have a counterargument to such grumbling: physics is also evolving, its origins go deep into the history of civilization, but a physicist is still someone who has studied many aspects of it, not just how to use Docker and frameworks. I hope you caught my point, and if not, it's not worth continuing to read the rest of the essay.
I want to, try to, learn the ins and outs of the language - C++, computer science and architecture, processor logic. I don't study programming by seven-mile steps, rather by steps, which is less than a versta. And sometimes it's not very pleasant, remembering the capitalist rule. Time should work for us.

At the very beginning of the project, key parameters are defined: block sizes, playfield sizes, indents and window sizes. This makes it easy to adapt the game to different resolutions and ensures visual consistency:

• Block and field sizes:
  Constants defining cell sizes and overall indents ensure that elements are harmoniously arranged on the screen.

• Window settings:
  The window dimensions are calculated taking into account the playing field, the report area and the preview area of the next figure.

Shapes (tetrominoes) are represented as arrays of strings, where the symbols ‘X’ and ‘.’ define filled and empty cells, respectively. The rotate function calculates the index of a block in a 4×4 grid after a given rotation:

• Rotation Flexibility:
  Four rotation angles (0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°) are supported, allowing smooth and predictable animations.

• Efficient coding:
  Using a compact representation of shapes allows you to easily scale and modify the set of available tetrominoes.

The ParticleSystem class implements a nifty mechanism for creating visual effects:

• Particle generation:
  The addParticles method creates multiple particles with individual parameters such as speed, direction and lifespan, giving a dynamic ‘comet tail’ effect.

• Physics and animation:
  The natural effects of gravity and the gradual fading of particles give the impression of a realistic physical simulation, while keeping the whole process high performance.

The core of the project is the TetrisGame class, which is responsible for all the game logic:

• Collision handling:
  The doesPieceFit method carefully checks whether a piece can be placed on the playing field, preventing ridiculous situations and ensuring correct behaviour of the pieces.

• Integration of pieces into the field:
  The lockPiece method locks the figure into the grid, analyses filled lines and initiates visual effects using the particle system.

• Spawn Mechanics:
  Applying prediction of the next piece through the preview mechanism allows the player to strategically plan their moves.

• Input Processing:
  Intuitive controls (moving, turning and accelerated descent) make gameplay easy and fun.

• Drawing and visualisation:
  The draw method is responsible for the comprehensive rendering of all game elements, including the dynamic grid, current figure, preview area and particle visual effects.

The project is full of interesting, in my humble opinion, solutions that not only improve the gameplay, but also make it visually exciting:

• Dynamic time management:
  Using the Clock class in combination with the dt variable allows for smooth updating of game states, regardless of hardware characteristics.

• Effective visual solutions:
  The particle system when removing filled lines not only enhances the aesthetic impression, but also emphasises the dynamism and liveliness of the gameplay.

• Clear separation of logic and representation:
  The architectural decision to separate game logic processing and visual representation makes the code easy to read, maintainable and scalable for future developments.

Project Tetris using SFML Multimedia Library - As previously stated, just a self-study of programming in a purely language key - C++. In this project you will see a lot of errors, inconsistencies and not professional approach to work.

Join me, explore the possibilities, experiment with the code and make your own improvements - because the art of development is born in every new solution!

Author: [Schreiry (David Greve)]

• Date: 2025-02-14 *