I'm programming a basic Pacman clone to teach myself game programming. However, I'm struggling with the best way to have the game objects communicate/interact without my code becoming a huge mess.
Right now, I have a stack (implemented as a list) of objects in my base Game class. These objects include components such as Graphics, Input, etc. as well as "actual objects" such as Map, Pacman, etc. While running the game, the Game class loops through all of the objects and updates the ones which want to be updated and draws the ones which want to be drawn.
However, these objects must obviously interact. I implemented a Link function on the objects which allows one object to be "linked" to another; i.e. it gives one class a pointer to the other class so interaction can take place. For example, the Pacman class may use Link to be given a pointer to the Map class so Pacman can determine whether or not it can move in a certain direction.
With a game as simple as Pacman, this structure probably won't be too challenging to maintain, but were a game to have many interacting objects, I suspect the code would get out of hand. Is the method I am using right now alright, or should I look at another implementation of object communication? If so, what would you recommend?
I've looked at Communication between objects in games?, but whenever I try to implement the mediator pattern, I end up with a giant mediator class which is a challenge to maintain. Is the mediator pattern what I should be using?
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