Start from the beginning by getting your computer ready for coding. You can use a desktop or laptop computer running Windows or Linux, or a Mac to learn how to code. Then learn how to test your setup and make sure everything is working. Testing small steps is a big part of what you'll learn in this book and it will help you to identify problems so they can be fixed right away.

You can use this book as a self-study guide or to supplement your current programming classes. It will provide you with insights and skills that are not taught in schools. The first part of this book through chapter 3 shows you the C++ fundamentals you'll need to use all the time. Modern C++ consisting of C++11, C++14, and C++17 is used. The second part of this book starting with chapter 4 begins a large project to build a text-based adventure game. Everything is standard C++ with no platform-specific code so you can run it on any computer.

Many other books will show you a finished design and try to explain it piece by piece. This book starts out with an empty project and slowly builds it over time. This lets you see how code is really written and how it changes over time. If you've ever stared at a blank page and wondered where to begin, this will help you.

This book contains decades of insights and follows a learn-as-you-go style. It also contains some mistakes because we can all learn from those. This is a practical approach that doesn't try to hide anything and lets you understand how to code. This is how real code is written.