📜 What is so_long?

so_long is a graphical project from the 42 School Cursus, in which you build a small top-down 2D game from scratch using the MiniLibX graphical library. It's the first introduction to event-driven programming and rendering.

The player must navigate a map, collect all items, and reach the exit — while handling input, graphics, memory, and events.

🧰 MiniLibX (mlx) Overview

so_long is a 42 School project where you build a simple 2D game using MiniLibX, a minimal graphical library built on top of X11 (the windowing system used by Unix-like OSes). This project introduces you to graphical programming, event-driven design, and real-time rendering using a C-based graphics API.

How It Works: Window Creation & Game Loop

At the core of the project is a window that you create using:

void *mlx = mlx_init();
void *win = mlx_new_window(mlx, width, height, "Window Title");

In MiniLibX, building interactive applications like so_long revolves around event-driven programming.

Hooking is the mechanism that links an event (like a key press or mouse click) to a callback function you define. This function runs when the event occurs.

🎯 Events are actions such as:

• Pressing or releasing a key (KeyPress, KeyRelease)

🧪 Masks define which events your hook listens to. For example:

• KeyPressMask → (1L << 0)

Using mlx_hook(), you can control exactly what behavior happens and when. This is the core of creating a responsive game:

• Move the player with keys 🕹️
• Cleanly exit the game when needed ❌

int close_window(int keycode, void *param)
{
    (void)keycode;
    mlx_destroy_window(((t_vars *)param)->mlx, ((t_vars *)param)->win);
    exit(0);
}
mlx_hook(vars.win, 2, 1L << 0, close_window, &vars);

In summary:

Hooks + Events + Masks = Control
Mastering these gives you full command over game input and behavior.

📜 Project Overview

The game consists of:

• A map, read from a .ber file.

• A player who can move using the keyboard (WASD).

• Collectibles to gather.

• An exit, which opens after collecting everything.

  

Your goal is to validate the map, draw it with sprites/tiles, and implement movement, collision, and game logic.

⚙️ Requirements

• Code must follow the Norminette formatting rules:
  • Max 25 lines per function
  • No forbidden keywords (e.g., for, switch, ternary ?:)
• Must use MiniLibX only (no SDL, no OpenGL, etc.)
• The map file must have a .ber extension

🗺️ Map Rules

Your game map is the core of the gameplay. It must follow strict rules to be valid and playable.

✅ Required Format

• The map file must have a .ber extension.
• The map must be a rectangle: all rows must have the same length.
• The map must be surrounded by walls (1) on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right).

🔠 Allowed Characters

🧪 Validation Rules

Your program must reject maps that:

• Are not rectangular
• Are not enclosed by walls
• Contain invalid characters
• Contain more than one P
• Have no C or E
• Are not solvable (player can't reach all collectibles and exit)

🗂️ Example of a Valid Map

111111
1P0C01
100001
1C0E11
111111

🎮 Controls

In so_long, the player moves around the map using the keyboard. These controls are implemented by detecting key press events and updating the game state accordingly.

🕹️ Movement Keys

📦 Setup & 🚀 Run Instructions

Follow these steps in order to build and run the so_long project:

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/so_long.git
cd so_long

2️⃣ Compile the Project

3️⃣ Run the Game