Thread: I don't really understand this loop that contains breaks and continues.

Well, I'm still learning the tutorials and I just have a question. I kind of get the other examples, but this one I'm not understanding. I like to explain everything in the code using comments so that I can know what each part does. But I just don't really understand this.

Code:

for (player = 1; someone_has_won == FALSE; player++)    {
        
        if (player > total_number_of_players)
        {player = 1;}
        if (is_bankrupt(player))
        {continue;}
        take_turn(player);
    }

Like I don't understand the player = 1 part, the someone_has_won, the player++, and basically everything about it. Like my other thread, please explain it to me like I'm five.

Thanks.

The purpose of the loop is to control the game. The game is over when someone wins, I hope I don't have to further explain the for loop condition. Also a game has to give everyone playing a turn or it wouldn't be fair. So whoever player 1 is goes first, and assuming he didn't go bankrupt, takes his turn. Then player++ happens and you keep going around the table.

So based on what we know, the loop looks pretty similar:

Code:

for (player = 1; someone_has_won == FALSE; player++) {
   if (!is_bankrupt(player)) {
      take_turn(player);
   }
}

The problem with this loop is that games tend to be played by small groups of people. If 4 people are playing, then you don't want a turn to go to a nonexistent 5th person. That is the purpose of the comparison against `total_number_of_players' because you want to bring the turns back around to the first player.

Finally, the purpose of the continue keyword is to force the loop to start a new iteration and prevent a player who's bankrupt from taking a turn. There are other way to write that as you have seen.