Thread: Designing Data Structures for Dice Rolling

An idea, for good or ill:

Code:

class Die {
    public:
        int Roll();
        Die(std::vector<int> possible_sides);
    private:
        int number_of_sides;
        std::vector<int> sides;
};

Die::Die(std::vector<int> possible_sides) :
    number_of_sides(possible_sides.size()), sides(possible_sides.begin(), possible_sides.end())
{
}

int Die::Roll() {
    return sides[rand()%number_of_sides];
}

In other words, each die knows what the markings on its sides are and returns whichever one is rolled. Using a vector is a little awkward (ok, a lot awkward, unless there's a nice easy way to build a vector with values {-1,0,0,0,1,1} that I've missed to pass into the constructor), but I wasn't sure if you were always using d6. If so, then just make it an array of six, pass in an array of 6 and be done with it.

EDIT: Holy cow, I'm sorry, I thought I was in the C++ board. Alright. Ignore the vector part, and the class part, and just everything. I still think that each die should know its markings and return. For penance, a C version:

Code:

struct Die {
    int number_of_sides;
    int *sides;
};

int createDie(int n, int *sidelist, struct Die *newdie) {
    newdie->number_of_sides = n;
    newdie->sides = malloc(n*sizeof(int));
    if (newdie->sides == NULL) {
        return 1; /*bad things*/
    }
    for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        newdie->sides[i] = sidelist[i];
    }
    return 0;
}

int RollDie(struct Die die) {
    return die.sides[rand()%die.number_of_sides];
}