It sounds like you’re running into a common issue when working with OpenGL and shaders. From what you described, it seems like the fragment shader is indeed processing pixels outside the intended geometry. Let’s break down the potential issues:

1. Geometry Setup

First off, ensure that your geometry is actually being drawn correctly. Make sure that the vertex buffer is set up properly and that you are using the appropriate draw call (like glDrawArrays or glDrawElements) to render your tiles. If the geometry is not defined correctly or if there’s an error in your drawing commands, the fragment shader will still run for every pixel on the screen, potentially leading to undesired results.

2. Culling and Depth Testing

If your scene allows for it, enabling culling (like back-face culling) and depth testing can help ensure that fragments of hidden geometry aren’t processed. Make sure you have these features enabled using:

glEnable(GL_CULL_FACE);
    glEnable(GL_DEPTH_TEST);

3. Fragment Shader Logic

Since you mentioned using gl_FragCoord, remember that this corresponds to the pixel coordinate in window space. If your shader is rendering colors based on this without checking if a fragment is part of your geometry, it could cover the whole screen. Instead, use the interpolated values passed from the vertex shader to determine whether to sample from the texture atlas. You might want to check the fragment’s UV coordinates or the tile ID and use them to conditionally modify the output color.

4. Correct NDC Transformation

In your vertex shader, the transformation to NDC needs to ensure that the positions of your vertices are correct. If your tiles are not rendering in the expected area, double-check how you convert your tile positions to normalized device coordinates:

vec2 ndcPos = (tilePos / screenSize) * 2.0 - 1.0;

This snippet normalizes your tile position correctly.

5. Debugging Tips

To help debug, you can try rendering a simple shape (like a square or a triangle) first, then gradually integrate your texture atlas. Use colors to see what’s happening at each stage. Also, consider using a simple debug shader that outputs solid colors corresponding to your tile IDs to verify that the right fragments are being processed.

Keep experimenting, and don’t hesitate to post if you have more specific issues! Everyone starts as a rookie, and learning from these challenges is a big part of growing as a programmer.

It sounds like you’re really having a tough time with input handling in your Pong game! I can totally relate because SDL2 can be a bit tricky with keyboard input, especially with multiple keys pressed at the same time.

First off, it seems like using `SDL_GetKeyboardState()` is definitely the right approach for checking the current state of the keys. This method can help you avoid those hiccups, especially if you’re just checking the state of the keys every frame in your game loop.

But one thing to consider is the possibility of key ghosting or blocking, which might happen with some keyboards if multiple keys are pressed at the same time. This can sometimes cause inputs to get missed. Have you tried testing it on different keyboards to see if the problem persists?

Also, instead of writing a ton of if statements, you could try simplifying your input handling. For example, you could define a function to handle the movement based on key states. It might look something like this:

        if (keys[SDL_SCANCODE_W]) {
            player1.moveUp();
        }
        if (keys[SDL_SCANCODE_S]) {
            player1.moveDown();
        }
        if (keys[SDL_SCANCODE_UP]) {
            player2.moveUp();
        }
        if (keys[SDL_SCANCODE_DOWN]) {
            player2.moveDown();
        }
    

Another idea could be to have boolean flags for the movement of each player, changing them in the event loop when you detect key presses. Then use those flags to control paddle movement in your game loop. This might help with managing the state better.

Finally, make sure you are calling `SDL_PumpEvents()` before polling the state or checking events. This could help ensure you’re getting the most current input state.

Hopefully, these suggestions will help you out! Good luck, and have fun with your game!

It sounds like you’re hitting some classic design challenges that come up when creating AI for games, especially with turn-based systems. You’re definitely on the right track by considering how to simulate actions without directly affecting the game state. That gives you the opportunity to test combinations of moves and attacks without consequences.

One approach could be to create a temporary “simulation” object that represents the state of the game as it would be after performing a specific action. This would allow you to call `CanExecute` on this temporary state, which can model the game conditions post-action, without modifying your actual game state. With this setup, you can keep your ability logic intact and avoid duplication.

Regarding your concern about separating AI validation logic from your ability system: you can definitely maintain a single source of truth for abilities and checks, but implementing a simulation layer gives you the flexibility to evaluate different action chains effectively. This way, you leverage your existing logic for both the player and the AI while ensuring the AI can explore decisions without disrupting the current game state.

Another option might be to refactor your action logic into a more functional approach, where each action takes inputs (like current state) and returns outputs (like the result of an action and whether it can be executed). This would help you keep things stateless, making it easier to chain actions for the AI and compute what the best moves are without side effects.

Keep experimenting and refining your approach! Every game design challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow your skills.