Beautiful C++: 30 Core Guidelines for Writing Clean, Safe, and Fast Code

Chapter 3.4

ES.50: Don’t cast away const

Story time

When asked about my favorite C++ features, besides deterministic destruction, const always makes the list. It allows me to divide an interface between view and control, giving users a head start in learning how to use it. This separation has come to my rescue countless times, but never more starkly than in my first big game project.

At the turn of the century, my employers started a mighty work, a computer game called Rome: Total War. This was a real-time strategy game set in the era of the Roman Empire. The game featured field battles with hundreds of soldiers operating in cavalry, infantry, and artillery units, along with the extensive control options nec-essary to navigate them around the ...