Constructor in C++ Class - c++

Question

I have two Classes, Player and Game.
class Game
{
private:
int maxPlayer;
Player** playersArray;
public:
Game(int maxPlayer);
~Game();
}
Each index in playersArray consists of pointers to class Player.The following constructor doesn't work, since this message keeps appearing:
error: invalid use of 'Player::Player' playersArray[i]->Player();
Game::Game(int maxPlayer)
{ this->maxPlayer=maxPlayer;
this->playersArray = new Player*[maxPlayer];
for(int i=0;i<maxPlayer;i++)
{
playersArray[i]->Player();
}
}
This is the class Player:
class Player {
private:
char* player_name;
int level;
int life;
int strength;
Weapon player_weapon;
int place;
}
My aim is to set the player_name to NULL and NOT to a random place in the memory. This is what Player() is supposed to do.

Answer 1

You are not populating your Game array correctly. You are trying to call the Player() constructor as if it were a regular class method (which it is not), and worse you are calling it via an uninitialized Player* pointer.
You need to use the new operator instead, eg:
class Game
{
private:
int maxPlayers;
Player** playersArray;
public:
Game(int aMaxPlayers);
~Game();
}
Game::Game(int aMaxPlayers)
{
maxPlayers = aMaxPlayers;
playersArray = new Player*[maxPlayers];
for(int i = 0; i < maxPlayers; ++i)
playersArray[i] = new Player; // <-- here
}
Game::~Game()
{
for(int i = 0; i < maxPlayers; ++i)
delete playersArray[i];
delete[] playersArray;
}
A safer option is to use std::unique_ptr instead of raw pointers:
#include <memory>
class Game
{
private:
int maxPlayers;
std::unique_ptr<std::unique_ptr<Player>[]> playersArray;
public:
Game(int aMaxPlayers);
}
Game::Game(int aMaxPlayers)
{
maxPlayers = aMaxPlayers;
playersArray = std::make_unique<std::unique_ptr<Player>[]>(maxPlayers);
for(int i = 0; i < maxPlayers; ++i)
playersArray[i] = std::make_unique<Player>();
}
That being said, there is no need to use an array of Player* pointers when an array of Player objects will suffice instead:
class Game
{
private:
int maxPlayers;
Player* playersArray;
public:
Game(int aMaxPlayers);
~Game();
}
Game::Game(int aMaxPlayers)
{
maxPlayers = aMaxPlayers;
playersArray = new Player[maxPlayers];
}
Game::~Game()
{
delete[] playersArray;
}
Or:
#include <memory>
class Game
{
private:
int maxPlayers;
std::unique_ptr<Player[]> playersArray;
public:
Game(int aMaxPlayers);
}
Game::Game(int aMaxPlayers)
{
maxPlayers = aMaxPlayers;
playersArray = std::make_unique<Player[]>(maxPlayers);
}
Which you can then simplify further by using std::vector instead:
#include <vector>
class Game
{
private:
std::vector<Player> playersArray;
public:
Game(int maxPlayers);
}
Game::Game(int maxPlayers)
: playersArray(maxPlayers)
{
}