Problem with getch( )

[gwang@i-mail.com.au]

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Hi,

I've been trying to make a simple space game which runs by something like this:

main()
{
 while(QuitGame != 1){
     ObtainArrowKeyPressFromUser();
     RedrawSpaceshipAtNewLocation(); /* erase old ship, draw new ship */
     UpdateBackground();  /* Just scrolling stars */
 }
}

And I run into a problem when I used getch() in ObtainArrowKeyPressFromUser(). Understandably the background does not update until the user presses a key, ie if the user does not press anything, the stars stop scrolling. Apparently it's because getch() waits on me for a keypress, and wouldn't go on unless something if pressed; after I pressed one key, the stars scroll half an inch and stop again as another keypress is needed.

How can I get by this problem?
I thought about checking the keyboard buffer or borrow timer interrupt, but it seems too complicated and un-necessary... Is there a simple way out eg. a getch() which automatically exits if a key is not pressed say within 1/5 of a second?

Thanks a lot.

GEORGE
(By the way, the C I use is TurboC 2.0 for MS-DOS)
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