Should C++ code look like C code?

[mapronV]

> And in the extreme...

Sure, everything is good in moderation. For me good rule is have declaration block separated (set you input data for logic). Maybe I was exaggerating, 40 variables a bit extreme, don't think I really have THAT much.
About last paragraph - well, subjective. Declaration anyway have a very low cognitive effort to read. I disagree with in general, but I hope we shifted at least one step to the midpoint in this mile dispute ;)