Beginning Game Programming [With CDROM]

I just begin to read this book. I must confess that I buyed it for curiosity, but I found it a nice introduction to DirectX programming. It isn't the solution to became a skilled game programmer, but for me it's a step to begin programming under Win32. Until today I just programmed using plain DOS ambient (DJGPP), or Linux (GCC,TCC), without any evolved graphic library or something similar (writing on myself all low level graphic functions). Now it's time to explore this new world...

Jonathan S. Harbour is an excellent author. His books are very informative and very easy to read. He has a knack for taking subject matter that would put you to sleep, and making it fun to read.

If you are like me - knowledgable about C++ - you will appreciate this book if you are trying to get started with Windows DirectX programming. I have read a lot of introductory gaming books and I can honestly say that Harbour gives the beginning chapters the attention they desperately need. I have read too many gaming books that go over WinMain and WinProc so fast you have no idea what they actually do. True - they really don't play that big of a role in the full span of game development. Here is the thing, though, if you are typing things like "HINSTANCE" and "LPTSTR" and don't know what they mean, it is likely you are just memorizing everything you see in the book; what good is that? As a programmer, you need to know what is going on so that random letters suddenly make sense and you know what is going on. Never program blindly - it is the first step to failure! Harbour explains everything in concise, well-rounded chapters that make coding even easy for beginner programmers. I have another book called Beginning DirectX 9, and the author starts out by giving over a page worth of code with hardly sufficient explainations. Harbour's book is not like that! He is very ambitious and will direct a reader to actually learn something - not everything - but anything a serious programmer needs to pick up another books that will be more challenging. His only fault may be that he repeats himself too much, but it never takes away from the quality and it really stresses the important things. If you are sick of programming books that just aren't working out for you, this is your last caveat. Enjoy learning something for a change. :- )

I liked this book. Don't be fooled by the author when he says in the beginning that "This is a book all about game programming". It seems like its goal is to do everything with DirectX but make games. You spend the first 9 chapters making neat little programs to demonstrate basic Windows code and the various components of DirectX. However, the games come eventually; you make a sort of Pong clone in chapter 10, and a 3D version of Breakout to finnish the book. You also walk away with a fully functional game "framework" you can apply to your projects for a while to come. BE WARNED: the compiler included with this book is Dev-C++, an environment I have found very difficult to use with DirectX. Your better off using MSVC (the compiler that is actually covered in the book). To sum up: I gained a knowledge of how to make games with C and DirectX from this book, so I'm satisfied. Definitely valuable, worthwhile, and a great place to start for the novice game programmer.

When I set out to write this book, my goal was to reach the inexperienced programmer and give him or her some of the foundational knowledge needed to get started in the fascinating world of game development. This book is not a work of art, nor it is witty or cunningly imaginative; instead, this book is pragmatic in it's focus on providing just what you need--and nothing more. You will need MS Visual C++ 5/6/7 or a comparable Windows compiler such as Borland C++Builder, and the DirectX 9.0b SDK (provided on the CD-ROM). There is not a single frivolous page in this book, for--as your can see--the very first chapter will have you learning the fundamentals of Windows and DirectX. By the 4th chapter, you will have learned about Windows messaging, the DirectX interfaces, and will be writing windowed and fullscreen Direct3D programs. I focused entirely on the C language, so I encourage you to learn at least the basics of C before trying to work through this book, because I assume you already understand the basics of the language. Although there is really no complex code in this book, I still urge you to read a C primer first (I suggest Michael Vine's C for the Absolute Beginner as a companion to this volume). The book quickly escalates into Direct3D surfaces and textures, and then on to animated sprites (which are pulled from a tiled bitmap image and loaded into a texture). Before rounding out the basics of DirectX, you will learn how to program sound, music, and input devices. The last four chapters are the true gem of this book, for you will learn how to create your own 3D models. As a non-artist myself, I understand how difficult it is for a budding game programmer to come up with the artwork for a game. The truth is, there is no good source for free 3D models or textures that will suit your needs, so the best approach is to create your own. After a brief introduction to 3D graphics theory, you will have the opportunity to create a 3D model of a car from scratch using the powerful Anim8or 3D modeling program (full version provided on the CD). You will then learn how to tweak the model in various ways, and then load it into your own program. You will then put these new skills to work in creating a complete game--a 3D version of Breakout, complete with a 3D mouse cursor, sound effects, scoring, the works! You will gain valuable skills while creating this game, as you will see exactly how the 3D models were created for the walls, the paddle, and other objects in the game. In the end, you will have gained that foundation of knowledge, will have a solid understanding of how a game works, and will be ready for the next step in your education. I believe that you will be able to pick up any advanced game programming book after completing this one, and will be able to make sense of it--and that is the most valuable thing that you will have gained from this book. Part I: Windows Programming 1: Getting Started With Windows And DirectX 2: Windows Prog