Flights of Fantasy: Programming 3D Video Games in

This was my first book in computer game/graphics programming, and the book from which I simultaneously learned C. Though some things are dated, the basic ideas are fundamental. It is well written, well explained, and really fun. It leaves the careful reader who practices the code with a solid background and ability to proceed.

Although some of the techniques in this book are outdated, it is one of the best books I have found that teaches the foundations of 3D computer graphics. Despite having newer references, such as The Zen of Graphics Programming, by Michael Abrash, I often find myself going back to this book to debug my applications and to develop new techniques for 3D graphics.This book starts with the most basic methods for 3D graphics, and goes through step by step optimizations, ending with the code for a flight simulator. With the understanding of 3D graphics that this book provides, one can confidently tackle the more advanced 3D techniques used in Quake, Quake 2, and beyond.