Game Programming All in One (Book ) [With CDROM]

One of the main reasons I liked this book is it didn't dumb things down too much. I already know how to do basic stuff like program in C and operate a compiler, so it was refreshing to find a game programming book that didn't waste a third of its pages on amateur content. Still, if you know nothing about game programming specifically but have a strong foundation in computers and know C (or can pick it up quickly), this is a great book. The evolution of the examples is well done, leading you from simple 2D vectors (a la Pong) all the way up to platform scrollers with sprites and sound effects. Some would find it silly to have a game programming book these days that covers absolutely no 3D programming, but this book is still very relevant. I think the topics covered are crucial for anyone learning game development, and specifically if you're interested in working on mobile, handheld, or internet games where 2D is still the norm, this book is excellent for that. There were also very few errors in the text, remarkable for a book of its size with so many code listings.

I been searching for a book like this ever since i started learning how to do C++. My goal is to create a really fun text adventure and all the other books i bought were good for learning the basics but this book had exactly what i needed. here's a short list of my pro's and con's. Pros: - easy playback for .wav files - easy function to display a .bmp picture - tells me how to insert text in any graphics mode to any part of the screen. - book is based mainly in use with DEV-C++ - shows easy way to make side-scrolling games and animate sprites. - easy way to do collision detection. - easy way of stretching your animations giving it a 3d effect based on distance. - you can really make the old Doom from scratch with this book. - screenshots made easy. - all the stuff is royalty free. - no major header writing headaches when playing with the graphics and sound. Cons: - I couldn't find anything on how to store data in a separate file to be read from, like a database of weapon names, item names and monster stats to be read from a file to be used in the main program. - couldn't find any easy way of making words scroll upwards for my text adventure game. I may need to create a routine for that. luckily this book shows even how to make screenshots really easy and i can just use that principal to make it work. Summary: I highly recommend this book to any newbie game developer. even experienced developer will find this book a great asset.

First off, this book is VERY well written and easy to follow. It is one of the only game programming books that I actually had a blast reading. What really strikes me about this book is that it is the only one (that I know of) that concretely discuses cross-platform game programming with Allegro, a library more powerful and easier to use than DirectX. It's almost hilarious how fast Harbor gets into the 'good stuff' without losing the reader.My only question is, why hasn't someone written a book like this before???

I admit I am excited about this book, which covers game programming with the open source, multi-platform allegro library. Much easier to use than Direct X, Allegro and this book get you up and going pretty quick. Topics include sprites, sound and AI for your games. The code examples are written in C (not C++), and a copy of Dev-C++ and Allegro come on the enclosed CD. My only complaint is no coverage of 1st person 3D topics, but as the author states, the reason is 3D engines and games built on that engine are difficult for a single programmer to create alone in a reasonable amount of time, if at all. The focus of the book is on a single developer creating quality 2D shareware and freeware games with good game play. Emphasis on incorporating other freely available tools and libraries to help an individual programmer or small team reduce the amount of coding and resources and to get the title completed is another theme, and he discusses the issues surrounding getting the game published in a small chapter at the end.