Windows 95 Games Programming: With CDROM

I'm only halfway through this book, but I must say that when I had a problem with the raycasting programs the author (Stan Trujillo) was very willing to solve my problems. He provides a nice raycasting engine to develop 3-d games even if it is in more of a Wolfenstein 3d(not quake) style. It does allow an easy entry into the subject however. Be forewarned though, you should have atleast a small amount of c/c++ programming experience.Bob - Chicago

Reviews for this book have shown two extremes. Some show 5 stars, while others show only one. The truth about this book is that it is a good book which comes with 3 frameworks. I would strongly advise having knowledge of MFC and Visual C++ prior to making this purchase. The frameworks included are used to help the user produce his/her own games without the hassel of having to make extra code. This book includes numerous good demos, however you MUST be willing to study the source code of the demos to get anything from this book. This book is mostly useful for someone who wishes to get a kick-start into 2D and basic 3D game programming. The source code in this book will only work with Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0, if you have an older version, or different software I advise purchasing the newest version of VC++ out (as of now version 6.0)and then calling Microsoft and getting version 4 at no additional charge (its called downgrading). My advice, buy this book if you have never programmed games before, and you have some solid expierence with MFC and VC++.

The book has a lot of valuable content. The only problem that I had with it is the librarys. I could never get them to work. But that is just because I have no idea on how to use librarys. So if you don't know, then don't get it. But if you do know, or are willing to learn, then go for it. The metaphors that it uses are very effective, and it is organized very well. It covers many forms of games.Just note that I am using VC4. The version that the book uses.

This book has some good info on basic game theory. GDKapp framework included uses DirectX. This book is better than any of the many books I have read by Andre' LaMothe. The only weaknesses are its almost total lack of AI info and the writer's obsesion with the 'Theatrix' framework, which tries to mutilate game disign into a theatricle metaphore. Also, the DOOM-style framework is more like Wolfenstein 3D; walls must be cubical.

This book enables the C++ programmer to bypass the MFC completely by providing you with a royalty free programming interface that enables you to easily handle graphics, sound, mouse, network controls in your professional games. This is a big improvement over the authors previous C++ book that required the purchase of an expensive third party library. They also include support for Microsofts SDK and a library for developing 3D(Doom style) games. This book is most strongly recommended for those with some C/C++ skills but little knowlege of the MFC and no game design experience.