5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beginning Game Programming Third Edition, November 10, 2010
This review is from: Beginning Game Programming (Paperback)
Most of the reviews on this book are from the first and second editions which are from different writer and/or different language C. This review is of the Third Edition by Jonathan S. Harbour, for C++.
The book is really good, it starts into the basics of windows programming but only goes far enough so you know how to get a program running to start making directx games, which is good cause that stuff is confusing and not much fun. But the rest of the book is a blast to read and the information is priceless. As you go through the book you start building a library of your own for directx that you can use in all your projects and games even after the book is read, which gives it lasting value. The writing style is excellent and interesting, the example code just works everytime if you type it in correctly. Overall this book is perfect for me and perfect for anyone who understands C++ and wants to make games with directx.
10/10
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad., December 7, 2008
[N.B.: This is a review of the first edition, not the second.]
Jonathan Harbour, Beginning Game Programming (Thompson, 2005)
Beginning Game Programming has been kind of the holy grail of programming books for me for years. I can't even remember how it got such stature in my head, but over the last year or two it became one of the books at the very top of my wish list. When I found a copy for sale (relatively) cheap earlier this year, then, I jumped on it. Unfortunately, I had hyped it up so much in my head some disappointment was likely inevitable, but I tried to keep as even-keeled as possible when thinking about what to put in this review. After all, it's not a bad book, I've just read a number of intro-to-game-programming books that are better in at least one sense (comprehensiveness, readability, number/length/quality of code samples, or what have you).
One of the oddities of the book, and one which a number of novices will likely appreciate, is that the book focuses on C, rather than one of the more popular languages featured in books of this sort (C++, C#, or VB). For someone experienced in one of the other languages, that can be either a blessing or a curse, so take it into consideration. Aside from that, however, the main thing to note here is that the book dives right into game programming in C and DirectX (which version will depend on which version of the book you're reading; my copy is first edition, not second, and so the book's examples use an older version of DirectX than currently advertised). Code examples and discussions on the theory of game design start right up in the first chapter. Once again, this is something that some readers will find a strong point, while it will be a drawback to others. There's something to be said for some overview and nuts-and-bolts stuff (at least one of the book's reviewers complains about the lack of instructions for installing the software that comes with the book, for example), but if you kick things off from page one, you have room to cover more material in the same number of pages than you otherwise would. Can't call that a bad thing under any circumstances.
The book is also very small for this type of thing, only 337 pages, which limits the amount of space there is to cover material. Once again, something that could be seen by different readers as a good (not as imposing as doorstop-sized tomes) or a bad (not room to go into anything in depth) thing.
So, basically, it's up to you and what you're looking for in an intro-to-game-programming book. This could be it. It might not be. Check it out before shelling out the dough. ***
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Valuable and Worthwhile Book, July 11, 2005
A Kid's Review
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
