Beginning Game Programming [Paperback]

Michael Morrison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0672326590 | ISBN-13: 978-0672326592

If you are hooked on video games and have a basic knowledge of C++ and visual programming, you will be hooked on Beginning Game Programming. Clear, practical lessons based on C++ programming are the basis of this book's lessons. By focusing on the Windows API to construct games, you will learn game theory in double-buffered graphics, sprite animation, digitized sound effects and music. A fully functional game engine provided on CD, along with tools, code and graphics, will give you the ability to create your own games in the future. Learn the art and science of game programming with help from Beginning Game Programming.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Morrison is a writer, developer, toy inventor and author of a variety of computer technology books and interactive Web-based courses. In addition to his primary profession as a writer and freelance nerd for hire, Michael is the creative lead at Stalefish Labs, an entertainment company he co-founded with his wife, Masheed. The first commercial debut for Stalefish Labs is a traditional social/trivia game called Tall Tales: The Game of Legends and Creative One-Upmanship (http://www.talltalesgame.com). When not glued to his computer, playing hockey, skateboarding or watching movies with his wife, Michael enjoys hanging out by his koi pond. You can visit Michael on the Web at http://www.michaelmorrison.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Sams (July 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672326590
• ISBN-13: 978-0672326592
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Morrison is a writer, developer, toy inventor, and author of a variety of computer technology books and interactive web-based courses. In addition to his primary profession as a writer and freelance nerd for hire, Michael is the creative lead at Stalefish Labs (http://www.stalefishlabs.com), an entertainment company he co-founded with his wife, Masheed. The first commercial debut for Stalefish Labs is a traditional social/trivia game called Tall Tales: The Game of Legends and Creative One-Upmanship. When not glued to his computer, playing hockey, skateboarding, or watching movies with his wife, Michael enjoys hanging out by his koi pond while he daydreams about new Web creations. You can visit Michael on the Web and discuss this book at http://www.michaelmorrison.com/.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Primer to learn how games work, August 3, 2005

By 

Mike Schmidt (Mississippi USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beginning Game Programming (Paperback)

This book is:
- a very good step by step tour of basic games on Windows.
- packed with examples and source code
- full of suggestions on what to add on your own
- supported well on the author's web site

This book is not:
- a C++ book to teach C++, but uses C++
- an advanced book
- a 3d programming book
- a directx book

I have done C++ programming for years and bought this for my son, who expressed interest in building games. I ended up going through it myself and enjoying it. This goes through the basics of setting up a game loop, drawing sprites, interacting with mouse, joystick, and keyboard, things like that. It gets you going up to the point of a 2d side scroller, but no further. This is great, though, because to do the more complex stuff correctly, you really need several people. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone learning to build games on the PC. But if you've never done any programming at all, you could learn some with this book, but may want to get a beginning C++ book first.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Download Free Example Games, January 31, 2005

By 

Michael Morrison "Author" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beginning Game Programming (Paperback)

I'm the author of the book, and I want to point out that you can download all of the example games directly from my Web site (www.michaelmorrison.com) for free. Think of it as a "try before you buy" option so that you can see exactly what kinds of games are developed in the book. I also offer online support forums for the book on my Web site, so if you have questions or suggestions about the game code you can share them and get feedback directly from me and other readers.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding introduction, January 12, 2005

By 

S. J Mahoney (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beginning Game Programming (Paperback)

I've been a game hobbyist for about 2 months. I started out by jumping straight to the top by trying to tackle Direct3D but soon learned that I was missing several important concepts. During my search to fill this void I stumbled across this book while browsing the shelf at Books-A-Million (which I normally do before I buy on Amazon so that I can get a feel for what I am ordering online). I sat down in the store and was quickly plunged into the design of a 2D GameEngine class. Here's the good part: It made perfect sense! I broke my own rule and bought the book from somewhere besides Amazon but I couldn't wait to get home and start reading it. Morrison then walked me through the design of several games (most of which can be found in the download section of his site www.michaelmorrison.com) clearly explaining the source code without regurgitating each and every line (which could be found on the included CD).

If your C/C++ is weak then do not worry. This book was written with the beginner in mind. All of the source code is clearly written and easy to understand (with the exception of the Bitmap class which took a little time to study -- but this is the nature of digging into the GDI). I had a very, very limited exposure to C++ (coming from a java background) and had absolutely no trouble picking it up. Towards the end he really emphasizes the OO paradigm but still at a level suitable for beginners like me.

So what will you learn from this book? You will learn the basics behind Game Engine design including what your game engine should be expected to do. This was a big problem for me, because I had no idea what an engine was supposed to do and how it was supposed to make my life easier. Not only will you know what the game engine is supposed to do, you will have a working model in front of you! I have already written several games using it. After that he demystifies sprite animation laying to rest all of my questions on basic animation. You will learn how to double buffer (essential unless you wanna watch your games flicker constantly) and even the basics of windows programming. You will be experienced with basic collision detection and become exposed to the methods behind the more advanced ways to detect collisions. As a bonus he has included several games that go well beyond the scope of the book and will propel you into the intermediate/advanced range of GDI programming. I have only glanced at these but am excited to dissect them when I get the time.

In short, if you are serious about game programming you cannot skip the fundamentals that this book offers. Forget about making the next Doom3 (for now) and focus on learning the basics. I have just finished this book and started reading LaMothe and it gave me the tools to understand what he is talking about!

For more information visit the download section of his site:

www.michaelmorrison.com

and try a few of the games there. If you like them (which i know you will) buy the book and learn how to write them.