C# Game Programming: For Serious Game Creation [Paperback]

Daniel Schuller (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1435455568 | ISBN-13: 978-1435455566 | Publication Date: June 16, 2010 | Edition: 1

Even experienced game developers sometimes have a hard time making their vision for a great game a reality. The number of available programming languages, libraries, and production methods can make the development process overwhelming and result in complicated, unreliable game code. C# Game Programming: For Serious Game Creation shows programmers how to write simple, clean, and reliable code step-by-step through the creation of a basic game. The game is built using C#, a high-level programming language, and OpenGL, an industry favorite for graphics display. You'll get an overview of the methods and libraries used to build good games, learn how to use those libraries and create your own, and finally build your own scrolling shooter game. You'll even find tips and information on how to develop your own game ideas and you'll have an excellent code base to work with. C# Game Programming: For Serious Game Creation provides you with all the information you need to take your game ideas from concept to completion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 425 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (June 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1435455568
• ISBN-13: 978-1435455566
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic resource!, June 7, 2011

By 

Andrew - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: C# Game Programming: For Serious Game Creation (Paperback)

I'm just getting back into computer programming, a hobby I enjoyed in high school (7+ years ago). For months I struggled with trying to "break the ice" to get back into programming because so much had changed over that time and it was somewhat overwhelming. I decided to give this book a go since it was new and used C# and OpenGL, both of which I was interested in learning.

In starting this book, I was familiar with general programming concepts but had zero experience with C# or OpenGL (or any other graphics API). This book takes you through creation of a fairly robust game engine, class-by-class, with excellent exercises, explanations, and implementation examples along the way. The pacing was excellent, the concepts well explained, and the included CD was a great reference for checking my code for errors.

In less than a month I feel like I've broken the ice completely- I have a healthy base knowledge of good gaming concepts, a decent understanding of OpenGL, and a very easy-to-use collection of classes for game creation. Even better, after working through the book twice (maybe 30 or 40 hours of reading and coding) I have a thorough enough understanding to modify, expand, and utilize the engine for projects beyond the ones presented in the book...and that's the real goal.

One of the coolest things about this book is how it teaches various game-specific concepts that I've always wanted to learn about. Things such as coding efficient game loops, rendering, the graphics pipeline, and handling game states are presented in a simple and elegant way, with examples of good vs. bad practices and glimpses into how such things are handled on a professional level. It was very refreshing to get some insight into how games are made "for real" and feel like I'm on a track to take my hobby to the next level. I will be spending my summer using the knowledge I learned from this book as a springboard to learn 3D graphics and game programming and to have fun making my own games. I'd have rated it 6 stars if I could :)

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, December 8, 2010

By 

Banspad - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: C# Game Programming: For Serious Game Creation (Paperback)

This book does a good job at taking you through step by step the process of creating a game, without having any game programming experience, by far the best book I have found for 2010 visual studio. 5/5

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a shame more handbooks aren't like this, July 10, 2010

By 

Mojo_Jojo - See all my reviews

This review is from: C# Game Programming: For Serious Game Creation (Paperback)

I love programming C# and I love playing games - this book helps bring these two passions together in a simple clear way. I found the book easy to follow and gave me a great grounding in how modern computer games, it takes you through making a simple game on your own so at the end I was totally prepared to start my own projects! Definitely recommend!