Isometric Game Programming with DirectX 7.0 w/CD (Premier Press Game Development (Software)) [Paperback]

Ernest Pazera (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2001 | Series: Premier Press Game Development (Software)

Isometric Game Programming with DirectX takes you from zero to DirectX, literally! Beginning with game programming basics you will explore such topics as WIN32 programming basics, GDI fundamentals, fonts, regions and bitmaps, DirectDraw, and Game Logic. You'll then move on to Isometric fundamentals and methodology as well as advanced topics such as Random World Generation and Direct3D.This book is a comprehensive Isometric game programming guide ideal for any serious game developer!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ernest Pazera is a self-taught programmer, starting at age 13 with a TRS-80. Within a month Mr. Pazera was writing video games. By age 15, he realized that he could be happy with nothing less than being a game programmer. He is one of the developers who helped create one of the most popular and respected game development sites on the Web---www.gamedev.net. He is a moderator of an isometric/hexagonal forum on the site and has extensive experience with game development. Ernest is the author of Isometric Game Programming with DirectX 7.0 from Premier Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 744 pages
• Publisher: Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade; 1 edition (March 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761530894
• ISBN-13: 978-0761530893
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,937 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Graphics & Multimedia > DirectX

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!!!, April 5, 2001

By 

Jonathan Morris (St.George, UT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isometric Game Programming with DirectX 7.0 w/CD (Premier Press Game Development (Software)) (Paperback)

What a incredibly well done book! I have followed Ernest Pazera's articles and work for a very long time in the Gamedev.Net community and I will say that this book is Ernest at his finest! And with the added touch of Andre' LaMothe, it makes this book a programmer's gem. I know that there are a great many aspiring game programmers who will find this book to be the book they have been waiting for. I'll explain what amazed me about this book:

It starts out giving a short review on Windows programming, and GDC (which is good, since sometimes it's easy to forget some of the basics). It's followed with a course in DirectX, and DirectSound, which are given in a way tailored toward our goal of making an isometric or tile-based game. Then the book just takes off. You'll find wonderful chapters on isometric game design, and the overview on how to create your game engine. The chapters that follow cover tile-based programming and tile-based AI and (my personal favorites of the book) chapters on how to handle objects and characters in your game. And it's all done in a very easy to understand and straight-forward manor. He completes the book with chapters on how to make your game's transition into the world of Direct3D. I've been doing tile-based games for years, and yet I found TONS of things in this book that I didn't know. And I think that's one of the main reasons this book is so well done: it's done by a man who loves iso-game programming with an incredible passion, and HE KNOWS HIS STUFF.

I do agree with Dino, though, that one would want to have at least a bit of understanding on game programming before delving in, as opposed to hitting it right at the start. And like Dino said, it makes a GREAT reference for all of those who may have been in the business for a while.

Ernest, you've done a wonderful job on this book. Doing a good book on iso-game programming is no easy task, but you have pulled it off perfectly.

Bottom line: THIS IS A DEFINATE MUST-BUY.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Useful I've seen to date, June 14, 2001

By 

R. Ashkettle "Scheky" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Isometric Game Programming with DirectX 7.0 w/CD (Premier Press Game Development (Software)) (Paperback)

OK, this is not a book for raw newbies. Given that, the basic gloss-over of directDraw and Win32 is a bit redundant. However, I found the directSound chapter useful, as most books ignore that aspect.

Given that, I will admit that I already know my way around DirectX and my current Iso project, being in Java, I didn't really need the DirectX parts. However, Ernest provides some WONDERFUL helper functions for budding DirectX programmers and doesn't hide things in yet ANOTHER framework.

When the book gets into the guts of Iso programming, things really take off. Don't expect to glean everything out of it in the first read (which, unfortunately, too many think is possible). Read it until you get the basics down, and refer to it from then on. Since reading this, I've come a LONG way toward my own Isometric engine, and am still impressed with the information I can glean from it daily. I refer to his book at least once every couple of days.

Ernest has always been a great help to the game programming community with his online tutorials and forum on GameDev.net. This book takes his knowledge and skill and passes this information on. In a world where most game programming books are simply C++ tutorials filled with a few examples, it's good to see all the theory in building an engine in one place.

Get the sequal out, I'll pick it up too.

Richard Ashkettle (aka Eboz)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice for the ABSOLUTE beginner..., March 3, 2004

By 

"edocecrous" (Brooklyn, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isometric Game Programming with DirectX 7.0 w/CD (Premier Press Game Development (Software)) (Paperback)

I bought this book because LaMothe was the editor, and i thought he actually made at least some suggestions to the writer.

I won't take your time, so here it is:
Good:
-Covers everything needed for a basic game, for beginners.
-Couple good ideas, like mouse-mapping, path-finding
Not Good:
-Part I:First 230 pages are about windows programming, an ISO book should not cover 'my first windows program' topics...
-Part II and III:This supposed to cover the ISO stuff, from basic to hardcore (only the basic is there)
-Part IV:World generation and Path finding (the only good stuff in the book)

Recap: The author handles the subject as Civilization II was the ONLY ISO TYPE GAME, and Fallout, Diablo does not exist, however the introduction states you will learn the secrets of creating games like NOX (Diablo clone). Explanation of seamless tile generation is lame (not the real deal), does not cover any of the 'interesting' topics, like: wall transparency, rendering of large objects, different types of scrolling (character centered, character framed), and so on...

Suggestion:
-If you want to write a small, turn based strategy game (definetly with flat tiles), and you are a beginner with programming and windows, buy it.
-If you want to write a Fallout or Diablo-like ISO game, do not buy this book, you can get all the basic info this book cover from the net...

I think i will write a similar 'book', and put it to my webpage, only that will cover all the stuff this one left out...

Edocecrous
System/Game programmer,
Mynergy