C++ For Game Programmers (Game Development Series) (Paperback)

by Mike Dickheiser (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
C++ for Game Programmers, second edition is a completely updated and expanded edition of this best-selling reference. As with the first edition, the book is not intended to replace foundational C++ books and reference material: instead, it supplements them by putting everything into perspective from a game-development point of view. The book points out the most effective C++ practices and steers you away from the potentially dangerous ones. It describes common C++ techniques to solve specific problems most game developers face. The second edition includes a wide variety of new, improved examples and illustrations, while preserving the core material from inheritance, performance, memory management, and STL to object creation, object serialization, and scripting languages. In addition, three new chapters have been added to meet the needs of today's game programmers. The first new chapter, C++ Design Patterns, covers the high-level problem-solving constructs that are most commonly found in games and other interactive applications. After the introductory chapters on the Standard Template Library, you'll find a new chapter, Beyond STL: Custom Structures and Algorithms, which provides a detailed hands-on discussion of using C++ to create efficient solutions to difficult problems in a highly structured manner. Finally, the new C++ and Scripting chapter covers the ever-increasing use of embedded scripting languages and the many ways scripting can increase productivity without compromising the power and philosophy of C++. This new edition will serve the needs of game programmers better than ever, and provide those who are new to C++ or new to game development with the techniques they need to get up and running quickly.

About the Author
Michael Dickheiser (Raleigh, NC) is a Software Engineer with over nine years experience in team-oriented projects within the computer game industry. He has been involved in all stages of development from conceptual design, technical design and documentation, to implementation, debugging, and formal testing.Dickheiser was most recently a Senior Engineer at Red Storm Entertainment and he is now Senior Computer Scientist at Applied Research Associates.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 2 edition (October 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584504528
• ISBN-13: 978-1584504528
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #255,106 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent C++ Primer, April 13, 2009

By	Adam Smith (Watertown, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recently got a job as a C++ game developer after a decade and a half of jobs ranging from higher-level ActionScript 2.0 game development (Flash), to lower-level C and DSP asm programming, with relatively little exposure to C++ apart from some COM objects and plug-in projects. I found this book very helpful in coming up to speed on the C++ features that aren't around in either C or any flavor of ActionScript. I can't say that I learned a whole lot about game-specific programming from this book, but I familiarized myself with great deal of OOP features unique to C++ in a short amount of time, for which I found the book to be worth the cover price. I do not have a high regard for Charles River Media technical books in general, but there are exceptions like this one from time to time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the beginner/intermediate programmer, April 21, 2008

By	W. Andrade - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great addition to the bookshelf of anyone who has been programming for a little while and who finally gets the syntax and basics of C++. Do not expect to learn everything you need to here, this is strictly for people who are done learning the basic concepts of programming and who are ready for a better explanation of how things work under the hood and how you can optimize your code's performance.

I do not regret buying this book and recommend that anyone who is getting ready to design efficient code should get it as well.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, September 23, 2008

By	J. Haigh (Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Very informative and well organized. This whole series of books by Thomson is handy.