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23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A note from the author, January 12, 2005
When I set out to write this book, my goal was to reach the inexperienced programmer and give him or her some of the foundational knowledge needed to get started in the fascinating world of game development. This book is not a work of art, nor it is witty or cunningly imaginative; instead, this book is pragmatic in it's focus on providing just what you need--and nothing more. You will need MS Visual C++ 5/6/7 or a comparable Windows compiler such as Borland C++Builder, and the DirectX 9.0b SDK (provided on the CD-ROM). There is not a single frivolous page in this book, for--as your can see--the very first chapter will have you learning the fundamentals of Windows and DirectX. By the 4th chapter, you will have learned about Windows messaging, the DirectX interfaces, and will be writing windowed and fullscreen Direct3D programs.
I focused entirely on the C language, so I encourage you to learn at least the basics of C before trying to work through this book, because I assume you already understand the basics of the language. Although there is really no complex code in this book, I still urge you to read a C primer first (I suggest Michael Vine's C for the Absolute Beginner as a companion to this volume).
The book quickly escalates into Direct3D surfaces and textures, and then on to animated sprites (which are pulled from a tiled bitmap image and loaded into a texture). Before rounding out the basics of DirectX, you will learn how to program sound, music, and input devices.
The last four chapters are the true gem of this book, for you will learn how to create your own 3D models. As a non-artist myself, I understand how difficult it is for a budding game programmer to come up with the artwork for a game. The truth is, there is no good source for free 3D models or textures that will suit your needs, so the best approach is to create your own. After a brief introduction to 3D graphics theory, you will have the opportunity to create a 3D model of a car from scratch using the powerful Anim8or 3D modeling program (full version provided on the CD). You will then learn how to tweak the model in various ways, and then load it into your own program.
You will then put these new skills to work in creating a complete game--a 3D version of Breakout, complete with a 3D mouse cursor, sound effects, scoring, the works! You will gain valuable skills while creating this game, as you will see exactly how the 3D models were created for the walls, the paddle, and other objects in the game. In the end, you will have gained that foundation of knowledge, will have a solid understanding of how a game works, and will be ready for the next step in your education. I believe that you will be able to pick up any advanced game programming book after completing this one, and will be able to make sense of it--and that is the most valuable thing that you will have gained from this book.
Part I: Windows Programming
1: Getting Started With Windows And DirectX
2: Windows Programming Basics
3: Windows Messaging And Event Handling
4: The Real-Time Game Loop
Part II: DirectX Programming
5: Your First DirectX Graphics Program
6: Bitmaps and Surfaces
7: Drawing Animated Sprites
8: Advanced Sprite Programming
9: Jamming With DirectX Audio
10: Handling Input Devices
Part III: 3D Programming
11: 3D Graphics Fundamentals
12: Creating Your Own 3D Models With Anim8or
13: Working With 3D Model Files
14: Complete Game Project
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4 of 4 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. ***
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What You Would Expect, June 23, 2006
If you are like me - knowledgable about C++ - you will appreciate this book if you are trying to get started with Windows DirectX programming. I have read a lot of introductory gaming books and I can honestly say that Harbour gives the beginning chapters the attention they desperately need. I have read too many gaming books that go over WinMain and WinProc so fast you have no idea what they actually do. True - they really don't play that big of a role in the full span of game development. Here is the thing, though, if you are typing things like "HINSTANCE" and "LPTSTR" and don't know what they mean, it is likely you are just memorizing everything you see in the book; what good is that? As a programmer, you need to know what is going on so that random letters suddenly make sense and you know what is going on. Never program blindly - it is the first step to failure! Harbour explains everything in concise, well-rounded chapters that make coding even easy for beginner programmers. I have another book called Beginning DirectX 9, and the author starts out by giving over a page worth of code with hardly sufficient explainations. Harbour's book is not like that! He is very ambitious and will direct a reader to actually learn something - not everything - but anything a serious programmer needs to pick up another books that will be more challenging. His only fault may be that he repeats himself too much, but it never takes away from the quality and it really stresses the important things. If you are sick of programming books that just aren't working out for you, this is your last caveat. Enjoy learning something for a change. :- )
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