![By Andre Lamothe - Teach Yourself Game Programming in 21 Days/Book and Cd-Rom (Sams (Pap/Cdr) (1994-09-16) [Paperback]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51okTZIdbLL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
This is a decent introduction to how games are written. If you already have an understanding of windows programming and COM, you will get a lot from this book. The point of the book is to teach you how games are structured. As a software professional I am well versed in object-oriented design, design patterns, software methodologies, etc. I can read and make sense of the MSDN documentation on the latest version of DirectX. What I lack is domain knowledge of how to actually write a game. This book teaches you that!! This book takes all the information from other disciplines, calculus, physics, linear algebra, AI, software development, and shows you how to integrate them and build a game. A remarkable achievement. The code itself is not very good, but I can figure out how to write code. What I didn't know was how a game was structured.
Part 1, chapters 1-4 cover windows programming. Most of this isn't very interesting. Except that it covers how a game is structured: 1. Initialization; 2. Enter game loop; 3. Retrieve Player Input; 4. Perform AI and Game Logic; 5. Render Next Frame; 6. Synchronize Display; 7. Loop; 8. Shutdown.
Part2, Chapters 5-10 cover DirectX and 2D Fundamentals. This stuff is very interesting. Remember that algorithm you read on how to draw a line. Well you can see it here in action. Remember reading about collision detection. It's covered. You may want to look at other books with more detailed explanations, but this book shows that stuff in action.
Part 3, Chapters 11-15 cover Hardcore Game Programming. This section shows how AI, and physics are involved. For a better understanding of AI, you may want to read Programming Game AI by Example by Mat Buckland. That book is inspiring. The last chapter puts it all together to actually make a simple asteroids game.
In college I took a calculus class here, a physics class there. Each class was taught in a vacuum. It wasn't until I read this book that I saw how all the material I learned in college was interconnected. Sure you'll have to read a book on Physics, and another on AI, but this book shows you how to put them together and build a game.
ISBN-13:
978-0672323690
ISBN-10:
0672323699
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