I was initially impressed with this book, even after seeing a couple pages of utter garbage in the first part. All I wanted was a quick review before my serious books came, and having programmed DX before I could promptly correct and move on, but enough was enough!I can best describe parts of this book as rough notes fed to a blender and then pasted into the chapters with a leaf-blower. That goes for the `code' samples as well.
For a complete beginner these errors may be significant enough to possibly detract and frustrate the learning experience. Not a good thing, especially considering that's the book's targeted audience. There is no excuse for this.
More advanced developers will cringe and cringe until they finally damage something or hurt someone as they throw this waste across their office. Also not a good thing.
An alternative book that covers the same ground quite a bit more soundly is Frank Luna's Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DX9, which I finally received & promptly read from one end to the other & moved on to other books now. It's a solid work bolted tight with some good code.
2 Stars, for a publishing a work containing some content I wouldn't even turn in as homework.
Product Description
As a beginning programmer, you've probably noticed how difficult it is to find introductory guides to game programming. If you're interested in learning DirectX and are looking for a book that helps you go beyond the 3D component of DirectX and gives you complete coverage of this amazing product, then look no further! "Beginning DirectX 9" gives you examples that build on previous chapters and culminates in the completion of a playable game.
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