Review of Beginning C++ Game Programming (Game Development Series) (Paperback)

If you're a beginner and want a place to start programming games then this is the book for you. But be sure of one thing, no book can teach you everything, but with help from books like this one written by Michael Dawson it will help you get your foot into the door and then some. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to get into game programming and knows the basics of C++. Here is a little more info about each chapter for those of you that need it.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Types, Variables, and Standard I/O: Lost Fortune
Chapter 2 - Truth, Branching, and The Game Loop: Guess My Number
Chapter 3 - For Loops, Strings, and Arrays: Word Jumble
Chapter 4 - The Standard Template Library: Hangman
Chapter 5 - Functions: Mad-Lib
Chapter 6 - References: Tic-Tac-Toe
Chapter 7 - Pointers: Tic-Tac-Toe 2.0
Chapter 8 - Classes: Critter Caretaker
Chapter 9 - Advanced Classes and Dynamic Memory: Game Lobby
Chapter 10 - Inheritance and Polymorphism: Blackjack

I hope this helps you out.


Product Description
Interactivity-the unique feature that sets games apart from other forms of entertainment. The power of interactivity lies in the programming that occurs behind the scenes. If you're ready to jump into the world of programming for games, "Beginning C++Game Programming" will get you started on your journey, providing you with a solid foundation in the game programming language of the professionals. As you cover each programming concept, you'll create small games that demonstrate your new skills. Wrap things up by combining each major concept to create an ambitious multiple player game. Get ready to master the basics of game programming with C++!

About the Author
Michael Dawson, from Santa Monica, CA, is a professional writer and has worked as a programmer and game industry designer and producer. He is the author of "Python Programming for the Absolute Beginner" (Premier Press, 1592000738), which teaches newcomers programming by using games as examples.Mike earned his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern California and has worked as a programmer for a large Internet services company.He also has experience in the television industry as a staff writer for a popular sitcom.

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Review of Game Scripting Mastery (Premier Press Game Development) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

I own most of the books in the Permier Press Game Development Series and I have read through most of them, but what I really appreciated about this book was the authors focus on the subject.As much as I enjoy brushing up on windows programming and re-learning a little bit of C/C++, the author wasted no time and got right to the focus of the book; game scripting.

Product Description
Game Scripting Mastery is your key to the complicated issue of scripting. It provides a detailed guide to the design and implementation of a full-featured game scripting system. This book focuses on the design of procedural, C-style languages and their compilation to virtual machine code. Alternative scripting methods are discussed as well, including dynamic linking and simple, command-based languages. This is the first book to provide you with complete, comprehensive, and highly accessible information on game scripting. The CD includes the DirectX SDK, all source code from the book and other tools to turn you into a scripting master.

About the Author
Born in 1981, Alex Varanese has been an avid gamer since age 6 when his parents gave him a Nintendo for Christmas. Alex is currently a Java programmer in his native Silicon Valley. His interestes include coding, 3D rendering, visual effects, and film production.

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Review of Beginning Direct3D Game Programming, Second Edition (Paperback)

I've been waiting a long time for a book like this. I'm a Unix software developer by profession, but only a hobbyist when it comes to PC game programming. Back in the good old days, before Windows and DirectX/DirectWhatever, it was possible for us casual programmers to keep up with the technology and have fun experimenting with graphics and game programming. I simply lost interest when the complexity of the operating system and video hardware started getting in the way.
I've been searching for a good book on Direct3D graphics programming for years and finally found one that delivers what it promises. Wolfgang Engel, the author, obviously understands how frustrating the learning process can be. The content of this book is masterfully structured to give the reader a solid understanding of everything you need to know. It's friendly, informal, humorous, and focused. It's a big book, but it reads fast, and keeps you interested.
The author assumes you know C and maybe a little C++. That's about the only prerequisite you'll need to understand the material

Product Description
With a detailed explanation of vertex and pixel shader programming, coverage of the new Microsoft HLSL (High Level Shader Language), and greater concentration of the fixed function pipeline, the second edition of this popular reference guide will take you farther than you ever imagined! Written by an industry expert, this book will put an end to your struggle to master the concepts. "Beginning Direct3D Game Programming, 2nd Edition" serves as a comprehensive guide for learning DirectX graphics programming. It allows you to start with the basics and ease your way into graphics and animation. As you work your way through the book, however, you'll get a chance to focus on some advanced shader effects to give your games that extra touch of realism.

About the Author
Wolfgang Engel is CEO of SoftGroup GmbH and SoftGroup Plska, which offer IT and game development services. These companies produce 3D animations for marketing and advertising activities.He is the author of "Beginning Direct3D Game Programming" (0761531912).

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Review of Microsoft Visual Basic: Game Programming for Teens (Paperback)

I like the concept of the book, but there are a lot of inconsistencies in the code for the projects.Up until the fifth chapter I was fully ready to endorse the book to my district as a textbook for an advance Visual Basic class on game programming. I like the fact that he builds a game one step at a time, starting with an experiment to illustrate the concept, then building and testing a class for the game. However, when he got to the fifth chapter, he changed his naming conventions and added code to the classes with no mention in the book of these changes. This can be frustrating especial to high school students or any new programmer. There are several places though out the book where he made changes to the classes on the CD that he does not mention in the book. Then he adds the class method to the current project and your left wondering where it came from. I felt he needed to make changes in the book, so that the code was consistent though out the book and matched what on the CD.

In my opinion, His editor should have caught this. Thomson as a publisher is starting to get a repetition for there badly coded books. It is obvious that an editor should be reviewing the code in a book along with the grammatical errors in the book and Thompson fails to do that. If you understand visual basic and you are looking for a book on game programming concepts the book is good. However I would not recommend this book if you are new to Visual Basic and I would definitely not recommend it for teenager, it will only frustrate them.


Product Description
If you have basic programming experience, this book is your ideal guide for writing games using Visual Basic .NET and Managed DirectX 9.This Second Edition includes almost entirely new coverage. While coverage of game design and 2D artwork remain, this edition includes more detailed coverage of the DirectX game code and utilizes the free Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition compiler. A true beginner's guide, this book covers each essential step for creating your own complete role playing game, including a character creation screen and a combat system. This book serves as a comprehensive introductory guide for readers who are new to programming or new to programming for games.

About the Author
Jonathan S. Harbour is an Associate Professor of Game Development at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona. His current game project is Starflight: The Lost Colony (www.starflightgame.com). He lives in Arizona with his wife, Jennifer, four children (Jeremiah, Kayleigh, Kaitlyn, Kourtney), a dog (Lucy), a cat (Missy), and six temperamental computers (ages 1 to 8). He can be reached at www.jharbour.com.

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Review of Game Development with ActionScript (Paperback)

There are few author's that take the beginner's (dummy) route to teaching programming to the masses and this book shines brightly in that department. From start to finish, it seems that the author knows what I want to do and shows me thoroughly how to do it properly with different ways to tackle it. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to take FLASH MX to sky high heights and not just leave this wonderful program to websites.

Product Description
Lewis Moronta, Queens, New York, has been programming and working withcomputer graphics since 1996. Lewis began freelancing as a graphicdesigner in 1998 through his virtual studio,m80produxions.com. His website hosts many articles on math,programming, and computer graphics, including 3D animation. Lewisearned a degree in visual communications from Katharine Gibbs Schoolin New York in 2003. Lewis recently formed Ism Studios, a graphicdesign and animation studio that handles everything from graphicdesign to professional-level CGI.

About the Author
Lewis Moronta, Queens, New York, has been programming and working with computer graphics since 1996.His website hosts many articles on math, programming, and computer graphics, including 3D animation. Lewis earned a degree in visual communications from Katharine Gibbs School in New York in 2003. Lewis recently formed Ism Studios, a graphic design and animation studio that handles everything from graphic design to professional-level CGI.

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Review of Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine (Paperback)

Ok, well technically its the ONLY MAME cabinet book around - but seriously this is very good.I started getting the MAME cabinet bug about a year ago, and took a stab or 2 at building some desktop controls, using the Author's website, oddly enough. Now, I have everything I need to go all the way.

The Author is serious about this, and it shows.It's very well written, and the tone feels like he is working along side you in the garage, guiding you step-by-step through the construction.

There is even a CD ROM included with tons of diagrams, construction plans, templates, and software.I haven't gotten all the way through the CD, but it is packed full of stuff.

Man, my wife is gonna kill me....

Product Description
You can go back, and here's howRemember the days-and quarters-you spent pursuing aliens, fleeing ghosts, and gobbling dots in that beloved arcade? They're hiding in these pages, along with diagrams, directions, plans, and materials lists that will enable you to build your very own arcade game. Construct joysticks, buttons, and trackballs; build the console and cabinet; install and configure the software; crank up the speakers; and wham! Step across the time-space continuum and enjoy all those classic games, plus dozens of new ones, whenever you like.Start HereIncludes diagrams, detailed instructions, essential software, and more 1. Plan for your space and budget
2. Design and build the cabinet
3. Construct the controllers
4. Build the console
5. Pick an old game's brain
6. Install the emulator
7. Convince a PC it's a game
8. Connect a monitor and speakers
9. Add a marquee
10. GO PLAY!CD-ROM Includes
Complete cabinet plans and diagrams
MAME32 software
Paint Shop Pro¿ evaluation version
Links to hundreds of arcade cabinet projects

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Review of Java ME Game Programming (Paperback)

This book has little to do with game programming. It's a book about MIDP 2.0 programming with Java ME for building mobile applications (using GUI controls). The last three chapters (which are quite small) touch on tiles and sprites. So basically you've got a 400+ page book while only about 50 pages is actually about programming mobile games? I would have STARTED the book with chapter 13 and moved on from there into various game topics, instead of ENDING there and doing a poor job of it. The example game in the last chapter was designed for the old 128x128 screens and is probably about 4-5 years old (with 8x8 sprites) which is unacceptable for a book released in 2007 with this title. This is a GOOD book on MIDP 2.0 programming...if you ignore the "game" part of the title. I used this book to teach a course on the subject, but will need to find another for next semester.


Product Description
Get ready to create your own J2ME game! This updated edition to the popular J2ME Game Programming provides updated sofware coverage as well as updates to the programming approaches specific to Java ME software. It also covers the recent innovations in mobile games with relations to iPods and cell phones. You will learn the essentials of J2ME game development from the ground up. Throughout the book you will discover the issues involved in developing for multiple target devices and how to work through the jungle of device-specific libraries and device capabilities. Working on a limited platform it is important to squeeze as much as you can out of those precious bytes, so in this book you will find the tools and source code you need to get the most out of the constrained resources. You will also learn how to structure your code and classes to achieve as small an application footprint as possible. As you work toward developing your own J2ME game, you'll examine the game lifecycle, how to handle resources, various methods of drawing to the screen, optimizing memory usage, handling the users input, and even sharing high-scores online! Previous experience in programming object-oriented languages and a basic level of math skills is recommended.

About the Author
Martin J. Wells is currently the Lead Programmer at Tasman Studios Pty Ltd, located in Sydney, Australia. Throughout his 15-year career he has worked on a wide variety of development projects. He is an expert in multiple computer languages, including Java from its origins, and has extensive experience in the development of high performance networking and multithreaded systems. His first game programming experience came from writing and selling his own games for the Tandy and Commodore microcomputers at the age of 12.

John P. Flynt, Ph.D., works in the software development industry, has taught at colleges and universities, and has authored courses and curricula for several college level game development programs. His academic background includes work in information technology, the social sciences, and the humanities. Among his previous books are In the Mind of a Game, Perl Power!, UnrealScript Game Programming All in One, Simulation and Event Modeling for Game Developers (with co-author Ben Vinson), Beginning Pre-Calculus for Game Developers, Java Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Beginning Math Concepts for Game Developers, and Software Engineering for Game Developers. Among other engagements, he has been a speaker at game and educational conferences in San Antonio, LA, Atlanta, Austin, West Lafayette, and the 2004 Xtreme Game Developers Expo in Mountain View, CA. He has worked as a consultant on several curriculum development initiatives involving some of the largest proprietary colleges in the US and has taught literature, political science, computer science, and game development. He has been contracted by DeVry University as a game course developer, and DeVry has adopted Software Engineering for Game Developers for its national curriculum. John lives in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado.

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Review of Create Web Animations with Microsoft Liquid Motion In a Weekend (Paperback)

Microsoft has stopped supporting Liquid Motion. So basically, this book is obsolete.

Product Description
In just one weekend, you will gain the basic knowledge and practical skills to create interactive 3-D Web animations using Microsofts Liquid Motion. The graduated, fast-track approach makes Web animation accessible to the average user without requiring previous programming knowledge or experience. The informal style of the book allows you to progress at your own pace and experiment along the way. The five main sessions are composed of several tutorial exercises that take you from basic to more sophisticated animations, and show you how to publish them effectively on the Web. The companion CD-ROM includes all sample graphics and files from the book, a Web art library and collection of True Type fonts, a selection of templates that utilize Liquid Motion animations, an assortment of software tools for creating HTML files, and much more.

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Review of Creating Your World: The Official Guide to Advanced Content Creation for Second Life (Paperback)

This book did not turn out to be the resource I thought it would be. It's little more than a re-hash of "The Official Guide." Everything is dealt with as an introduction to the subject, even though much of the information can be found in the previous book. Few topics are dealt with in any depth except LSL scripting. Unfortunately the scripting section is quite obviously written by a programmer who is not a teacher. Many assumptions are made about the level of knowledge of the reader who needs a previous grounding in Java or C++ to understand what the author is talking about.

Overall, this book would be fine as a stand alone, but it is NOT a companion to the Official Guide. Nor is it useful as a guide to actually making things in second life. The reader is, instead, merely given a gloss of what is possible and then sent off to experiment on his own. As much or more can be learned through in-world tutorials, web sites and You-Tube videos (which are a far better resource for learning what this book purports to teach).

If you're really interested in becoming a designer or builder in second life, this book is not your guide.

Product Description
Enrich your virtual existence by mastering the techniques and tactics the experts use to create jaw-dropping SL content-everything from buildings and vehicles to clothing, landscapes, and animations. This official, exclusive guide from a team of Second Life content-creation experts was written with the full support of Linden Lab and features in-depth instructions for creating beautiful content and putting it to work in-world. It's both a practical, step-by-step guide and a creative session with some of the most artistic and talented minds in the Second Life community. CD included.

From the Back Cover
Your second life is what you make it

Enrich your virtual existence by mastering the techniques and tactics the experts use to create jaw-dropping SL content-everything from buildings and vehicles to clothing, landscapes, and animations. This official, exclusive guide from a team of Second Life content-creation experts was written with the full support of Linden Lab and features in-depth instructions for creating beautiful content and putting it to work in-world.

Start a new fashion trend with custom clothing featuring realistic buttons, pockets, patterns, and even wrinkles. Tour SL in the car of your dreams or in your own private jet. Create cool animations and scripts to communicate with other SL residents, and more. Both a practical, step-by-step guide and a creative session with some of the most artistic and talented minds in the Second Life community, this book will quickly build your skills and inspire you to join Second Life's elite ranks of content creators.

• Basic concepts: Understand movement, inventory, and client/server issues

• Advanced building: Morph prims and design anything with these advanced techniques

• SL scripting programs and third-party editors: Use a variety of tools to write, test, and debug scripts for vehicles, games, motion, and more

• Become a virtual pioneer: Start terraforming with SL land tools

• Dazzle visitors: Make an impact with textures, lighting, landscaping, and more

• Go Hollywood: Storyboard, shoot film, add sound effects, and produce machinima

• Real communication: Manage data, chat, and send e-mail-in-world and out

On the CD
The book's CD features tutorial files, textures, clothing and character templates, machinima, cool tools, and a host of other resources provided by Linden Lab to help Second Life content creators.

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Review of MUD Game Programming (Game Development) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

When I read Ron Penton's first book, Data Structures for Game Programming, I couldn't wait to see what he did next. MUD Game Programming lived up to all of my expectations, and indeed surpassed them.

The author has an extraordinary knack for making complex topics understandable -- and, equally important, making them interesting. Reading MUD Game Programming is like having a friendly, cheerful expert sitting down next to you and showing you the tricks of the trade. Instead of just telling you what to do, he explains the thinking behind the decisions that go into the design of a complex program such as a MUD server, enabling you to make the decisions that are right for your own project, which might not be the same. You end up with not just knowledge but understanding.

I highly recommend MUD Game Programming to people doing any type of network-based multiplayer programming, not just traditional MUDs. I'd give this book six stars if they'd let me.

Product Description
MUD applies to the genre of games that are designed to be multi-player communities. To create todays ultra-popular MMORPG's, a solid background in MUD programming is necessary. "MUD Game Programming" teaches you everything you need to know about the protocols needed and concepts used for all sorts of multi-user-dungeon games. While this book is aimed at those who want to learn the basics of client-server based "dungeon" games, it is not limited specifically to a medieval theme. It includes coverage of basic networking, layered protocol format for the internet, text MUD concepts, graphical MUD concepts, and more.

About the Author
Ron Penton is an independent programmer with a primary interest in computer games.He began using GW-BASIC in 1989, moved on to Visual Basic 4 in 1995, QBasic in 1996, and learned C++ in 1997.Ron began working on his degree in 1998 at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and is working on completing his Bachelors in Computer Science at the University of Buffalo. Ron contributed a chapter in the book titled "Game Programming All in One" published by Premier Press.

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Review of The Dark Side of Game Texturing (Paperback)

Anyone considering purchasing this who has bought David Franson's other book "2D Artwork and 3D Modelling for Game Artists" should think again. This book is just a much smaller version of that. I bought them both, and I was quite disappointed that David would just blatantly copy his other work. There are a few different tutorials but it's not worth paying the price, get the other book instead.

Product Description
A perfect and direct starting point for a beginner game texture artist! "The Dark Side of Game Texturing" is also an excellent reference for intermediate artists, or for those who want to further their digital art skills. Learn how to create game textures similar to the eerie, sinister, and ominous textures seen in great video games like Quake, Unreal, Half-Life, and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. "The Dark Side Of Game Texturing" features a plethora of dynamic, full color, step-by-step texturing tutorials that reflect the nature of those games and more including military, fantasy, medieval, and sci-fi. You'll learn how to create decals like bullet holes, blast marks, signs, and more. Sprites such as lightning, fires, and explosions are also covered. Focusing on a topic rarely covered in other 3D graphics books, this is an ultimate hands-on guide to creating totally cool game textures that directly reflect the nature of many recently released video games.

From the Publisher
The only game texturing book on the market dedicated to game texturing. Contains full color, stepwise tutorials of the coolest game textures. Useful and informative for both game artists and general 2D digital artists. Includes a CD that contains all software including the Photoshop CS demo, hundreds of textures, and a Photoshop tutorial, so no previous experience is required. Covers every class of texture for all forms of adult (PG-13 and above) video games.

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Review of Focus On Curves and Surfaces (Focus on Game Development) (Paperback)

The book is great on giving people an intuitive grasp on what a B-Spline or NURB is, allowing people to look at series of points and knowing "sorta" what the curve will look like.

The only serious lacking point is it's explanation of Knot Vectors and the reason they're ordered the way they are and what the numbers in them represent.It's a tricky subject to explain though, and the author made a good effort, but really needs to explain what the numbers DO persay.(Though if you play with the source and have a good eye it eventually makes sense).Anyway, excellent book and is the reason I'm the only person in my 3D Graphics class who knows how NURBS work (teacher included... "Just download code off the internet" he says, sheesh).

Anyway, BUY!It be good!

Product Description
This is the only curves and surfaces book for beginners. It provides clear, practical explanations of curves and surfaces with the minimum of esoteric mathematical notation, making it far more accessible. You will be able to work along with the material for a better understanding of the concepts and a working knowledge of practical applications. Focus on Curves and Surfaces splits the material in two sections.The first part walks you through several forms of curves and surfaces explaining lines and functions of the equations.The next part moves from simple planes to complex surfaces so you can learn how to render surfaces using smoothing and simplification.

About the Author
Since 1995, Kelly Dempski has been a researcer at Accenture's Technology Labs working in the areas of multimedia, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Interactive TV, with a strong focus on photo-realistic rendering and interactive techniques.He has authored several papers and has had a project included in the Smithsonian's permanent collection on Information Technology. In addition to his research work, Kelly has taught Java, developed rendering engines, and dabbled in image processing and compression. Kelly is the author of "Real-Time Rendering Tricks and Techniques in DirectX" from Premier Press (March 2002).

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Review of PHP Game Programming (Paperback)

... not that good.It's unfortunate that the only book dedicated to php game programming really falls short on many levels.The main problem with this book, is it jumps from the very basics of php and mysql to extremely advanced topics all within a matter of a few pages... entirely omitting users of intermediate php/mysql knowledge.The book has a chapter about creating a MMO (my sole purpose for buying the book).. yet it doesn't tell you anything about HOW to make the MMO.The source code for the MMO has 150+ files, yet the chapter is only 20 pages long...

The author does a great job explaining how to use php and mysql.. including great instructions for installation... the problem is that other books dedicated to learning these subjects do it better.This book should be about learning how to program a game in php/mysql, and it's not.This book is a book about learning the basics of php/mysql with some source code WAY more advanced than anything the book will cover.If you're advanced enough to decipher the authors code, then you don't need this book in the first place becaues you could already make games if you wanted.This book contains no content on game planning or design.

The author write effectively..I'd love for him to take a second pass at writing this...perhaps sit down and write a book dedicated to teaching you how to program a game.The MMO that comes within the book is certainly complex enough to deserve a book of it's own.Ultimately, this book is 280 pages long.. you cannot teach someone how to make a game in php/mysql in 280 pages.

I'd love to see an author write a book that illustrates making a game from concept to design to code... the how and the why of the processes, and have it return a good game you can use as a foundation for creating other game.

I really looked forward to getting this book before it was published.Now almost a year later, having been through the book 3 times fully, I can say I'm no closer to having any idea how to make a game than when I started.

Product Description
Wouldn't it be great if you could get on any web browser, go to your favorite site and start playing a game of hearts or canasta; or even watch a riveting game of chess, or better yet, play a riveting game of chess? All of this without needing custom software to connect you to servers; it would all be done through the web browser. People on cell phones, palm pilots, lap tops, any device that could get on the Internet would be able to play your games. PHP is a powerful, dynamic programming language that gives you the ability to make some killer Web-based games. It's portable, allowing for quick development cycles. As a result, even a beginning PHP programmer could have great games running in no time at all. Starting with a brief overview of HTML and web servers, PHP Game Programming gives you everything you need to know to become a master of PHP. The only thing missing is a programmer with the skills to make it happen!

From the Publisher
Provides programmers with the tools and knowledge they need to get PHP running, create dynamic pages, manage data, dynamically generate graphics and even create sockets. Readers will walk away from this book as hard core web game developers with an advanced knowledge base beyond average web developers. Part of the succesful Game Development series, this book presents PHP game programming in a clear and concise manner to ensure ease of learning.

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Review of Focus On 2D in Direct3D (Premier Press Game Development Series) (Paperback)

At first glance this book doesn't look like much.It's fairly small compared to the typical game-programming tome (even with its medium-sized print), and not much less expensive.If you went strictly by the number of words per dollar, you might overlook it.

If you're planning to write a 2D game with the DirectGraphics API, however, this book is exactly what you need.There may not be a lot of words, but they're the right ones.

The first 40% of the book explains how to do everything you could do with 2D interfaces, and a little more.Copying rectangles, copying non-rectangular images, and page-flipping are explained.Added to the mix are rotation and scaling effects that were generally not possible (or at least not fast) with DirectDraw.

The next 40% gets into 3D engine details, explaining just enough to let you take advantage of Z-buffering, anti-aliasing, and lighting effects without needing you to be the Wizard of Polygons.The math review is brief and to the point.

The last 20% is something of a waste.A long chapter is spent learning how to parse a ".x" file that contains a 3D model, something that is largely uninteresting for people whose focus is on 2D (and unnecessary for everyone else).Another covers particle systems, which is interesting but completely out of place in this book.One might suspect the author was padding it out a bit.A section on text rasterization with Direct3D might have been more appropriate.

Overall I got exactly what I was hoping for.The author describes the different approaches clearly, points out areas where you can get into trouble, and for the most part stays focused on the subject at hand.The result is a book that will get you up and running with 2D under Direct3D in a few hours.

Product Description
Focus on 2D in Direct3D teaches you all of the tools and tips you'll need to dive right in and begin creating your own games. If you have some knowledge of C or C++ and have been searching for a guide that will take your 2D programming into the third dimension, then search no more! In this book you'll learn the skills you'll need to move from the 2D API to Direct3D. Written form the point of view of a 2D programmer, Focus on 2D in Direct3D presents the fundamentals of the Direct3D API in an easy-to-use-and-understand format. Geat ready to jump into the world of Direct3D.

What's on the CD-Rom:

-Caligari TrueSpace5 Demo

-JASC Paint Shop Pro 7 Evaluation

-Microsoft DirectX 8.1 SDK

-Book Source Code

From the Publisher
Focus on 2D in Direct3D® teaches you all of the tools and tips you'll need to dive right in and begin creating your own games. If you have some knowledge of C or C++ and have been searching for a guide that will take your 2D programming into the third dimension, then search no more! In this book you'll learn the skills you'll need to move from the 2D API to Direct3D. Written from the point of view of a 2D programmer, Focus on 2D in Direct3D presents the fundamentals of the Direct3D API in an easy-to-use-and-understand format. Get ready to jump into the world of Direct3D!

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Review of 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.

Product Description
Isometric game programming is an alternative to 3D programming, which is much more math intensive.However, isometric games often can achieve the same level of graphical aesthetics as 3D games.Isometric game development is great for real-time strategy games similar to Sim City 3000, Caesars III, and Age of Empires.Isometric Game Programming with DirectX 7.0 is a comprehensive book that is ideal for any serious game developer as well as any of the 250,000 game hobbyists worldwide.Readers will find valuable information on how to create and develop games using hexagonal images.This book will be most useful to game developers who are not new to programming, but are possibly new to DirectX. Series editor André LaMothe has published numerous magazine articles and is an international best-selling author with over six game programming and 3D graphics titles to his credit.He has been active in the computing industry for more than twenty years, during which he created one of the world's first commercially available virtual reality games, CyberGate.André is also the founder and CEO of Xtreme Games LLC.

About the Author
Ernest Pazera is a self-taught programmer, starting at age 13 with a TRS-80.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.

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