Book Talk: Beginning Game Programming

  • Article

Here is a book which may be of interest to people wanted to get into the field of game programming. Since I was the technical editor on this book, I got to see it early and can give you all some information. This book takes an easy and straightforward approach at game programming covering several aspects of game development ranging from graphics, to sound, to controller inputs. I've included some basic info about the book and its author below...

Description

Learn the essential skills needed to demystify game programming and harness the power of Windows® and DirectX®. "Beginning Game Programming" teaches you everything you need to know to write 2D and 3D games with C and DirectX 9 without any complex mathematics. Ease your way into this exciting new world by learning to write simple Windows programs, and then tap into the power of Direct3D! Each chapter teaches important new skills (such as basic 3D programming with vertices, polygons, and textures), culminating in a simple DirectX game library—great for your own game projects! Learn the basics of 3D modeling with the Anim8or modeling program and then learn how to load and use 3D models in your own games. The complete game project in this book runs in fullscreen or windowed mode, and features mouse support, sound effects, 3D models, texture-based sprites, and 3D collision detection. Brace yourself for an exciting introduction to game programming!

Features

  		•  Provides an solid foundation to game programming, covering important introductory concepts and paving the way for more challenging topics
     
  		•  Provides readers with a working knowledge of the terminology and basics of game programming
     
  		•  Offers a glimpse of how games on retail shelves are created by using the C language with DirectX
     
  		•  Teachers readers how to write full-featured 3D games using the cutting-edge tools used by professionals
     

    Author Bio

    Jonathan Harbour

    Jonathan S. Harbour has been an avid gamer and programmer for 17 years, having started with a Ti-99, Commodore PET, and a Tandy 1000. In 1994, he earned a B.S. in computer science. He has since earned the position of senior programmer with 7 years of formal programming experience. Jonathan is a member of the "Starflight III" team, working with the original designers and other volunteers on a sequel to the first two Starflight games (using Allegro), originally published by Electronic Arts in 1985 and 1989, respectively. He has professional-level experience in graphical user interface design and 2D and 3D graphics programming, as well as TCP/IP socket programming and Internet protocols. In addition, he has released the retail Pocket PC games "Pocket Trivia" and "Perfect Match". Harbour has also authored "Pocket PC Game Programming" (0761530576), "Visual Basic Game Programming with DirectX" (193184125X), "Microsoft Visual Basic .NET Programming for the Absolute Beginner" (1592000029), and "Beginner's Guide to DarkBASIC Game Programming" (1592000096), and his most recent "Game Programming All In One, 2nd Edition" (1592003834). He maintains a Web site dedicated to game programming and other topics at https://www.jharbour.com. Jonathan lives in Arizona with his wife, Jennifer, and children, Jeremiah and Kayleigh.

    This book is set for release in late october and it can be pre-ordered at CoursePTR.