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Can Someone Recoment Me a Beginer Book :D

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Hi All I''m lookin at buying a book teaching me how to create my own games engines & so forth. I looked into this a while back but got so confused with API''s & so on that i never ended up buying anything. I''ve got a book on C++ that i started learning a while back but need to refresh myself with it. But what I''m after is an easy beginers guide that covers creating 3D games engines, directX etc. Somethign that would need nothing more than C++ nowledge to get. A few I''ve looked at are: Windows Game Programming for Dummies (For Dummies) Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus: Fundamentals of 2D and 3D Game Programming I''m just totally lost at the moment & hoping someone could tell me as a beginer what I need to Learn (C++, WIN 32, Direct X) Cheers froma very dazed & confussed Liquid PS. Sori if this is mentioned somewhere else but i couln''t find it and i usually benefit from someone directly telling me in dummie talk Cheers! Peace Out ~ Liquid

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Well personally I reccomend you learn C++ and have it down pretty well. Once you get past that, I picked up Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus, and even 3D Game Engine Design. I''m just starting the game programming part, I suggest the gurus book you mentioned, just start going through the book one page a time you''ll do alrite .

Mark Drake
I M A G I N E

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<< Windows Game Programming for Dummies (For Dummies) >>

This book by Lamothe is all included in his Tricks Windows Gurus book, so you may as well spend the extra \$ and buy the Gurus one instead. You get much more.

<< Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus: Fundamentals of 2D and 3D Game Programming >>

This is the older title from 1999 I believe, the 2nd edition from 2002 got rid of the subtitle "2D and 3D Game Programming" since there really is no 3D in the book. Its all 2D with a couple 3D articles on the CD.

This is a great book, covers all you need for Win32, 2D graphics, basic game math/physics, DirectX 7.0 and 8 (DirectDraw mainly) and is straight C which is more my style.

Phil P

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Cheers U 2

Yea I''m gonna get a games book then makesure I''m up to scratch on C++ & then have the games one as something to work to like.

I''ve been scripting in ASP for ages so I''ve got quite a sound base in Variables, Arrays, Objects & Control Structures so it''s a case of getting back into gear with the code for C++

I''m trying to start modding for Half-Life 2 when it comes out aswell as slowly slowly slowly making my own engine, I''m at Uni fo three years starting september so I don''t plan to finish it by then

There seems like a lot of books on things & I know i don''t want to go straight into a Physics or AI one yet but I''m glad the Games Programming Gurus one teaches u a lil bit.

I think i''ll go for the second edition first so I get a bit of Win API and so I can learn sum foundations like physics.

Then I''ll get the 3rd Edition where you get to create your own engine, this will be hugely helpfull when going to make mods hopefully. I do a lot of modeling & mapping so that shud help at sum point.

Are there any books after that which I can progress onto next?

Peace Out ~ Liquid

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<< Then I''ll get the 3rd Edition where you get to create your own engine, this will be hugely helpfull when going to make mods hopefully. I do a lot of modeling & mapping so that shud help at sum point. Are there any books after that which I can progress onto next? >>

I have the 3rd Edition, what is really Volume 2 of Lamothe Tricks, called Tricks of the 3D Game Programming Gurus, and it shows how to write a complete 3D software rasterizer "engine" (there is a little DirectX in the book, re-hashing volume 1). Its really intense math, shows what''s behind the 3D of DirectX and OpenGL, but it doesn''t teach those APIs.

If you are interested in modding for Half-Life, learn the HL SDK and buy books on OpenGL. The best beginning book is OpenGL Game Programming by the GameDev authors Hawkins/Astle. Then for more complete OpenGL reference there is the "red book" or the "blue book" here

OpenGL Reference Books

Phil P

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Looked at the Open GL one & it looks like a good addition yea, I''m gonna be modding HL2 so i''m not sure if thats Open GL Friendly or not, I remember HL running better on Open GL but so i heard a while back it was dying out, hope not tho it seemed nifty & a bit more stable than DX but that was a while back.

<< The Red Book or The Blue Book >> Do I need to eat one of them? Where are they?

I just ordered Volume 2 Yay! What exacty will I learn from it, u sed DX, Win 32, Math & Physics... any basic AI? How much 3D is there involved like?

I''m hoping some time in the future I can own a games company so I''m trying to learn everything I can, figured if u wana ask ppl to work for you and do these things you should be able to do it all ureself if you had enuff time (or a stop watch that could stop time). Hopefully I''ll be doing sum voluntary work experience at Core & Free Radical which are in close proximity to where I go Uni in Derby (Core is next to the Railway station).

Cheer for all the help!

Peace Out ~ Liquid

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I bought "tricks 3d", pretty good book in my opinion. Lot's of support material up front, then more theoretical as it goes on. I also hear that the OpenGL game programming book is great.

[edited by - fletch on August 18, 2003 7:41:16 PM]

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<< just ordered Volume 2 Yay! What exacty will I learn from it, u sed DX, Win 32, Math & Physics... any basic AI? How much 3D is there involved like? >>

Whoah whoah, make sure you ordered volume 1 not volume 2. Volume 1 is in 2nd edition (2002) and is 2D, Win32, Win GDI, and DirectDraw. Volume 2 is the intense 3D one with advanced math. You want the 2D one first.

I include a couple of the demos from his 1st edition (1999) here

VazGames.com

Search around Sams official site or Amazon.com and you can find the table of contents for these books.

Phil P

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Yep Volume 1 "Fundamentals of 2D & 3D"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0672323699/ref=pd_sim_b_dp_2/026-5870019-9825228
And there is AI in it

Got confused with the Volume 2 is revised Volume 1 so is really volume 1 stuff :-S

Peace Out ~ Liquid

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