Still one of the best?
Author
Hi
Is still "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus" by André LaMothe a good introduction to DirectX having in mind that's from 1999 and covers the DX6 sdk?
You should really think about buying a book for Direcx 9. DX 6 is too old.
A good one might be : Introduction to 3D game programming with DirectX 9.0 by Frank D. Luna
I own this one and its a very good book.
A good one might be : Introduction to 3D game programming with DirectX 9.0 by Frank D. Luna
I own this one and its a very good book.
Have a look at the reviews that that book has gotten here; views of that book are mixed, but the scores are dropping lower now that the book is old.
I have a copy of that particular book (as when I was starting out I thought his DOS book was okay, but I didn't have a lot to choose from back then). Frankly, I think LaMothe's code design style is a bit slap-dash and could introduce some nasty habits in a new programmer. I basically used his book as a guide to DirectX programming, and rewrote all of his code samples into a cleaner object-oriented style.
Since the book is old now, and I only used it as a DirectX reference, I think you'd be better off getting another book.
I have a copy of that particular book (as when I was starting out I thought his DOS book was okay, but I didn't have a lot to choose from back then). Frankly, I think LaMothe's code design style is a bit slap-dash and could introduce some nasty habits in a new programmer. I basically used his book as a guide to DirectX programming, and rewrote all of his code samples into a cleaner object-oriented style.
Since the book is old now, and I only used it as a DirectX reference, I think you'd be better off getting another book.
I recommend staying away from books that claim to teach you game programming. Get a solid understanding of programming in general, then come to GameDev.net and look for more help. Without that solid foundation in programming you aren't going to go far.
The book is good but the material might be a bit dated. I would say get a book that covers directx 8.0 and on. If you could get a book that covers 9 go for it, but 8.0 wouldn't be the worst thing ever. YOu could still learn a lot from it and it would be a bit more updated.
Author
I want to start my first 2d game and acording to reviews of this book here on Gamedev, I thought this book might be a good start.
Quote:Original post by deathwearerThis is a very good book, but it doesn't cover 2D graphics as much as I would've liked it to. If you're attempting to take the 2D route, I suggest you play around with DirectX's Sprite class. You'll have one sprite object to use to render all of your images on the screen. There's a Draw2D method within the sprite class that renders a Texture to the screen. You can either use that or the Draw method which uses the matrix translations you set. Trial and error is the best way to learn, but most definately get a good book like Luna's.
Introduction to 3D game programming with DirectX 9.0 by Frank D. Luna
Author
I will definetily have Frank Luna´s book, but not for now. Like you said Rob, it doesn´t cover 2d very much and therefore I don´t think that one is the best for someone who wants to make his first 2d game.
You guys are crazy. Andre's book is the most detailed book (of two) that you'll ever find for game programming. Him and I aren't really good pals anymore, but his books are the best. You need to learn the low end of game programming before you even think of starting object-oriented approaches. His book is a little outdated, but it's not that bad. He used DirectX 8 at the time of writing, which isn't really bad either. Think of it: Direct2D ended at version 7, so nothing has changed since then. He teaches 2d first and works his way up to 3d. It's definitely worth it.
Quote:Original post by m3rcyful ag3nt
Hi
Is still "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus" by André LaMothe a good introduction to DirectX having in mind that's from 1999 and covers the DX6 sdk?
Huh? The copy I have from a long time ago covers DirectX 8, except obviously DirectDraw.
If you can get the DirectX 8 version, then you have nothing to fear from this book provided you have prior programming experience.
If you do not have prior programming experience, then you should get a non game-focused programming book.
Game programming is a specialization of programming, and you need to be able to program in general before you can do anything at all with it.
My suggestions:
- If you do not know how to program, download Python and learn from this book.
- If you do know how to program, then TWGPG isn't a bad choice, provided you can get the more recent version. I also feel Frank Luna's book is good. Make your choice based on: 2D games (TWGPG), 3D games (Frank Luna's book).
- If you want to do 3D games, I'd recommend 3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development as a math resource if you're unfamiliar with 3D math.
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