Game Programming Gems
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Most likely a silly question, but I wasn't able to figure this out on my own. What is the difference between all the different Game Programming Gems books? I take it that its a series, but does each one focus on a similar theme? Do they get harder as you go down the line? I'm working on a 2D game atm, and I would say i'm late beginner to mid intermediate skill wise using C++. Is there a specific volume I should look at?
Cheers!
Why don't you go down to a good library and check one out?
They cover whole loads of topics, largely to do with 3D games but much of the information there can be transferred easily to 2D. It really depends what you're looking for.
And, no, they don't get more difficult as you go along, they just deal with more current technology.
They cover whole loads of topics, largely to do with 3D games but much of the information there can be transferred easily to 2D. It really depends what you're looking for.
And, no, they don't get more difficult as you go along, they just deal with more current technology.
They all contains usefull snippets on various topics. In
each book there are chapters on topics, like AI, Audio,
Graphics and Various snippets (eg resource-manager)
They don't get harder down the line, depending on the
topic it's harder or easier.
All in all, I think all of them are usefull and give inspiring ideas -
or in some cases, they describe methods I also used (which proves
my idea's weren't that stupid :)
each book there are chapters on topics, like AI, Audio,
Graphics and Various snippets (eg resource-manager)
They don't get harder down the line, depending on the
topic it's harder or easier.
All in all, I think all of them are usefull and give inspiring ideas -
or in some cases, they describe methods I also used (which proves
my idea's weren't that stupid :)
The table of contents for each should be available online.... I suggest you use them when determining which, if any, to buy. A given volume does not have a particular theme..... they just pick a bunch of topics they haven't covered before.
They're books that cover a wide selection of topics. There's no conscious effort to make them "harder" as the series progresses, but as they're continually seeking to cover new ground (at one point it seemed every other chapter was a random number generator!) the gems do get more obscure/esoteric/specialised in my opinion. I'd recommend them.
They usually are great books. Every Programming Gems books I have read was a good book. As for what is the difference between the books you should read what the book has to say for itself on the description. Amazon is a famious and easy to navigate site that lets you view the description of any books your interested in.
Eeek! It sounds like the OP is looking for general purpose information for programming their game. My advice: avoid the gems series for now.
Although the books are interesting reference material, and can spark interesting new ideas on related research topics, nearly every chapter in those books cover some very specific problem that the author had encountered that may or may not be useful - especially to a beginner.
If you had the entire library, it could serve as interesting reading or research stuff, but do not confuse them with the many "How-To" books in circulation that actually try to teach a particular topic. In fact, you had better have a very solid foundation in graphics before approaching the gems.
Although the books are interesting reference material, and can spark interesting new ideas on related research topics, nearly every chapter in those books cover some very specific problem that the author had encountered that may or may not be useful - especially to a beginner.
If you had the entire library, it could serve as interesting reading or research stuff, but do not confuse them with the many "How-To" books in circulation that actually try to teach a particular topic. In fact, you had better have a very solid foundation in graphics before approaching the gems.
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