Game programming - books?

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7 comments, last by kdubthor 10 years, 11 months ago

Hey

I am looking for some book about game programming. Are there any that are not old? I am not looking for a book that covers a specified technology like DirectX or OpenGL, but the techniques of programming the game. How to structure the game, characters etc.. C++ or at least some object oriented approach would be appreciated :) I know just the basics how to create simple "Pong-Breakout-Invaders-Games", but I treat them only as some kind of tutorials.. Do you know any book that can help a beginner in this long and hard journey leading to creating complex games? ;)

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Game Coding Complete is one of the best books covering all the various aspects of developing a game, it was modeled after the Code Complete book which presented general business application development in a similar manner. The fourth ed. of Game Coding Complete is fairly new, but most of the concepts and techniques it covers don't really go out of style.

Bump Game Coding Complete.

Also

Frank Luna's Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 11 is a must have!

I study Computer Games Programming at uni and this is literally our DirectX bible!

EDIT:
Link to book

https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&biw=950&bih=934&tbm=shop&q=Introduction+To+3d+Game+Programming+With+Directx+11&oq=Introduction+To+3d+Game+Programming+With+Directx+11&gs_l=serp.3...8688.8688.0.9009.1.1.0.0.0.0.71.71.1.1.0...0.0...1c.1.12.serp.e1zoMDXWAWg

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Game Coding Complete 4th Edition is a top recommendation from me as well.

My other two recommendations are Jason Gregory's Game Engine Architecture and [Ed.] Steve Rabin's Introduction to Game Development.

Game Coding Complete is the fast track. While it's engine is simplified for educational purposes and uses a number of shortcuts (like heavy use of DXUT) it's overall architecture and concepts are very real-world, and representative of what you'll find in AAA engines. Also the "Gotcha!", "Best Practices" and the amusing and informative "Tales from the Pixel Mines" sections are all gems.

Game Engine Architecture has minimal code, but it covers a lot of very useful high level concepts. It has excellent coverage of memory allocators, game object systems, asset streaming and more. Where Game Coding Complete gets you hands dirty with a single proven technique, Game Engine Architecture shows you the options and explains why you might choose different ones depending on your requirements. A lot of valuble theory but again don't expect to see much code.


Introduction to Game Developemt has excellent coverage of Game Design, asset generation and pipelines, the business of game development, AI, physics, level design and more. It's an excellent, holistic take on the subject matter. It even has a few chapters on coding that are well written and informative though admittedly somewhat redundant for me after reading the other two. However, it's a massive tome with something for everyone on the entire development team.

Bump Game Coding Complete.

Also
Frank Luna's Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 11 is a must have!
I study Computer Games Programming at uni and this is literally our DirectX bible!


:)


I have both Game Coding Complete and Frank's DirectX 11 book. Which would you recommend I work through first? Someone else said to do DirectX first. Any advice would be awesome, they're both huge tombs of info. I'd consider myself a barely-intermediate c++ programmer. I know the basics of rtti, memory pooling, object factories, templates, the stl, etc. etc.

Bump Game Coding Complete.

Also
Frank Luna's Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 11 is a must have!
I study Computer Games Programming at uni and this is literally our DirectX bible!


smile.png


I have both Game Coding Complete and Frank's DirectX 11 book. Which would you recommend I work through first? Someone else said to do DirectX first. Any advice would be awesome, they're both huge tombs of info. I'd consider myself a barely-intermediate c++ programmer. I know the basics of rtti, memory pooling, object factories, templates, the stl, etc. etc.

I'd say the Luna book personally! GCC Is a really good book but it covers perhaps too much at once.
If you just wanna learn DX go for Luna!

I managed to get through the vector math chapter, but some of the matrix transformations seem to go over my head. I mostly get it and I got through the pre-req chapters. Do you think I'll just get more used to it as I go through the book?

For 3D math related to games I would recommend:

3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development, Second Edition.

http://gamemath.com/about-the-book/

The book is not dumbed down but presents the math as it relates to graphics and games.

For 3D math related to games I would recommend:

3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development, Second Edition.

http://gamemath.com/about-the-book/

The book is not dumbed down but presents the math as it relates to graphics and games.

I actually have that sitting right next to me. I've only gotten a few chapters in and I do a little bit of it here and there, but I'm wondering if I can continue with Introduction to 3D Game Programming with DirectX 11 without really comprehending the entirety of it or if I should really wait until my math is there. I'm fairly impatient and have been longing to get acquainted with DirectX for a long time... and in general I feel that I'm very competent with math, I've gone through calculus and discrete math previously (although I'm redoing it again soon).

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