Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus, 2nd ed. by André LaMothe
Published June 2002
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Summary Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus, 2E takes the reader through Win32 programming, covering all the major components of DirectX including DirectDraw, DirectSound, DirectInput (including Force Feedback), and DirectMusic. Andre teaches the reader 2D graphics and rasterization techniques. Finally, Andre provides the most intense coverage of game algorithms, multithreaded programming, artificial intelligence (including fuzzy logic, neural nets, and genetic algorithms), and physics modeling.
I think the book is a nice starter into graphic programing. explaining what many books do not.... How it works.... It might be a little outdated from time to time and I don't agree with all of the things said. but its a good starter in understanding graphic programing base Phisics and A.I.
This book will "help" you make a very simple game and he talks about some advance topics but doesn't explain them very well if at all. You need to know how to program in C before reading this book.
I wouldn't really recommend this book, it teaches bad programming practices and design.
This is a book for those who have done a good year or two in C or C++ and would like to dive into the world of games programming.
Andre's style is fun for the beginners amungst us(infact, its like having a friend along for the journey), but despite some rather handy information and "tricks"<BG> - he can sometimes leave you cold and thinking "WTF does he mean?" o_O
Although he doesn't get into 3D with this book - it can be considered a blessing. Many newcommers to games programming will leap straight into making a 3D game and fall flat on their face due to a lack of 2D knowledge from which to build from.
So, there you have it. If( (you know C or C++ like the back of your hand) && (want to learn how to write 2D games) )
{
buy this book;
}
The book is dated, espouses many, many bad practices and exhibits a cavalier attitude toward quality. The sources are littered with global variables (which the author excuses by saying they're "faster" - maybe in 1984 they were), use techniques as boneheaded as employing types in a header that the user must supply by including other headers into his translation unit, employs a fairly fugly notation and lays down many axioms that turn out to be patently false.
On a personal note, I shall never forgive LaMothé for saying "Heaven forfend a rap game!" Thank you, PaRappa the Rapper.
The book is the application of a thin Win32 veneer to a collection of DOS-oriented source code, and it shows. In fact, the book is a "Windows-ization" of Teach Yourself Game Programming in 21 Days, with large portions of text remaining exactly the same and with the same sample programs - with the same low-res resources!
There are books that were good for their time. This is the prime example. Today, however, I feel it does more harm than good.
WOW. I just got this book yesterday, and Ive only gone thorought 3 chapters, but so far I can honestly say this is the best programming book I have ever read. not only that its complete, meaning it discusses almost everything you would need to know to make a simple game. Go get this book if you wanna learn the windows API. Andre does a real good job. but I must warn thought this game is for beginner game programmer, its not for Beginner programs. make sure you are comfortable with your C/C++ (classes, templates, ect.) if you dont know C/C++ you will be lost with this book. but I highley recommend this book for people that wanna learn game programming.
i agree with it, its by far the BEST book availible. its 1000+ pages of total windows wisdom. starting with the basics of windows, then slowly advancing to more difficult things, while never being to steep to learn, or to boring to begin. Everything is well written and nice to read. i cant wait till volume 2 comes out. if u ever considered game programming, this book is a MUST-HAVE!!!!!
Of all the game programming books on game programming, this is by far the best available. I bought my copy 3 weeks ago, and am already reading the second one. Not only is this book an extremely good reference, it is alos funny and entertaining to read. Lets start by taking a quick look at the index, and what each topic covers:
PART I: Windows Programming Foundation
Chapter 1, Journey Into The abyss: This first chapter covers the history of windows, direct X, DOS, as well as a the complete source for a Breakout style game. It also discusses the basics of the game loop
Chapter 2, The Windows Programming Model:Covers the basics of creating windows, processing messages, as well as keyboard input, making a realtime event loop, as well as multi window programs.
Chapter 3, Advanced Windows Programming:All about resources and their uses, everything from string tables to doalog boxes, from icons to input fields, from menus to cursors. Also covers an introduction to windows GDI drawing, as well as a look at colour and a more indepth look at "banging the keyboard", and "squeezing the mouse".
Chapter 4, Windows GDI, Controls, and Last-Minute Gift Ideas: Covers drawing pixels, polygons, boxes, and using radio buttons ect.
PART II: DirectX and 2D Fundamentals
Chapter 5, DirectX Fundamentals and the Dreaded COM:All about the history of the Component object model.
Chapter 6, First Contact: DirectDraw: The interface of DirectDraw and how to create and configure your application to use directX. Also covers creating surfaces, plotting pixels and using paletteised modes.
Chapter 7, Advanced DirectDraw and Bitmapped Graphics: Working with 32 bit colour, flipping blitting, bitmaps, colour keys, gamma and clipping oh my!!
Chapter 8, Vector Rasterisation and 2D Transformations: line drawing algorithms, matrices, drawing triangles Collisions and hundreds upon hundreds of other useful topics.
Chapter 9, Uplinking with Direct Input and Force Feedback: About the basics of force feedback, the DirectInput model, and using game controlling devices.
Chapter 10, Sounding Off with DirectSound and DirectMusic: Uhh, all about sound, and music. What more can i say??
Part III: Hardcore Game Programming
Chapter 11, Algorithms, Data Structures, Memory Management, and Multithreading: using more complex data structures, such as trees, increasing speed with tecqniques such as unrolling the loop and compiler language, as well as multithreading.
Chapter 12, Making Silicon Think with Artificial Intelligence: All about giving life to those boring pixels with fuzzy logic, Collison avoiding tracks, and Genetic Algorithms.
Chapter 13, Playing God with Basic Physics Modeling: Features the fundamental laws of physics, such as velovity, position, time, mass, kinetics, and how to implement then into a pixelised world.
Chapter 14, The Text Generation: The special bonus chapter, which il keep a surprise (Hint: A blast from the Past :) ).
Chapter 15, Putting it All Together: You Got Game! Takes you through the development of "Outpost", and the development cycle, and the process Andre went through to make it. Also discusses several technical aspects of the game engine.
Not to mention the two CD's strapped to the back, as well as the Apendix stocked full with primers on C++, using the compiler, math, trigonometry, a complete ASCII chart, and a list of other great resources for game programming.
So in conclusion, if you dont own this book, you should, and even if your an expert, it still makes an excellent reference. Finally, il finish off with one of the many parts in the book which make me cry with laughter:
Everthing that Im about to say is not entirely true at the quantum or cosmological level. However, the statements im going to make are true enough for our discussion. In addition, im going to use the metric system since the english system is over 200 years old and only used by the general population of the US. The scientific comunity nd the rest of the world all use the metric system. Seriously; 12 inches to a foot, 3 feet to a yard, 2 yards to a fathom, 5,280 feet to a mile. Was somebody smoking crack or what??
This is the best starting point for learning Game Programming. If you're familiar with C++ (you could even get away with just knowing C), this is the perfect place to begin making games.
Lamothe explains everything he does. He first takes you through Windows Programming. Then, he shows you DirectX, so you can do excellent 2D graphics. Finally, he gives a brief tour of sound and specific aspects of game programming, like AI and multi-player games (No internet game support, however).
Lamothe's writing style is excellent: Humorous and clear. He's easy to understand and clearly knows what he's talking about.
If that's not enough, the e-mail he provides in his book still works. Everytime I had a question and e-mailed him, he responded within 24 hours with a friendly response.
The book's two CDs come with a lot. First, you get an introductory edition of Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0. It has all the features of the standard edition, allowing you to focus on the game programming without any other worries. Secondly, you get all the source code to the stuff you learn in the book. Thirdly, you get an extra chapter, focusing on text-based games. Fourthly, a series of articles, short and long, about all sorts of topics, from game design to 3D game programming. Finally, you get a whole host of demos, showcasing all the work you've done and all the techniques you'll need to use (but aren't necessarily in the book) to make great 2D games, from side-scrolling techniques to color rotations. You also get free graphics and sounds to begin making your own games with.
Unlike most programming books, "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus" is worth its expensive price tag. For $50, you get a great book, all sorts of extra articles, code, and freebies, a professional-quality compiler, and an author who's backing up his work 100% by responding to any questions you may have. I can't think of a better value than that.
Execellent! Teaches you Windows programming, then moves on to Direct X games. Explains the basics of AI, Phsyics, etc so you can get started. Learn C++, then get this.
The first seven chapters of this book where a blast to learn from. They include a basic windows explanation then an intro to DirectDraw. LaMothe is really fun to read, but he sacrafices a lot for optimization. I think it's more important you begin with good coding practices first. After chapter seven he uses libraries based on what you learned in previous chapters. The problem is if you don't have the fundementals down yet, the libraries will not help you learn unless you frequently review the source and/or previous chapters. What I am saying is I didn't like the use of the libraries and would rather rehash the same old routines to reinforce my knowledge.
He touches on other topics in the following chapters including math, data structures and AI. In my opinion this is a time to do further research, reading through the book with out outside research and programming would negate much of what is being taught. Overall I think it is an excellent book and will definitly look for more LaMothe titles.
This book is some good quick fun for those just starting out with game development. If you're just coming from a C++ text, this is probably the book you'd want to snag next. My only issue with it is that it doesn't teach good software design practices, which would come in handy when developing larger projects in the future. Still, the AI section is worth the $40 alone, and it also comes with all the tools you need to get started (although, assuming you have knowledge of C++ before attempting to read this book, you should already have a compiler.) For supplemental reading, I recommend Code Complete in addition to this book so you can gain some insight on good software construction as well.
G.A.M.E.S. Synergy Summit 2006
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