Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus [With CD-Rom] - Softcover

LaMothe, Andre

3.46

89 ratings by Goodreads

9780672313615: Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus [With CD-Rom]

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0672313618 ISBN 13: 9780672313615

Publisher: Sams, 1999

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Tricks of the 3D Game Programming Gurus takes game programmers to the next level of programming, teaching them the latest techniques and tools: DirectX, 3D acceleration, Artificial Intelligence and explains, in detail, 3D algorithms including texture mapping and lighting.

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Review:

New from bestselling video game guru, Andre LaMothe, Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus provides an incredibly rich tour of today's video game programming techniques for Microsoft's DirectX gaming platform. Filled with entertaining and challenging code examples in C, this book sets a high standard as a tutorial for getting started with game programming and will certainly earn a place on the bookshelf of any working (or aspiring) game developer.

The incredibly rich detail within this book on virtually all facets of game development on the DirectX platform is what sets it apart from other titles. The author, a truly legendary game programmer, conveys his expert knowledge with a sense of authority and flair in a massive format (with nearly 1,000 pages). After a tour of basic Windows C programming, this book centres on the Microsoft DirectX for game development. Though most of the printed book centres on DirectDraw (for 2D APIs), these APIs are used to render 3D worlds. (A wide variety of articles on Direct3D are included on the accompanying CD-ROM.) The author also shows how to get the most out of other Microsoft APIs for high-performance gaming, including sound(DirectSound and DirectMusic) and input (with DirectInput).

Rarely does the ordinary programmer get a glimpse into the high-powered world of video game development. That's what's offered here with plenty of techniques and tricks for creating leading-edge game effects (such as simulating the laws of physics in your games, like gravity or creating smarter characters with artificial intelligence). Whether you are an aspiring game developer or an interested game enthusiast with a programming background who wants a peek underneath the hood, Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus shows you how it's done in an exciting, technically rich and authoritatively told tutorial on how to use DirectX for creating realistic video games. --Richard Dragan, amazon.com

Topics covered: Game basics, history of video games, 3D modellers and graphics tools, Windows C programming primer, graphics, COM, DirectX and DirectDraw fundamentals, DirectDraw surfaces, double buffering, working with bitmaps, colour-keying, vector rasterisation, 2D transformations and clipping, input and DirectInput, sound effects with DirectSound and DirectMusic, binary search trees (BSTs) for 3D worlds, multi-threading, artificial intelligence for games, physics modelling, gravity, bouncinge ffects and particle systems and Direct3D and 3D programming (on CD-ROM).

From the Publisher:

Learn from an Expert!
Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus takes game programmers to the next level of programming, teaching them the latest techniques and tools: DirectX, 3D acceleration, Artificial Intelligence and explains, in detail, 3D algorithms including texture mapping and lighting.

Andre’ LaMothe is the bestselling author of 4 game programming books, including Tricks of the Game Programming Gurus. He holds degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering, and has taught Computer Science and Electrical Engineering for 12 years. Andre enjoys almost cult-leader status among game programmers. His original Game Programming Gurus title set the standard for DOS game development. Only in the high-dollar, fast-paced world of PC game development could a character as off-the-wall as Andre rise to the pinnacle of his craft.

Create advanced 3D video games that take advantage of the latest software techniques and 3D.

This book covers the next generation of game programming. Older books focused on DOS-based game programming, while this book exploits the new 3D technologies coming from hardware manufacturers and Microsoft. This is the only book that will teach people how to create advanced windows video games that not only take advantage of state-of-the-art software techniques, but also 3D acceleration hardware.

CD-ROM contains working Quake-level technology 3D engine along with source code (not a regurgitation of another engine.

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