Visual Basic Game Programming for Teens - Softcover

Harbour, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 159200587X ISBN 13: 9781592005871

Publisher: Cengage Learning PTR, 2004

Synopsis

"Visual Basic Game Programming for Teens" teaches the younger reader how to write games with the easily approachable and popular Visual Basic 6.0 and utilizing DirectX 8.1 for the game library. It devotes little time to the fundamentals of the language, focusing instead on complete game projects to teach the subject of game programming. As a "for Teens" title, this book explains the game development topics in detail. It does not explain every aspect of DirectX, but rather, uses those components needed to teach a lesson in each chapter, focusing on game programming subjects first and foremost. The focus is concentrated on creating games rather than the logistics of game programming. For instance, several chapters will cover artwork, level editing, 3D modeling, and world building-subjects seldom covered in books of this type for the beginner/teen market. It shows how just a little more work and a few more lines of code can produce a really great game. The reader will finish this book with a satisfying sense of completion, a solid feeling of closure, and a desire to tweak and modify the sample games in the book

About this title

Review

PART I: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED WITH VISUAL BASIC CHAPTER 2: YOUR FIRST DIRECTX PROGRAM CHAPTER 3: DESIGNING THE GAME PART II: CREATING AN INTERACTIVE GAME WORLD CHAPTER 4: CORE TECHNIQUE: DRAWING BITMAPS CHAPTER 5: LEVEL EDITING WITH MAPPY CHAPTER 6: THE BASICS OF TILE-BASED SCROLLING CHAPTER 7: SCROLLING THE GAME WORLD CHAPTER 8: ADVANCED SCROLLING TECHNIQUES PART III: THE PLAYER"S CHARACTER (PC) CHAPTER 9: CORE TECHNIQUE: DRAWING SPRITES CHAPTER 10: CORE TECHNIQUE: ANIMATING SPRITES CHAPTER 11: CORE TECHNIQUE: USER INPUT CHAPTER 12: WALKING AROUND IN THE GAME WORLD CHAPTER 13: CORE TECHNIQUE: DRAWING TEXT CHAPTER 14: CORE TECHNIQUE: COLLISION DETECTION PART IV: NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS (NPCS) CHAPTER 15: CREATING THE CHARACTER CLASSES CHAPTER 16: ADDING NPCS TO THE GAME WORLD CHAPTER 17: TALKING WITH NPCS CHAPTER 18: ENGAGING IN COMBAT WITH NPCS PART V: FINISHING TOUCHES CHAPTER 19: ADDING SCENERY TO THE GAME WORLD CHAPTER 20: CORE TECHNIQUE: SOUND EFFECTS CHAPTER 21: CORE TECHNIQUE: BACKGROUND MUSIC APPENDIX A: USING THE CD-ROM

About the Author

Jonathan S. Harbour is an associate professor at the University of Advancing Technology (Tempe, AZ). His web site at www.jharbour.com includes an online forum and blog for book support. His most recent game projects are Starflight - The Lost Colony (www.starflightgame.com) and Aquaphobia: Mutant Brain Sponge Madness (www.aquaphobiagame.com).

Edition details

• Publisher: Cengage Learning PTR
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 159200587X
• ISBN 13: 9781592005871
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 374