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The first program I ever wrote was in 1984, being a
text-based, command-driven NBA basketball game on an Apple IIe
in BASIC. My how games
have progressed since. Having
said that, I'm strictly a web developer, and from behind the comfortable
confines of the web browser is about where my programming acumen begins and
ends these days. But like most people my
age (I'm 30) I grew up playing Nintendo and have long been a fan of video
games. Being a user and not a creator, I'd long wondered how such
things were brought to life, and this book does a great job of showing just
that for the newbie.
The code and concepts, despite the title, are fairly
advanced, and not at all tutorial-driven, so not every line is described ad nauseum. So an open
mind is needed to let it sink in. That
having been said, the object-oriented nature and accessibility requirements for
device hardware for modern video games is adequately described, with some very
relevant games used as practical examples.
The purpose of, need for, and uses with, Managed DirectX 9 is very
nicely done. The authors use a very friendly voice, and cite several
well-known games as exhibits of the fundamentals they describe throughout the
text. For example, a Tetris offshoot is
described in the book's initial chapter, demonstrating how such a simple game
is likely a lot more complex in its design that you might realize, but
simultaneously not as laborious as one might think. This book defines the major areas of concern for creating a
great game, being that all elements within a good video game must exhibit some
sort of (1) artificial intelligence, (2) spatial awareness, and (3) reactionary
behavior in the event of collisions. I
also now know I'll probably never be a good games developer, as one should be very
patient, be really, really, really good at math, and use some pretty advanced
OOP/OOD concepts to create a good game. Now being aware of the number of skills needed, algorithms
with which to be familiar, and areas that are more deeply covered in other
specialized books, this book won't allow you to create the next Quake, Grand
Theft Auto 3 or Super Mario World right off the bat – but it will get you
started. --------------------------------------------------- Blog:
http://weblogs.asp.net/jasonsalas Voice: 671-688-2142
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