Beginning Game Programming: A GameDev.net Collection (Course Technology Cengage Learning) 1st Edition

I am computer engineer focused on software production, I have been trying to start in the video games industry few years ago; it is the first book I have ever read to start as a beginner looking for some guidance of "How to start?", and when I finished the book I was having the same question; and, as a University Professor, I found out a lot of mistakes I do with my students, like assuming they must know things, or just showing them a lot of knowledge they are not ready for yet, skipping steps to get there.For me the book is not really a book, it is a bunch of articles put together, some of them well written, but others are useless. The pace is interrupted between chapters since they aren't linked to each other, and even written by different authors. Some chapters request to have some knowledge to continue reading, which I believe goes against the "Beginers" title (I know for some of the topics/chapters could write a book).The last problem I found is that this book doesn't request any major or basic knowledge (even when they tried to do in some chapters) before to go, it affected the content of the book, some chapters could be removed or some topics could be more reader oriented. The book is made in the way that anyone is open to read it, but maybe, I would say a big percentage, not understanding the content.Here is my review per chapter:Chapter 1: What Language Do I Use?Really good starting for the book, it was a good chapter well explainedChapter 2: Good Coding PracticesGood chapter, understandable and beginners need it.Chapter 3: Using PDL for Code Design and DocumentationVery short and in somehow unnecessary.Chapter 4: Debugging in Visual Studio - Part 1I hope some day I will find part 2 in "Advanced" book, it is fine, helpful for programmers that never have programmed in VS.net.Chapter 5: Extended Graphical Templates for Sprite ManagementChapter 6: Isometric And Hexagonal MapsChapter 7: Mouse Maps for Isometric Height MapsChapter 8: Bezier Curves and SurfacesI took me a while an read another book to understand these chapters, I was getting crazy because there is no starting point and it is not directly linked to a video game, so, in some moment I was wondering where those sprites had to go in the Video Game, and so on...Chapter 9: Direct3D vs. OpenGL: Which API to Use When, Where, and WhyEXCELLENT CHAPTER, one of the best, very helpful and whit the necessary information.Chapter 10: An Introduction to LuaVery GOOD: It made me understand scripting in video games.Chapter 11: Introduction to GameMonkey ScriptVery Good too: with a lot of information.Chapter 12: The Internet, TCP/IP and Socket ProgrammingExcellent: well written, understandable.Chapter 13: Programming with Asynchronous SocketsExcellent: well written, understandable.Chapter 14: Vectors and Matrices: A PrimerI had to read a book about 3D Math for video games to refresh university knowledge, chapter was a "nice" try, but keeps far from what it has to...Chapter 15: Collision Detection and ResponseI got lost with the images/graphs, kind of difficult to understand but it is a good try.Chapter 16: A* Pathfinding for BeginnersThis chapter is good, very well documented with a lot of links and resources to look after.Chapter 17: Organizing Code Files in C and C++Useless chapter for Programers.Chapter 18: An Exceptional QuestGood chapter, its a pity its too short.Chapter 19: The One: Singleton DiscussionGood chapter, its a pity its too short.Chapter 20: Introduction to Pointers, Structures, and Linked Lists50/50, not all programmers are good with pointers and handling memory.But for those who doesnt, it would be very good chapter to read and very useful.Chapter 21: Sound Formats and Their Uses in GamesI did like this chapter a lot, I would have wished to get more info about OpenAL.Chapter 22: Using XML Technologies for Enhancing Log FilesUseless.Chapter 23: SQL in 60 SecondsIt impossible to learn SQL even in a week, and understand the full DB concepts and how to design a DB.Chapter 24: Item Management SystemsI understood the chapter at the end, it was very good, but it needs a better introduction.Chapter 25: A comparison of Browser and Widget PlatformsIt was fine, but I would have taken this space for something more useful---I did like the fact that the book centered in C/C++ language, since it is the most important in the VG industry.

Fast Delivery and Just asI expected it to be

The Bad:- Very un-organized, a compilation of multiple online tutorials stuffed together in no particular order.- There is a lack of code. Everything is very conceptual. explaining how things should be done with no actual examples.-Operating System Specific. Almost all of the tutorials revolve around M$ Windoze.The Good:-Contrary to the other reviews i found the networking IP/TCP tutorials to be somewhat informative. However, thisseems like it was a rip off of Beej's socket tutorials.-The majority of this book revolves around taking code that you already have, and optimizing it to the max.-Creates a decent flow of how the gamming engine is supposed to be laid out. Unfortunatly that is as far as it goes.This book is average at best. Buy something more API specific such as an intro to SDL or an OpenGL primer if you are just entering the field. Most of the material covered in this book can be found in greater detail with the help of "the google".

First of all, in the interest of full disclosure, I must mention the fact that I am a contributing author to this book. Hopefully however this will not cloud my review.Having said that, this book is interesting. Are you going to go out and make the next AAA hit after reading this book? No. You're not even going to be coached from beginning to end on making a single cohesive game through the book unlike many others. This is not a hand-holding book, but a loose guide that hits on the important topics that will set you on your way to developing your own games. Topics range from the ever debated "What language should I use?", several graphics techniques, an introduction on common artificial intelligence methods and many more.All articles in the books have been updated to reflect technological changes in the years since they were originally written (my original article was written in 2003 for example, so there have been marked changes in that time) and in some cases there are articles that aren't even available on the site. Updated content is only one draw. I, like many other people, prefer hard copy to staring at a screen all day. It's nice to have a bound copy to reference, but this is purely individual taste.Could you get by with the information on the site to achieve the same goals? Sure. For the most part all of the information is on the site along with the priceless resource that is the [...] (which I highly recommend even if you don't happen to order any of the books). The collection of articles in this series however were handpicked for relevance in the topics and I think it's a great starting point for novices and a good reference for advanced users. Happy reading and good luck in your game development ventures.