• Author:
  • LaMothe, Andre
• Subject:
  Business Applications
• Published by:
  John Wiley & Sons Inc (US)
• Published:
  19/09/2002
• Price:
  $44.99
• <  Buy this book  >

The multimedia and computer-games industry has exploded in recent years.  Games have gotten incredibly sophisticated—and incredibly entertaining. The programs used to create them have improved also, to the point that you don’t necessarily have to be a nerd deluxe to do it yourself. Even so, game programming can be challenging—even if you’re a veteran C/C++ programmer and licensed technogeek. Challenging, sure…but also incredibly cool.

Using DirectX—the latest and greatest technology for making games on PCs—Windows Game Programming For Dummies will help you write just about any 2D game you can conjure. Now updated to cover new DirectX and Windows releases, your friendly yellow-and-black companion and bonus CD-ROM sidekick will show you:

• The basics of video game design
• The nuts and bolts of Windows programming
• How to work with DirectX—and play with DirectDraw
• How to make a real game, with an actual, step-by-step example
• How to market your mind-blowing new creation
• The ten biggest mistakes made by game programmers—and how to avoid them

From graphics to sound to input and installation, legendary game developer and Xtreme Games CEO André LaMothe takes you right into the guts of the game—in an entertaining style that won’t send you retreating to the nearest joystick. André’s witty, he’s tons of fun, and before you know it he’ll have you up to speed on:

• Setting up your game programming workstation
• Getting into DirectDraw: animation techniques, bitmaps, color keying, and more
• Adding Direct X subsystems such as DirectSound, DirectInput, and AutoPlay
• Getting your hands dirty by making a real game

• The physics of asteroids and other flying objects: time, velocity, force, and all that
• Game programming websites, downloads, 3D engines, usenet groups, and more!

The free CD-ROM includes Microsoft DirectX application programming interface SDK v. 8.1; Paint Shop Pro evaluation version; examples, games, and source code from the book; and bonus chapters. So what are you waiting for? If you have C and a dash of C++ under your belt, and have a computer (duh!), you’re all set to get in the game.

Andre LaMothe is CEO of Xtreme Games, a leading game developer, and the author of many bestselling game books, including The Black Art of 3D Game Programming.

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION PART I: GETTING FAMILIAR WITH WINDOWS PROGRAMMING.

Chapter 1: Setting Up for Windows 9x/XP/2000 Programming.

Chapter 2: Exploring the Basics of Video Game Design.

Chapter 3: The Nuts and Bolts of Windows 9x/XP/2000 Programming.

Chapter 4: How to Handle Big Events.

Chapter 5: Putting Windows GDI to Work: Drawing Text and Graphics.

Chapter 6: Wrapping Up Windows 9x/XP/2000 Programming.

PART II: JACKING IN WITH DIRECTX.

Chapter 7: The Architecture of DirectX and the Dreaded COM.

Chapter 8: Getting to Know DirectDraw.

Chapter 9: Using the DirectDraw Crayons.

Chapter 10: Digging into DirectDraw: Animation and Bitmaps.

Chapter 11: Digging Deeper into Direct Draw: Advanced Features.

Chapter 12: The GPDUMB Game Engine, Part I.

PART III: The Rest of the Puzzle: SOUND, INPUT, AND SET UP.

Chapter 13: Making Noise with DirectSound.

Chapter 14: The Ins and Outs of DirectInput.

Chapter 15: Click OK to Install: Using DirectSetup & Autoplay.

Chapter 16: GPDUMB Part II-The Final Conflict.

Chapter 17: What goes Up Must Come Down: Physics Modeling.

Chapter 18: Putting the Game Engine to Work with Underworld.

Chapter 19: Marketing Your Madness.

PART V: THE PART OF TENS.

Chapter 20: Ten Basic Rules of Game Design

Chapter 21: Ten Biggest Mistakes Game Programmers Make.

Chapter 22: Ten Best Game Programming Resources on the Web.

APPENDIX

INDEX

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