Game programming books

I think the Game Programming Gems series is exactly what you're looking for. They basically cover topics from ever facet of game programming, but are general API independent. They cover all sorts of really cool stuff; rendering techniques, AI behaviours, engine design, and just about anything else you can think of. There are currently 5 in the series, and all are reviewed on the link I posted above. They're one of my favorite series'.

Matt Hughson

I've recommended it before, and I'll recommend it again.

Learn DirectX :) It's not any more difficult, and it is quickly becoming the standard (many would say has become). I assume you are coding games because you are interested in one day hopping into the professional industry. Knowing OpenGL is a plus, knowing DirectX is a must.

I'm afraid I don't know any books I would recommend that would help you learn the general structure behind one... but it is an important issue. I can say that every game you make will be better designed and better structured; so experience is a big factor.

I'd look for any book that uses one of the new APIs (DirectX9 or the latest OpenGL) and creates a "game" from scratch to finish. In other words, a big, 1000-page tutorial :) That should help with the general structure at least, and you're guaranteed to learn a lot else along the way.

-dbh

Thanks for the replies. I will definately give the game gems series a look at but I was under the impression of it was more advanced than beginner. I did program in directx for a little but switched to the opengl. The main reason is that I mostly program on macintosh and some on windows because I have more time on macintosh and it our macintosh runs better. Also I am not sure yet if I want to go into the professional game programming but maybe just regular programming so if I ever needed to I could learn directx. Learning a new api I find is not as hard as learning how to code structure properly. I was waiting for the "More Opengl Game Programming" book to come out for a few weeks now and it came out today I believe so I am going to get that. I have the "Beginning Opengl Game Programming" book and enjoyed that so I think it will help me along. It also teaches making a simple engine and game in the end so it should be good. Thanks again for the replies and hopefully I can learn to structure better.

vbuser

Quote:

Original post by dbh I've recommended it before, and I'll recommend it again. Learn DirectX :) It's not any more difficult, and it is quickly becoming the standard (many would say has become). I assume you are coding games because you are interested in one day hopping into the professional industry. Knowing OpenGL is a plus, knowing DirectX is a must.

I disagree entirely with this opinion. Learning all the theory behind graphics programming is the hard part, and this does not change from API to API. Switching from OpenGL to DirectX or vice versa can be done easily, as long as you grasp the concepts and the theory. But I'm not going to let this slip into an OpenGL vs. DirectX thread, so...

I've heard good things about David Eberly's 3D Game Engine Design and 3D Game Engine Architecture. I think these might be just what you're looking for.

Good luck.

Right,

I'm not saying that OpenGL isn't worth knowing, or that it is that much different from DirectX. What I AM saying, however, is that employers are primarily looking for programmers with DirectX experience. If you walk into an interview and have to give the ol'

"No, I haven't used that PERSONALLY, per ce, but I can learn it in two days tops!" line-- you're probably not going to get the hire.

As for the More OpenGL book, I'd say go for it. Especially if you enjoyed the first one, this one should be just what you're looking for.

-dbh

Quote:

I've heard good things about David Eberly's 3D Game Engine Design and 3D Game Engine Architecture. I think these might be just what you're looking for. Good luck.

Can't disagree with 3D game engine design being a good book, but I don't think this is what the OP wants. Game Engine Architecture would suit your needs better and maybe 3D game engine programming from Stefen Zerbst (it does cover directx, but the api is more of a side thing and the engine could be built on top of Opengl instead).

Well, if you're using C++ at all, I'd strongly recommend:

Design Patterns, can't remember who its by
Effective C++, Scott Meyers
More Effective C++, Scott Meyers

These are basically excellent for general programming in C++

Whilst these aren't game specific, they will help you in making classes from theory white papers, and generally learning how to effectively use the language. This is more important than I can stress, really.

One more book I remember that might help down the road:

Refactoring is a great book on precisely that: Refactoring. It won't help you in the design phase very much, but it will help you go back (after the fact) and clean up some of your nastier code. It's a good read, nonetheless.

-dbh

Thanks for all the sugestions. I definately have some reading to do. I will probably pick up a book or two on general good code structure which will I'm sure I can learn a lot by. Well I have to get browsing and looking at more of those books you people suggested.

Thanks again,
vbuser