Is the book covering only c++? I am making my iso engine in Visual Basic and it works just fine (and fast) as in c++(well i am currently using BitBlt and not DirectX).It is fast enough even in 800x600 map areas.If you would like to include code for Visual Basic just tell me.

Voodoo4

for the guy concerned about the book being half about hex... dont worry, its not. most of the hex stuff will be notations on the few differences between iso and hex, just the elongation of the tiles, and the disallowing of two directions of movement.

as possibility pointed out, the differences between iso and hex are so minimal that to NOT include them would be silly.

and for voodoo, sorry, but i will only have C++ code. i''ll be doing my darndest to make it readable and commented enough so that users of other languages can make use of it. (i''m sure that as a VB programmer, you are used to translating from C++ to VB)

This book sounds like a wonderful idea (Section Zero non-inclusive), and I will be sure to purchase it, but I''d like to make a few suggestions.

1. Read the reviews of Kawick''s ''book'' (especially from Amazon). It did a horrible job of presenting it''s topic and came across as being a DirectDraw wrapper + 3 chapters on RTS.

Summary of my take on general opinion:
The book was hurt by the fact that it dealt more with a single method of implementation than in RTS theory and explaining the design alternatives. Also, it wasted a lot of space on it''s Section Zero and also in replicating STL. Most importantly, there was nothing to show for it since all of the parts did not add up to a game.

2. Use STL, don''t reinvent it (and spend 2-3 chapters explaining how you reinvented it).

3. Although I cannot speak for everyone, I read the book for the RTS architecture theory, not the code [since the code was too coupled for my taste]. Yet, the book was geared almost exclusively towards code, so the actual insights were few and far between. A good example of how to seperate this is Chris Hargrove''s ''Code on the Cob'' series.

4. Have an overall structure so that even if the book does not end in a complete game (or whatnot) it at least forms ''something.'' If the CD is eighteen seemingly random cpp files it will be disappointing.

Hmmm.... my opinions probably seem harsh on Kawick''s book. That wasn''t the goal of my overly long post. What I hope I got across are some constructive warning so as to make your book better.

Good luck

Dark Lord Pi

quote: Original post by Lord Pi

1. Read the reviews of Kawick''s ''book'' (especially from Amazon). It did a horrible job of presenting it''s topic and came across as being a DirectDraw wrapper + 3 chapters on RTS.

Summary of my take on general opinion:
The book was hurt by the fact that it dealt more with a single method of implementation than in RTS theory and explaining the design alternatives. Also, it wasted a lot of space on it''s Section Zero and also in replicating STL. Most importantly, there was nothing to show for it since all of the parts did not add up to a game.

Yeah, not to mention he couldn''t decide on his audience - in one section, he makes assumptions like "that is not your job, your designer/artist/sound guy is responsible for that" and yet in other parts he assumes you are so fresh that you need to be told how to set up Visual Studio! I don''t see why he would aim the book at professionals anyway, as none of the code was really complex or advanced. And it still didn''t cover animation very well! (See my other post Anyone who doesn''t know how to do some of the tasks he covered in the book is unlikely to have a professional artist to hand.

quote: 2. Use STL, don''t reinvent it (and spend 2-3 chapters explaining how you reinvented it).

I''d agree here, too. It is easy to make a std::map into a SpriteManager or whatever in only 1 page, rather than devote 5 pages to inventing one from scratch. And once you''ve learnt one STL container, you know them all, pretty much.

quote: 4. Have an overall structure so that even if the book does not end in a complete game (or whatnot) it at least forms ''something.'' If the CD is eighteen seemingly random cpp files it will be disappointing.

I think some finished product is a necessity. The reader should be able to see something that proves all these parts work. They should be able to tweak parts of it and see what results they get. And they should be able to see the ''glue'' that holds all these classes/modules together.

Though my plea will probably fall on unsympathetic ears, please keep in mind that many beginners program games in Visual Basic and Java.

i like the fact that some people want to use STL. i know i''d personally like to include its use (i do normally). i''m still debating whether or not i''ll be making use of it, since if i do, i have to put an STL tutorial either in an appendix or on the CD.

quote: Original post by Jerry Lynn

Though my plea will probably fall on unsympathetic ears, please keep in mind that many beginners program games in Visual Basic and Java.

Which is why they should learn C/C++ first instead of VB, which isn''t really used in commercial games.

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Bworks.Com

quote: Original post by TANSTAAFL

i like the fact that some people want to use STL. i know i'd personally like to include its use (i do normally). i'm still debating whether or not i'll be making use of it, since if i do, i have to put an STL tutorial either in an appendix or on the CD.

Just be aware that the STL is waaaaay slower than even an array. Speed tests on an engine I did a few months back (we tried the STL out first) show it to be 2-3 times slower. In some environments this may be acceptable, to me it wasn't.

I do realize, however, that the book is intended for beginners, so....


Bworks.Com

Edited by - Joviex on 4/4/00 4:35:48 PM

this may seem like a little too much, but that article a few weeks back on blending 2D/3D would make an excellent addition to at least the CD portion of the book.

Taking an example from Andre Lamothe, it is safe to assume that including extra articles/code on the CD and not bloating the book with them is a very good idea. You could make some references to out-of-text code and information on the CD for those who want to learn the finer details of mixing 2D and 3D in an ISO style game.

PLus it would look good on the back cover of the book too (Covers 2D/3D isometric engines) Maybe I should be the publisher.

Bworks.Com

Please don''t put STL in..

I like to see how everything is written from scratch so I can learn how to write (and perhaps optimize) it.

If I had to use wrappers, I be using Java already!!..