Bruce Von Stiers

A couple of years ago I took a look at a book on Windows game programming. It was an interesting book, even though I never really took advantage of the material in it. Now there is a new version of the book. I decided to check it out and compare the two versions. The title of the new book is Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus, Second Edition. It was written by Andre LaMothe and published by Sams Publishing.

In my review of the first version I asked who LaMothe was and how was he qualified to write a book on game programming? At that time, Andre had over 22 years experience with computer programming. He now has two more years experience and a couple of more books under his belt. Andre is the author of such books as The Black Art of 3D Game Programming. He is also the founder and CEO of Xtreme Games LLC, one of the world’s largest independent virtual game companies.

The book begins with an introduction. Here Andre mentions the first book and tells you that he has indeed learned a few more things since then and is going to share them. He explains that the book is for beginners as well as advanced programmers. Everything is streamlined and Andre tells us “the tempo is going to be fierce, so don’t blink!” He tried to cram as much information into the one book as he could.

The book is set up into four different parts. There is Windows Programming Fundamentals, DirectX and 2D Fundamentals, Hardcore Game Programming and a six section Appendix.

You jump right into learning about the history of computer gaming in the first chapter, Journey Into the Abyss. Then you will be shown a brief overview about how a computer game is put together. Andre gives you a couple of tips and tricks right of the bat.

You will find that the book has a lot of programming listings in it. These listings provide the source code for the programming elements that Andre is explaining. There are also a lot of tables strung throughout the book. Table 7.7 shows that DDPCAPS_ALLOW256 is the function code used in programming to be able to define all 256 colors in a standard palette.

Beginning with the second chapter, you will learn about things like multi-threading and what impact it has on game design. You get to see the world’s easiest program “Hello World” and how it works. From then on, Andre builds on what he has written and takes you through all kinds of different aspects of game design.

In the second part of the book Andre covers things like DirectX and Com objects. You will learn what exactly a Com object is and how to use DirectDraw to you best benefit. Andre takes you through working with 8, 16 and 24-bit Bitmap files. Dealing with vector graphics ad cell-based 2D animations are covered in chapter 8.

The third part of the book gets into the real headache areas for some people. This is the math part of programming in that you will be learning algorithms and data structures. You will be shown some physics principles like acceleration, velocity and position and how they relate to game programming. As I mentioned in the review of the first version, there is a formula for acceleration that looks like an advanced algebraic equation. What does it look like, you ask? xt=x0+v0*t+1/2*a*t2. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.

One chapter that was added to the third part of this edition it The Text Generation. This chapter deals with text based games. Now we all know that that text based games have gone the way of the 8-track tape. Or have they? Andre goes through what it takes to put together a text based game.

The last chapter is called Putting It All Together: You Got Game! In this chapter Andre will show all the steps that it took to make his game Outpost.

The appendixes have things like a math and trigonometry review, along with a C++ primer. Andre also gives your several pages of game programming resources. And you get a listing of what’s on the CD’s.

Did I mention the CD’s that come with the book? These discs have all of the source code listed in the book, along with stock art and sound effects (both are royalty free, yeah!) that can be used in your own game design. There is also the Introductory version of Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0.

The book has a lot to offer for people who want to learn how to write game programs. But if you already own the first version, I don’t know if there’s enough new stuff to cough up the purchase price. I thought the chapter on text game was really interesting though.

For the beginner programmer or someone who is just switching over to game programming, Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus Second Edition is a title that needs to be on their “Must Read” list. It has a lot of basic information about game programming and includes a bunch of source code.

Look for Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus Second Edition at book retailers like Barnes and Noble. You can also order it online from Sams Publishing at www.samspublishing.com. The book has a list price of $ 59.99 (up $ 10 from the first version).