Resources for game development (books, compilers...)

4

4keatimj

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
1,327
This may seem like a silly question, but does anyone know of any books or resources on how to make games (ie the programming aspect, using C\C++, DirectX etc) ? I'm going into uni next year and i'm hoping to get into a course that has a big games creation component, but I'm becoming impatient. Any help please?
Also need some info on C\C++ compilers. I'm using Microsoft QuickC 2.5 (!!!) cica 1990, so I'm a bit behind in this department also. Is there any advice for this also?

Thanks to all,
4keatimj
 
I've never used them, but perhaps it might be a start, they have those game specific programming tools. I've seen them at Best Buy and stuff.

There are plenty of forums too. I was trying to think of the one my friend's a mod on, it tends to focus on RPGs... I'm sure you can find one genre specific.
 
a great resource is www.gamedev.net. But make sure that you have a firm grasp of c++, because it will help out when the programs are 15k lines long.

also, make sure that your code is neat. Messy code == frustrated programmer when bug == true
 
It helps to know what kind of game development you're interested in. In any case, I suggest going with GCC/mingw32 + Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) and not getting locked in to DirectX for no good reason.

If you want to get into 3D then I can recommend 3D Math Primer for Games and Graphics development as a starting point. This will explain the math and its geometric interpretation ("but what does the transform of a matrix _look like_?").

To be able to use your new knowledge you need a 3D API. I'm using OpenGL, not wanting to get locked into the whims of Microsoft, and staying portable. The natural start here is The Red Book. The Red Book is also available on the internet, but only up to revision 1.1 AFAICT. If you're serious, buy the dead-tree version instead.

When you understand the math and know your way around the API is when things start getting interesting. The above + really solid knowledge of an implementation language (such as c++) is a pre-req for being able to understand and use most online resources in productive ways.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Avoid the books oriented towards "game developing," 99% of the time they are authored to be read by people who are just learning to program and arent very familiar with computers as a machine or programming. Even when you are making a game, 90% of the work programming wise isnt the "game" itself, its everything under the surface that makes the program fast and efficient. For every statement that involves 3d graphics, theres about 100 others that take care of memory management, data transport layers, OS interfacing and other shit that noone wants to do. If you want to know how to use directx or opengl, read a book on opengl (fuck directx). Want to use networking, read a book or something on a network programming. Anything above a tetris clone is a very daunting task, and unless what you want to do is make a tetris clone, you need to be able to write the book on your language of choice, and should already be familiar with programing development and methodology.

I'm in the process of making a FPS sorta game and the engine is being created from scratch and so far it has been all work and no games (no pun intended :D)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top