Ernest Pazera
1 Very frustrating book
I have to recommend against purchasing this book, even for absolute beginners. The book leaves out far too much important information, focusing instead of aspects of isometric game programming that most programmers could figure out themselves in a few hours (or via a search on google).
For example, consider object selection. The author spends 23 pages on "simple object selection" - basically, figure out which tile a user clicked in and then figure out which units are in that tile. However, the really tricky part of object selection comes when objects are taller than one tile (which is very typically for isometric games; that's what creates the illusion of depth). The author only provides 7 pages on this topic and the lead-in paragraph here is "Since I spent a great deal of time on simple object selection, I can only really give you an overview of pixel-perfect object selection..."!
This is a common occurance throughout the book. For example, the important concepts of "fog of war" and "fine object placement" are mentioned, but no algorithms or code examples are provided.
As a beginner you may think this book will be worthwhile anyway, but trust me, it won't - you'll very quickly want to start working on more complicated concepts and this book will provide only frustration in those areas.
In a few sections, the book admits that it doesn't provide algorithms for real-time strategy type of games (which require complex object selection, fine object placement, etc.). Most of the examples seem to focus on traditional turn-based stategy games (think Civilization). So - if you're implementing a Civ-like game and not interested in branching out beyond that, this book may be worthwhile (hence the two stars instead of one), but if you're anything like me you'll want to expand your horizons beyond that and this book will leave you very frustrated!
2 Nice for the ABSOLUTE beginner...
I bought this book because LaMothe was the editor, and i thought he actually made at least some suggestions to the writer.
I won't take your time, so here it is:
Good:
-Covers everything needed for a basic game, for beginners.
-Couple good ideas, like mouse-mapping, path-finding
Not Good:
-Part I:First 230 pages are about windows programming, an ISO book should not cover 'my first windows program' topics...
-Part II and III:This supposed to cover the ISO stuff, from basic to hardcore (only the basic is there)
-Part IV:World generation and Path finding (the only good stuff in the book)
Recap: The author handles the subject as Civilization II was the ONLY ISO TYPE GAME, and Fallout, Diablo does not exist, however the introduction states you will learn the secrets of creating games like NOX (Diablo clone). Explanation of seamless tile generation is lame (not the real deal), does not cover any of the 'interesting' topics, like: wall transparency, rendering of large objects, different types of scrolling (character centered, character framed), and so on...
Suggestion:
-If you want to write a small, turn based strategy game (definetly with flat tiles), and you are a beginner with programming and windows, buy it.
-If you want to write a Fallout or Diablo-like ISO game, do not buy this book, you can get all the basic info this book cover from the net...
I think i will write a similar 'book', and put it to my webpage, only that will cover all the stuff this one left out...
Edocecrous
System/Game programmer,
Mynergy
3 Solid and Accurate
This book contains good examples of concepts, covers a broad range of items, and the code included with the book actually works! Unreal. I recommend it to anyone just getting started in this topic.
4 A decent book
This is a good buy if you need to know the basics of tile plotting, drawing, world coordinate systems, map coordinate systems, and moving about a map. The code is laid out in such a way that if you follow along closely you'll be able to understand what's going on fairly easily. Earnest does a good job explaining what his code is doing and why it is doing it. However, once you get a good understanding of exactly what needs to be accomplished and the steps to making a tile-based game (like a RPG or a RTS), then I would recommend scrapping his code and replacing it with your own, more optimized code. Granted, his code is very easy to understand and that's the main purpose of this book, to let the reader (you) understand exactly what's going on and leave further optimizations up to you once you understand it. If you were to make a large game project, however, his code would not be useable. It seems to be bulky and slower than it should be.
The Tile engine that you construct throughout the book is suppose to be mainly geared towards making isometric maps and it covers three different types of Isometric maps: Diamond (like in Age Of Empires), Staggered (like in Command & Conquer), and Slide maps (I have no clue who uses this type of map). The book also talks a little about making a Hex map, and a rectangular map (like WarCraft II & StarCraft) but not enough to base a whole game upon what this book talks about. In the end, the book explains how to use Direct3D to render a map. This information on 3D is almost useless. First he uses Direct3D7 instead of DirectXGraphics and he had time to use DirectXGraphics because it had already been released by the time this book was written. He simply neglected to use it. And also, it seem the code is only geared toward rendering a map in Direct3D, and nothing else. Well, my friends, rendering a map is only a small peice of the puzzle when making 3D games.
This book is also full of the useless n00b stuff that seems to waist pages in all the prima tech books like setting up windows, understanding simple Win32 API basics, windows message loop, buttons, menus, dialog boxes, understanding COM architecture, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.
I recommend this book for all of those who need to get a good understanding of tile-based games. However, if you already know the basics of rectangular and isometric games, then don't buy this book!
5 A Steep learning curve without prior WIN32 C++:
If you have never done any C/C++ for WIN32, don't expect to know just what the heck Mr Pazera is talking about. Although, if you haven't any other books in your library related to _C/C++_Game_programming_, and are die-hard to learn ISO-HEX; start here - and STUDY LIKE CRAZY! By this I mean memorize the first few chapters. It is detrimental to the rest of the book. Although it's still best to start with some knowlege of C/C++; it's not imperative in this book if you are diligent. Have fun, enjoy, and Good Luck!:>
6 Decent
Good book on building an Isometric engine. This book would be better if the author didn't try to spend so much time explaing his code because it is usless anyway. He does present the basic ideas on how to build an isometric engine quite well though.
7 Disappointing
After messing around with tutorials and articles from the web about isometric game programming for some weeks, I decided to look for a book that teaches some real knowledge. And because most of the people at GameDev.net loved this book, I was willing to spend a small fortune consisting of 75 Euros here in Germany.
Unfortunately I was to be disappointed. Concerning the game programming I was taught almost nothing new, the tutorials I saw on the web before obviously did their work. When things were about to get interesting - the chapter was considered finished. The author just shows a way to solve a problem, but doesn't come up with general thoughts. Line-Of-Sight calculations are not handled at all, whereas I think this would have been one of the most interesting topics, especially in multi-level maps (which aren't handled off either).
This book should have been titled "Introduction to Isometric Game Programming". Somehow I've got the feeling that this book is aimed at younger people that have just started programming games, and it's been written in a rush... and last but not least: the price is simply outrageous.
8 This is really BIG!
Isometric games are my favorite! Coding it isn't a very easy task and this book are a God's hand in my keyboard. Fantastic!
9 Great book!
Though I think it was missing a few things (most notably multi-height maps), I still thought this book was great. It covered a lot of interesting topics, and brought several concepts that I hadn't previously thought of -- I had more than a few "aha!" moments with this book, which is more than enough for me to give it a great review.
10 The Fog is Lifted
I enjoyed this book so much that I just couldn't put it down for two readings. Mr. Pazera manages to cut through the dense fog that usually surrounds books like this. The examples are many and well written. The style is witty but to the point. Here is an author that I would truly like to meet in person. He tackles a subject that could be a tangle of math and myth and puts in plain english and a lot of well commented C. It is such a joy to study, that I can hardly wait to put the code to use in my own projects. I look forward to mare books in this series from Prima publishing.
11 Prima's Best Series Book
This my first review for a book. I am doing this for this book because it is the best, in my oppinion, book in the Game Development Series.
The source code is excellent except for that he didn't have a final project really, but that little problem is overcome by all the better parts. One thing that blows my mind is a tileset class that makes loading tilesets easier than pie. He starts it out with an intro, which is very breif but good for non-beginner programmers.
Beginner programmers might have a little trouble understanding the windows intro so that's just a warning. All of the algorithms are great and there are great functions included that make scrolling and isometric a lot easier. The scrolling and tileset classes can be applied to other non-isohex games too. The detail is amazing. He'll add those little details that most books don't. The book is not one to be used as a reference though. I highly recommend using this with some other great books such as Tricks of the Windows GPG by Lamothe or if you want to learn some good 3D, try The Zen of D3D or Beginning D3D.
Overall it is a wonderful book and should be put in ever household!
NOTE: For all of you who don't think isometric is for you, there is more to the book than just isometric, even though that is most of it. I didn't think so either until I read it. Read it to create visually amazing games with good AI and graphic setup and management.
12 What it does, it does well.
This is a good beginners book. It covers just about every topic involved in creating an Isometric Game with DirectX 7.0. It also covers most of it's "beginners" topics fairly completely. It does not cover 3D graphics...it's not about 3d graphics. Having read the book cover to cover, I feel that I could write a simple Isometric Game with little difficulty. 4 stars instead of 5 because it was very much a beginners book. I feel it should have given less time to startup and more time to intermediate / advanced topics.
13 If you want ISO, you want this book
WOW!, I have to say that I am glad I bought this book. I don't know if it's Mr. Pazera's writing style that does it for me, but I've bought 2 other books that deal with DirectX and this is the only one that I've actually been able to learn something from. Yet so far I've only read up to page 178 (not even to the part dealing with Isometric programming) and I've finally figured out how DirectX works (kind of, at least enough to display images and move them around *wink*).
If you don't buy this one for learning more about Isometric game programming, at least get it for the excellent descriptions of some DirectX Basics (DirectDraw and DirectSound).
14 Truly amazing book!
I am no stranger to programming books or to programming. I can honestly say that this book has come closer to thoroughly teaching me about an aspect of programming than any other I have ever read. I was able to apply the book directly to a game I was writing and in just a few weeks I have a rich ISO3D world with animation, height, and lighting effects. I have reviewed many other "How-to" gaming books, and you must believe me when I say that if you are thinking about writing an ISO game, you NEED this book.
15 Great entry point to game development
This is one of the most well written, easy to understand game programming books I have come across. The author obviously knows the subject matter quite well, and knows how to present it in a clear and consise manner.
If you're a competent C/C++ programmer, but just getting started in game programming, this is a great place to begin. Although the focus of the book - isometric games - is a bit narrower than books like Tricks of the Windows Game Programming gurus, I think you'll be more satisfied with the look of the isometric games you create. In addition, the basics of DirectX and Windows programming are covered in a very understandable manner.
If you're already a game programmer, and just want to pick up some iso techniques, feel free to skip the first part - there's nothing new there. Although the book's title includes "DirectX", the isometric algorithms are not API dependent, and can be easily adapted to other APIs (I was able to convert them to OpenGL in a matter of hours).
My only complaint about the book is that the author obviously lost steam near the end, with the number of demo programs and code samples dropping to a trickle. This also means that there is not a complete game included with the book. However, there is enough good material otherwise that I'm not going to count that against it.
16 I havent read the book...
But those thinking about buying it should know this: 1)If you learn direct x 7 from this book, Direct X 8 is totally different, so dont expect to be able to learn it too easily. 2)Direct X is only for windows operating systems, meaning that with Direct X you can only make windows games. If you want to make games for all operating systems, you need to buy "Game Programming with OpenGL." 3)OpenGL is easier, and the book is incredibly well written. But if you want to make 2D games, OpenGL can do it, its just easier with direct x. I just thought people should know.
17 It's Good... but not great.
This is a good book, but not as good as I expected it to be. Though the majority of reviews here seem to be rating it perfect or near perfect, I'm going to aim a little lower with 3 stars. The book seems to have been rushed... it gives you the code to do whatever is necessary, but does so by instructing you to open up some header or cpp files and by taking a look at them. He doesn't explain a lot of his code, especially some of the most important functions that are needed when building the examples. The comments in the code provide some explanation, but I often caught myself thinking, "...why the hell is he doing that?". This is the best book out right now to learn isometric game programming but simply because it's the ONLY book out right now that "teaches" isometric game programming. If you're looking for a book to provide mediocre explanations and don't mind looking at code, going back and forth between the book and the DirectX SDK, this book may be a good choice for you.
18 A lot of information about isometric engines.
This book should have been named "Isometric Game Techniques For Beginners", and not what is the actual name. This book will not teach you how to write a complete game, it will not teach you the ins and outs of writing Ages of Empires XIII, nor will it lead you by the hand and take baby steps waiting for everybody to catch up. What this book does, and does very well, is to teach how Isometric engines work, and how to create your own basic working engine. I really liked this book because, with the exception of the initial always-present section about how to use DirectX and the GDI (seems every book has this..), it really kept close to the goal, i.e. explain how isometric engines work. Most of the information here presented are already out there on the Internet, but here is a book that keeps everything condensed and ready to be used, rather than having to go through 300 useless links while looking for just a single piece of information that is eluding you.
If you are looking for a "Teach Yourself How To Make Diablo 3 In 21 Days", don't read this book. If you're looking for a small isometric engines reference, and you are a new to intermediate programmer, grab this one!
19 The best on the topic!
I have 3 game programming books, including this one, and this is by far the best one! It is suitable for those with little game programming experience and basic to intermediate understanding of C++, to those who have programmed for years, but have not explored the isometric style yet.
I loved the author's style. It introduced new topics, explained them very thoroughly, and applied practical applications to them! In my other two books, I had the habit of becoming bored, skipping ahead in the book, and getting confused! One example of this style in this book is when learning pixel plotting and line drawing. Mr. Pazera teaches the basics, then combines it with the mouse functions to create a very simple, but functional, paint program!
I would recommend this book to anyone who has a basic to intermediate (or advanced) knowledge of C++ but who has not explored the realm of isometric game programming.
Congratulations on a job well done, Mr. Pazera!
20 Tans Owns
How can anyone not like this book? It's great detailed and an easy read!
21 Readable Reference Book
Great book! Everything you need to write the next Civ! (Dinged a star for being over $...)
Starts off with lots of DirectX Basics - important reference material, but not specific to ISO games. I suggest skimming this the first time you read the book and then studying it in detail when you are actually programming your game.
Middle chapters build on each other to carefully create an entire isometric engine and game framework. Attention is paid to design considerations like coordinate systems, scrolling issues and image management.
Book closes with lots of "must haves" and bonus additions like mini-map, fog of war and world generation.
I enjoyed the author's writing style and his insight into the knowledge required for building ISO games as well as pointing out the "gotchas" you will want to avoid. I was also impressed by the way the book moves from the lowest level DirectX functions step-by-step up to a fully functional generic game.
The author is also genuinely excited about the subject and can be found discussing ISO issues out on the internet.
22 Readable Reference Book
Solid step-by-step delivery of what it takes to create ISO games. The first section is devoted to DirectX. Although it is long and doesn't mention much about ISO specific topics it lays the foundation for the following work. I assume this intro is really meant for ramp-up, refresher and reference. (Not so much fun to read page by page, but invaluable when actually coding.)
The middle chapters carefully build on each other to create a full iso-engine and game framework. This includes design choices like tile navigation, scrolling issues and image strategies. The last section includes bonus items and "must haves" like mini-map, world generation and fog of war.
My favorite part of the delivery of this book is watching the calls to DirectX slowly disappear below the surface as they are wrapped in higher and higher level functions. I also enjoyed the personality the author injects into his descriptions. There were some sections where the code is "fast and loose" but remains informative. This was an enjoyable peek into the world of ISO programming and will be my starting point for any isometric programming I do in the future. Dinged one star for costing over $..., which is my arbitrary price ceiling for books - I paid list price.
23 Great book
Has everything you need to get started with isometric game programming, the engine that "you" will build troughout the books chapters is good enough to keep you going awhile, sure it can be optimized further but the author keeps the code clean so that everyone should be able to keep up with him.
In the last 5 chapters he covers the topic of using direct3D, lightning effects and so on.
Great book!
//Jolt
24 Solid Book on Iso Concepts
As an old game peogrammer who had never done an Iso game and always wondered how, I found this book extremely enlightening. It has been a principle source for the development of my Open Source Java Isometric game "Scroller" on javagaming.org.
Frankly I had no interest in DirectX (programmming in Java) but was perfectly happy with skipping the first few chapters. The rest was highly applicable and generally well laid out and explained.
This book was well worth the money I spent as it allowed me to get my first Isometric code up in Java in a weekend and has continued to be a useful reference as I have dealt with other game issues, such as pathfinding.
The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because I'm a stingey bastard and reserve that for books that really bowl me over and change my world view. This book didn't do that, but it DID turn me into a competant Isometric game progrmamer :)
Thsi is a highly recommended text and the only full text I know of on this subject. The cheats and techniques that the author explains could easily take someone many many months to derive by themselves (if ever.)
25 Great Book
Although the content (especially the isometric concept)is basic, the author's tutorial of DirectDraw, DirectSound, and even the basics of Direct3D, are excellent. However, I would have liked the author to explain how to enumerate the devices in the aforementioned APIs, this would have added about 300 pages. Also, the explination of the windows API, while good (in particular, the section on regions), wasn't really neccesary, as most game programmers know how to do the basics by heart.
26 A masterful tome of ISO Wizardry from the archmage himself
1) This book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to teach. 2) For those of us who tend to read computer books as a reference, this book is well organized, indexed and structured. 3) For those of you who have written commentary stating that too little time is spent on advanced ISO specifics, please look at page 726...yes the back cover...see at the bottom where it says User level: BEGINNING/INTERMEDIATE ? We will all have to wait for advanced, or take the mighty TANSTAAFL's advice and use the incredibly thorough foundation this book will give you to make the leap to advanced ISO yourself.
Buy the book...rule the world...well at least the world(s) you will build :)
27 Most Useful I've seen to date
OK, this is not a book for raw newbies. Given that, the basic gloss-over of directDraw and Win32 is a bit redundant. However, I found the directSound chapter useful, as most books ignore that aspect.
Given that, I will admit that I already know my way around DirectX and my current Iso project, being in Java, I didn't really need the DirectX parts. However, Ernest provides some WONDERFUL helper functions for budding DirectX programmers and doesn't hide things in yet ANOTHER framework.
When the book gets into the guts of Iso programming, things really take off. Don't expect to glean everything out of it in the first read (which, unfortunately, too many think is possible). Read it until you get the basics down, and refer to it from then on. Since reading this, I've come a LONG way toward my own Isometric engine, and am still impressed with the information I can glean from it daily. I refer to his book at least once every couple of days.
Ernest has always been a great help to the game programming community with his online tutorials and forum on GameDev.net. This book takes his knowledge and skill and passes this information on. In a world where most game programming books are simply C++ tutorials filled with a few examples, it's good to see all the theory in building an engine in one place.
Get the sequal out, I'll pick it up too.
Richard Ashkettle (aka Eboz)
28 Great book - we just need more like them.
I really enjoyed this book. A lot of people seem to complain that the first few chapters contain general/beginner Windows and DirectX programming when this book is based on an advanced topic.
I can understand people's complaints but it is not the fault of the author. Book publishers aren't going to publish a book that only relates to about 20% of the programmers out there. So, you have to include some "traditional" information in order to get it on the shelves.
That aside, I still recommend this book. Obviously, it can't cover every minor detail in isometric programming. Name one book out there that *totally* explains in great detail every single method of doing anything. Point is, I think we need a volume two, three, etc...
I really hope this book sparks an interest in more isometric programming books.
My only complaints about the book are:
1) I wished he would have dropped the 3D section and devoted that to advanced topics. 3D is too detailed to devote a few chapters. Once again, the publishers probably made him put that there.
2) The supplied graphics are cheesy. (no offense anyone) Would have been nice to see a few really nice tiles and characters/monsters.
These are just minor complaints... BUY THIS BOOK!
-Coleco
29 Very LITE in contents
A good portion of the book is devoted in introducing Windows programming and Direct X programming. This section of the book is done reasonably well, but there are many cheaper books available that do a much better job.
Unfortunately, the isometric concepts covered in the book were not thoroughly discussed. In fact only high level general concepts are mentioned in detail. I hate to say this, but I have found many much more useful information on the web for free. The book does a terrible job of covering pathfinding, line of sight, resolving colissions, and so on.
I wish I could say that I would recommend this book to beginners in Windows game programming who would like an intro to Isometric engines. But with the wealth of good Windows game programming books out there, as well as the abundance of free material on isometric engines on the web, I can find no suitable marketing niche for this book. Hold on to your money.
30 I just want a book on isometric game programming
This book devotes over 250 pages to windows and DirectX programming before it gets into the real reason why I bought it: isometric game programming. And then, much of the info on isometric game programming can be found on the web for free. If you want to learn windows programming, there are plenty of good books on that subject. There are also plenty of good books on DirectX programming. The information that this book provides is only worth about a fourth of what the book costs.
31 Not the greatest...
This book gets you started with Direct Draw and Direct Input. In the beginning, it talks about using the Win API to do graphics programming. Unfortunately, that is the ONLY good part about the book, because the author gets into the details about whats going on.
Things change when the author talks about how to use DirectX. Details are get more scarce as he gets deeper into the discussion. This left me hanging without a clue on some of the topics. Above all, there is only ONE chapter about creating games. The rest of the book lightly touches on DirectX's capabilities.
32 Good for making a game like Civ2 or Diablo
This book is very good if you want to make a game just like Civ2 or Diablo and other isometric tile based games just like that. It goes into great detail on how to make games like this, and even includes examples of games just like these with full source.
33 Simple and Practical, This Book Delivers
I've read a number of gaming books, especially dealing with isometric games, and this book is by far the best. It provides simple, elegant algorithms, so that with just a few C++ classes, you have an excellent isometric game engine. The writing style is informative and to the point, and the whole book is geared to get you up and writing code for your game as quickly as possible. Thanks, Mr. Pazera!
34 A truly great game programming book!
Wow! This book is everything I expected Mickey Kawick's "Real-Time Strategy Game Programming Using MS DirectX 6.0" to be and then some more! Comprehensive and straight to the point, the author knows his business inside out!
35 An excellent resource for isometric game programmers
I haven't bought the book, but I gave the last third of the book a good read through and I was very impressed. I wish I had this book 10 months ago while I was developing my own isometric game algorithms because this book explains very clearly the things I learned on my own.
I particularly liked the little tutorial on D3Direct in terms of using it in an isometric game. The texture ripping and rotating was very interesting.
It was nice that he actually used LPDIRECTDRAW7 surfaces in his code. You knew that he knew what he was talking about.
I would recommend this book to anyone beginning in DirectDraw or who wants to know how to implement an isometric game. An intermediate level knowledge of C++ is going to be needed to make sense of it however.
Very nice job Mr. Pazera.
36 Thank you much with my heart!
I find enlish is not first language. I have been in U.S. only few month. Ernest did good on his writing and I understand much! Thanks are going to you from me. I know now how to do these things.
Ivan Anelvort
37 Highly recommended!!!
What a incredibly well done book! I have followed Ernest Pazera's articles and work for a very long time in the Gamedev.Net community and I will say that this book is Ernest at his finest! And with the added touch of Andre' LaMothe, it makes this book a programmer's gem. I know that there are a great many aspiring game programmers who will find this book to be the book they have been waiting for. I'll explain what amazed me about this book:
It starts out giving a short review on Windows programming, and GDC (which is good, since sometimes it's easy to forget some of the basics). It's followed with a course in DirectX, and DirectSound, which are given in a way tailored toward our goal of making an isometric or tile-based game. Then the book just takes off. You'll find wonderful chapters on isometric game design, and the overview on how to create your game engine. The chapters that follow cover tile-based programming and tile-based AI and (my personal favorites of the book) chapters on how to handle objects and characters in your game. And it's all done in a very easy to understand and straight-forward manor. He completes the book with chapters on how to make your game's transition into the world of Direct3D. I've been doing tile-based games for years, and yet I found TONS of things in this book that I didn't know. And I think that's one of the main reasons this book is so well done: it's done by a man who loves iso-game programming with an incredible passion, and HE KNOWS HIS STUFF.
I do agree with Dino, though, that one would want to have at least a bit of understanding on game programming before delving in, as opposed to hitting it right at the start. And like Dino said, it makes a GREAT reference for all of those who may have been in the business for a while.
Ernest, you've done a wonderful job on this book. Doing a good book on iso-game programming is no easy task, but you have pulled it off perfectly.
Bottom line: THIS IS A DEFINATE MUST-BUY.
38 Great Book!
Isometric Game Programming with Directx is a perfect read for the Intermediate/Beginner game programmer wanting to program a game using the unique style of an isometric view. Isometric games are now traditionally used for RTS games and RPGs such as the Diablo series. Through the first few chapters Mr. Pazera explains how to set up a win32 program, and shows the ins and outs of win32 graphic programming like GDI and such. After that, he goes into DirectX with DDraw and Direct Sound. All this information is for setting up what the book is really about, Iso Programming. The next several chapters shows the techniques of Iso games, specifically tilebased fundametals with rendering. You can tell that the author knows his stuff, as he covers almost everything that comes to my mind about Iso engines. Finally, the last few chapters goes over how to incorporate direct3d with iso programming. It's a short section, but enough to get you started with direct3d. I recommened this book for anyone that is interested in this area of programming(iso, tile, or hex based games). Overall, it is a very easy read and the source is well documented. TANSTAAFL knows what he is talking about, and his writing style is friendly and not dry at all. Two thumbs up! =]
39 A review from an experienced isometric game programmer
This book is a must have for anyone who plans on writing an isometric based game. It covers the basics of isometric, various techniques used by more advanced programmers, and explains the theories behind some aspects of isometric game programming. Even though you may not use DirectX 7, it is very useful as a reference guide and most likely you will learn something new from this book.
The bottom line: Use it as a reference book for you more experienced programmers or as a tutorial for all you new programmers. Either way, I highly recommend having it and reading it.
Happy Reading and Kudos to Mr. Pazera.
