Compras Nikon Bluetooth |
Which leads to this book. It has some of the ambience of the flashback to the 70s or 80s, when programmers in their spare time might gin up a cool game, which would then spread like a virus when word got out. Of course, you can use the book's advice to design a proprietary game. Nobody says you need give it away.
The book's code examples are in C. Not Java, please note. While Java is good for some applications, typically in gaming, performance is always an issue, as measured by latency, for example. The book also does not mention C++. Pity. C++ compilers nowadays are usually as efficient as C compilers. Plus, if you want to code a game of any complexity (over 100 000 lines, say), then C scales badly, unless you use really strict design and coding standards.
Overall, though, the book is well done. Very easy reading if you're experienced. Very little knowledge of graphics is required. The book is more about the back end design. Graphics is pushed out to OpenGL and similar packages.
It is a very good reference to basic SDL and OpenAL, and is very handy to have in one place.
I still recommend as a basic book on game programming.
If, like myself, you have some knowledge in computer science without being an expert and particularly have no expertise in Game Developping nor in MultiMedia and are yet curious about the topics then definetly go for it.
This book unveils pretty much all aspects game programming: graphics, audio, computer "AI", network gaming, etc.
Unveils, not exhausts: be warned. But this is just great when all you are after is understanding what is this about and decide eventually to dig deeper.
And everything is done with examples building up until you have developped with the author "your" first game : Penguin Warrior!
What would be great is to have a sequel with more advanced topics (3D, Scheme scripting, etc.): be many to buy it and maybe we will someday see it!
Beware, the Editorial Review says this book is the "Complete guide to developing Linux games" - that is totally misleading. It is nothing more than a teeny-tiny, itty-bitty introduction with almost no math or 3D graphics information. This book is basically a simple, easy to learn tutorial that walks you through several example programs in order to teach you how to use some of the API's available under linux.
The things I really liked:
- The author discusses several important API's. He gives descriptions, pros/cons, and shows you how to use the API's in his tutorials.
- He tells you what you DON'T need to know. If he doesn't like an API he comes straight out and says it's waste of time to learn it. SVGAlib is an example of one he says not to bother with.
- There's a quick description of the following major API's: SVGALib, GGI, SDL (the whole book is about SDL), ClanLib, OpenGL, Plib, Glide, Xlib, GTK+, TK, Fltk, Qt, OSS, ALSA, ESD, OpenAL, Tcl, Guile and MzScheme, Python and Perl, BSD Sockets, Open Play, IPX and SPX, libpng and libjpeg, libaudiofile and linsndfile, Ogg Vorbis, SMPEG, zlib.
The things I didn't like:
- The programs are in C instead of C++. Nobody programs major games in C anymore, give me a break. Minus one whole star right there, sheesh.
- The book will probably be outdated quicker than most computer books because it talks about so many different API's.
- There's very little room to grow because the bibliography is pretty wimpy. If you're a newbie who's serious about game programming, you'll need MANY other books that are lot more heavy-duty than this one.
If you already know the basics of C or C++ and you're interested in programming linux games but you're not sure where to start, you will probably be happy with this book. Just be aware that you won't learn very much and you will outgrow it quickly. I'm 21 years old and I have some experience with advanced math (up to differential equations), and I was just a little bored with it. If you DON'T have much math experience then this book will get you off to a good start.
If you want to be a professional game programmer you'll need to learn 3D graphics, advanced math, physics, cryptography, networking, AI and an endless list of other topics. The point is, you'll need more books, lot's of them. The first book you need to buy after this one is Game Programming Gems. I'm not joking, you NEED that book if you want an idea of what you're getting yourself into. Being a game programmer is one of the most extremely challenging jobs in the world, and you should know that from the very beginning.
This is a good book and well worth the read.
If you're new to game programming then get this book too!!! Even if you plan to start out making games on Windows, I suggest reading this book along with Lamothe's as it will help you understand game programming basics without the complexity of Windows' code. The author takes you all the way from initializing the display to a complete game by the end of the book, and even though the game was meant to be for Linux it will compile without too many modifications. Although the game in this book may be rather simple one in today's standards, it does cover all the bases including networking and game scripting, the latter of which I found very helpful. ...
A large spider in an old house built a beautiful web in which to catch flies.
Every time a fly landed on the web and was entangled in it the spider devoured
him, so that when another fly came along he would think the web was a safe and
quiet place in which to rest. One day a fairly intelligent fly buzzed around
above the web so long without lighting that the spider appeared and said,
"Come on down." But the fly was too clever for him and said, "I never light
where I don't see other flies and I don't see any other flies in your house."
So he flew away until he came to a place where there were a great many other
flies. He was about to settle down among them when a bee buzzed up and said,
"Hold it, stupid, that's flypaper. All those flies are trapped." "Don't be
silly," said the fly, "they're dancing." So he settled down and became stuck
to the flypaper with all the other flies.
Moral: There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else.
-- James Thurber, "The Fairly Intelligent Fly"
Q: What do agnostic, insomniac dyslexics do at night?
A: Stay awake and wonder if there's a dog.
