Rating: 
Summary: Nice Try... but
Review: Ah... the buffet line is open! While obviously not designed to be an authority or an end all in any of the subjects covered, this package offers a plethora of products within its standard size yellow box. The Game Programming Starter Kit version 4.0 is like one of those Chinese gift boxes where you just keep finding one gift inside of another, inside of another, and so on. Henceforth, this product suffers from a common ying and yang effect usually seen when something tries to be everything to everyone. The Ying For Programmers, the gentle Giant from Redmond has allowed a version of its MS Visual C++ 6.0 to be included in the Starter Kit. The Introductory Edition of Visual C++ is a nice way to gauge if programming is really up your alley. Most, but not all features, in this version are functional; so a person can easily pick up a C++ textbook and start honing their skills. If you don't happen to have a textbook, the Digital Resource Library, included on the CD's, handily offers an eBook version of SAMS "Teach Yourself Visual C++ 6.0 in 21 Days". Microsoft has also granted permission to have its' DirectX 7.0 Software Development Kit included in this bundle. Of course, if you don't have a book explaining DirectX, the kind people at Macmillan have also included an eBook version of SAMS "Teach Yourself DirectX 7 in 24 hours" to get you up to par. If being a Game Designer is more up your alley, Macmillan software has included the 2nd Edition of Marc Saltzman's book "Game Design: Secrets of the Sages". This title offers a wide scope of information on various subjects regarding game development issues, such as: character design, level design, programming, AI, art, animation, sound FX, music, testing, marketing, web site design, and much, much more. What sets this book apart is the dozens of interviews with the top respected game designers, so the information and opinions represented are ones to take note of. While not an extremely in depth book, it covers a lot of information, in an extremely easy to read format, accessible by all levels of readers. The Yang Not to leave Level Designers out, The Programming Starter Kit comes with a copy of the Genesis 3D Software Development Kit, version 1.1. The game engine supports the latest drivers and also provides a level editor for those who are ready to test their mettle. Featuring up to date special effects, the Genesis 3D engine allows users to get their feet wet and hone their skills at level design. Note: It should be pointed out that the Genesis 3D engine has been available for FREE on the net for some time. Level Designers may also want to check the net for other FREE editors that are available which happen to be more powerful and maybe better documented than the one included in this bundle. The last thing I found inside the box was a shareware copy of the Shadow Realm Model Animator 3D animation software. This tool allows users to create skeletal structures, import 3D mesh, animate their models and export files. This program is not extremely powerful, nor user friendly, in fact I would say that it suffers the most out of any in the bundle. But in keeping with the "One for All" mentality, the publisher has included it for anyone who is beginning in the 3D modeling world and can't afford a "real" package. Balance Perhaps the biggest mishap in marketing this package is not that the documentation is a bit lacking, but merely that the title of the product is misleading. If you really want to start learning some game programming skills, this software bundle will probably leave you a bit wanting. If the title had been "The Game Developers Starter Kit", one would not expect it to be too thorough on the programming end. Alas, the product does have a meritable niche: Newbies. The Game Programming Starter Kit version 4.0 has a nice price point and therefore makes a great gift for anyone who is contemplating entering the game development industry. It is recommended strictly for newbies who want to experience a small mouthful of what this great industry is all about. If that doesn't fit your description, then pass the plate to someone else.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for the average anybody.
Review: At first glance, a thought comes to your head - "Wouldn't it be cool to create your very own video game!" I work for the Video Game publisher Vatical Entertainment and believe me, this is anything but easy. The one program, Genesis 3D, can be downloaded for free at genesis3d.com, and the book tells you nothing accept a few interviews with publishers. The documentation is just short c++ references to the source code in the engine which you wouldn't be able to understand without an extensive knowledge of c++ much less know how to use it to make a game. It doesn't come with a 3-d modeler, which you need, just an animator which I believe you can also get for free. So in short, even though it looks and sounds great, you would never be able to create a game using it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Software Here!
Review: Get this software if you want to create games like quake 1 and 2, and doom 1 and 2! If you are an advanced programmer get a better engine like codewarrior!
Rating: 
Summary: LEARN PROGRAMMING FIRST
Review: Haven't used this version, however, 2.0 is excellent because it includes standard VC++ 4.2. I use VC++ 4 now for DirectX games -- though the documentation is complicated for even advanced programmers, and didn't help any. To beginners reading this, learn programming first (takes about 1 year), then get Andre Lamonthe's DirectX books. It may take 2 years before you create the simplest Atari-like game, there's so much involved. The very minimal DX game is 3,000+ lines of complex code. According to the other readers, this version doesn't include a distributable VC++ -- DON'T BUY THIS.
Rating:
Summary: Some usable material, but box doesn't give full info.
Review: I bought this because the ShadowRealm character assembler costs $45 online by itself, so I figured I was getting a good deal - basically a "free" book and other software along with a ShadowRealm license. I was wrong!! The publishers fail to mention that they've included the shareware version of the product, which doesn't even export files in a format usable by the Genesis SDK! Further, the Genesis SDK is available online for free, and also comes with a character assembly tool, so the ShadowRealm tool isn't helpful at all. However, that said, the "kit" does include Visual C++ -- a full version that just doesn't let you redistribute your applications but lets you build them -- and a couple of books in PDF format for learning C++ and DirectX programming. These are great starters, and I've been learning them on my notebook computer in my spare time. And the book, "Game Design Secrets of the Sages" gives some interesting food for thought on game design approaches, though it gives no programming advice. Short answer: if you have designed games using Basic or another high level language, and want to move towards more complex game programming, this might be an OK collection. However, if you are buying it just to learn C++, or to learn game programming from scratch, there are much more straightforward books on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Some usable material, but box doesn't give full info.
Review: I bought this because the ShadowRealm character assembler costs $45 online by itself, so I figured I was getting a good deal - basically a "free" book and other software along with a ShadowRealm license. I was wrong!! The publishers fail to mention that they've included the shareware version of the product, which doesn't even export files in a format usable by the Genesis SDK! Further, the Genesis SDK is available online for free, and also comes with a character assembly tool, so the ShadowRealm tool isn't helpful at all. However, that said, the "kit" does include Visual C++ -- a full version that just doesn't let you redistribute your applications but lets you build them -- and a couple of books in PDF format for learning C++ and DirectX programming. These are great starters, and I've been learning them on my notebook computer in my spare time. And the book, "Game Design Secrets of the Sages" gives some interesting food for thought on game design approaches, though it gives no programming advice. Short answer: if you have designed games using Basic or another high level language, and want to move towards more complex game programming, this might be an OK collection. However, if you are buying it just to learn C++, or to learn game programming from scratch, there are much more straightforward books on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Why, Why, Why???
Review: I brought this product, because i needed an animator for a game i was working on. Great???. However, the version you get, is an absolutely useless shareware version, and after checking out the rest of the stuff included, i was even more dissapointed. The version of C++ is a "working model" edition, so you cannot redistribute your files, and the Gensesis 3d engine is open source, and available for free, and you can get the latest version aswell. So, i suppose it's the price of a book??? It does include 3 books, right? Wrong, 2 of them are PDF files, and the other one will not introduce you to game programming at all. The name sells it wrong, don't you think??? KEEP AWAY from this product, i think anyone who wanted to buy a Game Programming Starter Kit would want to know how to program!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Sham
Review: I have never, ever wanted my money back from a purcahse as much as I do this one! I was had. Ten minutes after installing it my laptop and seeing what the 'real' package was, I wanted the disk space back. Companies should not be allowed to mislabel and misrepresent a product as severly as this.
Rating:
Summary: A Sham
Review: I have never, ever wanted my money back from a purcahse as much as I do this one! I was had. Ten minutes after installing it my laptop and seeing what the 'real' package was, I wanted the disk space back. Companies should not be allowed to mislabel and misrepresent a product as severly as this.
Rating:
Summary: Too complicated with bad explination
Review: I recently purchased this product and was very disappointed by it's performance. It comes with an introductory c++, directx7, genesis3d, and an actor creator. It is very confusing to use any of these programs and found myself blowing [my money]. I strongly recommend you look elsewhere
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