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Summary: This book is worth it's weight in gold!!
Review: This book is an excellent book for anyone that is interested in learning about game creation or just plain windows programming. The CD's come with so many goodies I was amazed and spent hours looking through and trying out everything. This book is a must for all you newbies like me out there and is worth every dollar!!
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Summary: FANTASTIC BOOK !!
Review: This book fills in alot of detail left out of Andre's last book "Windows Game Programming for Dummies". Thanks to Andre's hard work in writing this book, we can write great 2D games !
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Summary: Great read for starters and fanatics!
Review: After Black Art of 3D Game programming and Windows Game Programming for Dummies, he updated his work in an amazing new book. If you need more about 3D Fundamentals, buy Black Art 3D too, and remember to read the ALL the book and the docs.
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Summary: Just "Teach Yourself WINDOWS Game Programming in 21 Days"
Review: Let me start by saying something. I never NEEDED this book. I happen to like his writing style. With that said, allow me to address some sticky points before my final assessment.1. False advertising. The book shouldn't have even had 3D in the title. The on CD 3D docs are available on the net. Anybody looking for 3D in this book could've just downloaded the docs themselves. I did. Not worth the price of admission alone. (download the docs. save $$$) 2. Rehash. Okay, I own every LaMothe book. This book is very well written, but fairly redundant. He should have started off with Volume 2. Newbie books are plentiful, but true GURU books are rare. If you don't own any of his other books, THEN pick up this book. Then pick up "Black Art" and the "Foley - Van Dam" text for 3D. 3. Poor CD production. I don't know what happened, but like others several chapters of the online books are damaged. Luckily I already owned the texts. To others, download the original docs. To the publisher, replace the CDs. 4. Visual C++ 6 being included should be a good thing right? Not necessarily. You get a good compiler, but one that ultimately doesn't allow you to redistribute any cool game you make. (dumb popup message) With all that said and done, this is still a good book, but not what it claims to be. Had they re-titled the book "Teach Yourself Windows Game Programming in 21 Days" then this book would have been given 5 stars. The addition of the compiler is good, but imagine this.... You create "The Next Big Thing". You actually created a game that could kill Quake and Half-Life. (Unlikely the first time though.) Unfortunately, you can't sell it. For a newbie, this sucks. Newbies can barely afford this book much less Visual C++ Professional or Enterprise (forget Standard). That's just a side note. A good book for the collector. A great book for the newbie. A bad book for those expecting to kill Quake.
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Summary: One of a kind!!!
Review: This is the BEST book for game programming in Windows. The amount of information cover is vast and plettyful. There are over 1000 pages of good and quality material. Also, MS VC++ Learning Edition is included so you won't need to pay $$ for a compiler. This book focuses on the 2D aspect of game programming; however, volume II will cover 3D more in depth. There isn't another game programming book out there that covers as much information as this one. Windows game programming is no longer a mystery! I would recommend this book for all those who are want to or are programming in Windows.
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Summary: Good for 2D, but that's about it
Review: This book was a bit of a dissapointment. In over 1000 pages LaMothe covers the very basics of 2D graphics, physics, and AI. The sample game at the end of the book has physics effects as advanced as friction, and graphics as advanced as the 'roids' demo that comes with the SDK. (So yes, it is an 'asteroids' clone).
The book, be warned has NO information about 3D programming.
There are two 'online books'... One of them on 3D graphics. It includes next to no sample source, and covers non-realtime graphics like raytracing a little too much for my tastes. All of the information contained in it could be found in Foley Et Al.
The other book is on D3D IM. This book is basically a reprint of the sample files, in fact to explain certain concepts like lighting and multitexture the author {who by the way is not LaMothe} simply copies and pastes the sample source files that come with the SDK, boldfacing the important pieces of code.
Granted, what it covers it covers well. Anyone who has never programmed Windows or DirectX 6.1 will like this book. If you're new to programming, you might be more interested in LaMothe's other book, Windows Game Programming for dummies. This book is almost identical to the first, except twice as long.
If you're interested in 3D concepts, advanced physics, and AI you couldn't find in one of his other book (save the enjoyably long discussion on Fuzzy Logic), look elsewhere.
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Summary: False advertising
Review: 1.) This is not a 3D book and I don't care if there are "bonus" chapters on a CD. It was a book that I was spending my money on. 2.) The CD DOES have problems and this fact is even acknowledged on MacMillan publishings web site ( by the way, my CD failed on several PC's ). So, the previous post stating the problem is with my PC should get his head out of his ass since he doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. Your review should be based on your experiences alone. Don't presume to know what my problems are! False advertising and CD problems earn this book 2 stars regardless of the quality of the material in the book. I don't appreciate being misled.
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Summary: For the beginner, with some cool AI tricks
Review: Andre LaMothe - what a great guy. Although the book sometimes makes you feel like you're twelve years old, it is filled with great material. I didn't purchase the first "Tricks..." because I thought I knew the material. This book is a handy reference to the other game programming books on my shelf. The other books on DirectX programming that I have talk about just that -- DirectX programming. This book talks about how to write GAMES, and for that, Mr. Lamothe has my heartfelt thanks. I only wish that I was younger when I discovered his books.
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Summary: Very good, but redundant. Why doesn't the cover say "Vol 1"?
Review: This is an excellent introductory book. The first problem is that a great deal of the material is a rehash of "Windows Game Programming for Dummies". If you own that book, understand that before you buy. There's more meat to it, though. If you don't own WGPDumb, then this is a must buy. I think most readers are really looking for the material that DIDN'T make it into this book - and is promised for "Volume 2". Where on the cover of this book - front or back - does it say that this is "Volume 1"?? The pre-release ad copy for this book posted by the online booksellers described material that clearly ISN'T in this volume - and that's not right. Andre, keep up the good work, and post uncorrupted versions of the CDROM files on your website - pronto!
Rating: 
Summary: A legend in it's own mind
Review: Does anyone think it's necessary to write more than one introductory book about anything? I mean can't he just say, "if you'd like to know the basics, go to my other book"! Seems boring to always write/read about the same thing over and over.... I was hungry for some 3D action and now I'm even hungrier!!!!! Oh well. Next book I'm going to read the reviews here before I even think about buying!!!! I would have passed on this one and waited for number 2, had I known.
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