Rating: 
Summary: Please explain
Review: Let's say, like me, you wanted to get a book on 3D Game Programming With C++, without knowing C++ beforehand, and then read it, and begin making games right away.
Not going to happen.
This book tells you quite a lot of interesting stuff about games and how they work under the hood, but as far as code goes, and putting it all together, all the author does is give you a list of functions and a hard-to-read encapsulation, and then say "your turn".
He gives you NO explanation WHATSOEVER on where to write the code, etc, etc (I tried every way I could think of to enter the code on the disk, but I still got 110 errors ....
The first couple of chapters are enlightening, but by the third, you begin the code, and get left behind by the author.
My suggestion? Don't get this book. Learn C++ FULLY and then pick up some books on Physics and AI (this book may prove more helpful to you later on down the track (as a reference, it could be pretty handy)).
Rating: 
Summary: PLease Read if you want to know a real review
Review: Listen everyone.... This book has a few mistakes, but contains information that will not be found else were. This book is written by an amazing author and is an excellent reference. This book will not be good for a beginner, but if you have some knowledge of Direct3D/DirectX, this book will answer many specific details that will make you a better programmer.The biggest flaw is the absence of examples. This book would have received my highest rating with examples, but life can't always be that simple. We as programmers need to do a little homework ourselves, and this book will get us on our way.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but could have been better
Review: Overall I think it's a pretty good book, but not without its flaws. Specifically, no where in the book do you find a complete game or even a compilable program, either of which would have been very helpful for beginning 3D programmers. On the good side, let me say I loved the book's attention to math, its coverage of several difficult (but important) topics, the source code it does include, and the way it makes DirectX easy to understand. Most books just introduce matrix math, vector equations, and formulas and then leave you to wonder what's really going on. But in this book the author takes the time to explain what matrices are (4 vectors aligned on 4 axes!), how they work, the basics of vector math, and the theory behind most equations the book uses. The book also covers some hot topics like precise collision detection, 3D path finding, and 3D optimization techniques. In general the theory is covered well, with attention to the math, and usually sample code is included (except for path-finding, where it's all theory). The source code the book does include is first-rate. One class wraps DirectSound and lets you play a 2d or 3d sound in three lines of code (just give it the name of a wave file and it will do the rest). Other code wraps DirectInput and DirectDraw. You also find code scattered throughout the tutorials. The tutorials on DirectX are very easy to understand, and do a good job introducing the different parts of DirectX and showing you how to use them. They're strictly for beginners, though, as they don't cover advanced info like you would find in Inside DirectX. They refer you often to the appendixes, which are a topic all their own. The appendixes contain references for DirectDraw, DirectSound, Direct3D, and DirectInput, and they consume about half the book. They are very dryly written, but the few entries I checked are easier to understand than the SDK and seem to include more information on how to actually use the functions. Would I recommend the book? All in all, yes, but don't expect to find lots of source code or any programs that you can learn from, compile, and tinker with (except in the SDK). Also be warned that if you can't use a DirectX reference, then half the book will useless to you.
Rating: 
Summary: Useless
Review: Take my advice, listen to everyone else here, unless you're looking for a slightly flawed reference to DX7.0, don't buy this book. It is completely useless from a game programming standpoint.
Rating: 
Summary: Write 3D Games With The DirectX 7 SDK!
Review: The book 3D Game Programming with C++ is written for C++ Windows programmers who want to learn how to write visually stunning, high-performance 3D games using Microsoft's DirectX 7 SDK, the software development kit used in virtually all of today's 3D games and backed with comprehensive industry support. The book covers the fundamental principles of 3D game development, vector and matrix mathematics, trigonometry, artificial intelligence, basic physics simulation, 3D collision detection and environmental sensing, 3D optimization techniques, the theory of sound, the architecture of Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM), and, most importantly, how to use and get the most out of DirectDraw, DirectInput, DirectSound, and Direct3D Immediate Mode -- the most important components of DirectX. The text introduces each DirectX component with a clutter-free, easy-to-understand architectural overview, and then follows the overview with a step-by-step tutorial packed with source code examples. Once readers have exhausted the overviews and tutorials, they can turn to the four detailed, reader-friendly appendices that completely document the structures, functions, macros, and interfaces for DirectSound, DirectInput, and Direct3D Immediate Mode. On the enclosed CD-ROM, readers will find the DirectX 7 SDK, filled with help files, tutorials, source code, and all the libraries and headers necessary to write DirectX 7-based games. Also included are richly commented, ready-to-use source code encapsulations of DirectDraw, DirectSound, and DirectInput, plus source code for challenging 3D tasks like collision detection. As a bonus, the CD-ROM also includes trial versions of trueSpace 4.3, the hottest 3D game modeling tool on the market, and Adobe PhotoShop, the tool of choice for graphics professionals.
Rating: 
Summary: For advanced users only / Last 150 pages are just reference
Review: The book explains the DirectX 3D functions. It doesn't go into a lengthy explanation about COM, it assumes you are already familiar with C++. This book doesn't teach any of the fundamental steps that are necessary to begin 3D programming. And thats fine, but there are a few things that disappointed me about my purchase. 1. I couldn't get the source code on chapter 4 to link correctly. It compiled fine. But I kept getting an unresolved external link error. This could be an error on my part, and if it is please someone email an tell me! But I linked the library to my application and included the necessary header files so I don't understand. And the book isn't clear on how to resolve this error. 2. Half the book is just reference. The explanations for each of functions is great. But when I saw that the book was 800 pages long, I didn't realize half of it was going to be reference. 3. This is not for a beginner or even an intermediate programmer. And I consider myself intermediate. I personally would have liked more information on COM, and some more explanation of the source code. I don't think I am really qualified to review the book. I need to learn more on COM before I can use DirectX. But I noticed how the first person to review the book only gave it one star. I think that is an unfair assessment. The packaged CD did come wwith some useful information, and the book will be an invaluable tool once I am ready to start using DirectX. However, to anyone thinking of buying this book BEFORE they have a firm knowledge of C++, Windows programing, and especially COM. Don't bother. Advanced users only!
Rating:
Summary: The book is not great but has a good AL section
Review: the book is mostly about DirectX concepts not really anything about 3D game development ITS GREAT FOR DIRECTX REFERANCE! I recomend reading the Artifical Intelligance Section very useful but you will need to be a novice to understand
Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing...
Review: The previous review was right on target. The CDROM is absolutely useless. I am surprised that LaMothe endorsed this book as well. Spare yourself the trouble of having to ship it back to Amazon.
Rating:
Summary: Highly disappointing.
Review: The single most apt word to describe this book is "sloppy". You never end up with anything after reading this book -- you don't build anything of value, you don't have a starting point for anything worthwhile, and you'll have had to correct error after error in the listings. In his first example, he refers to the WNDCLASS structure as the WINDOWCLASS structure, fails to declare it in the code, uses an undeclared HWND in the next line, passes an "Instance" parameter rather than "hInstance" to a function, then declares the variable "DirectDraw7Ptr" before passing "DirectDraw7" to another function. Throughout the examples, he neglects to use the SUCCEEDED() and FAILED() macros provided by COM, then uses them extensively in his wrapper libraries. It looks like he wrote the book while learning these things himself. De Goes proceeds to make a complete fool of himself in the sections on music and sound. When he covers sampled sounds, he indicates that many people use SoundForge, but does not mention CoolEdit -- the shareware version of which is included on the CD. Not exactly unforgivable, but when he covers MIDI, he blandly asserts that many people use Acid Pro for MIDI composition... which is interesting, since Acid Pro is a WAV-based program that does not work with MIDI data. Apparently, he has never heard of Cubase or Cakewalk. It is evident at almost every turn that De Goes knows precisely squat about sound production. Thankfully, he doesn't talk about it much, either. To add injury to insult, he provides a "trial edition" of Caligari TrueSpace, stating that it is preferable because it exports files in the native DirectX format -- but unfortunately, the trial edition does not save or export files. In any format. There is, of course, redeeming value. That redeeming value is difficult to find, but over the course of this book you *will* learn some useful things like what the five major components of a physics simulation are (but not how to implement them), how to translate and transform objects properly with vector operations (but not how to build objects in the first place), and how to implement a DirectInput user interface (but not how to make it do anything in your program). He waves some AI concepts around, implements nothing whatsoever, then stops writing anything at all and prints 438 pages of DirectX reference tables -- in an 800 page book. A previous reviewer's "more than half" was *not* an exaggeration. It is possible that this book may be more useful if you have his preceding book, but somehow I doubt it. This is not to say the book is not worth READING. De Goes cuts through a lot of mathematical crap with his discussion of vectors and matrix operations, and glosses over a few important tidbits in some chapters that you'd be well served to catch in passing. But the book is most certainly not worth BUYING.
Rating:
Summary: Title is a lie... run for your life!
Review: There is nothing in this book about game programming. There's actually nothing in this book at all related to programming. You get 2 source files, yep count 'em --> 2. One header file and one .cpp file that define a Direct 3D wrapper class. This book does not have any examples--game or otherwise--in any of its sections. Also, less than half the book is even about "3D". All the rest is either about Direct Input or ripped straight from the help files that come with DirectX. Just another typical book from Coriolis.
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