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Coding > a good book?

#8347 - mtg101 - Tue Jul 08, 2003 8:31 pm

I'm an experienced C/C++ programmer, and I'm experienced in developing for handheld devices - PalmOS, Symbian, etc. And I've read a number of GBA tutorials, and even got as far as learning how to use the different GFX modes and make some basic little programs for my GBA.

But I've never done any games / gfx programming. And that's what I want to do on my GBA.

So - I thought maybe I'd find a book or two on the subject. So off to amazon.co.uk. Not much out there, unless you're doing 3D DirectX Windoze :(

I did find 2 books. First up, Game Programming All in One (de Sousa). I bought it for its chapterson 2D, maths, physics and AI. Turns out it's all about 3D Windoze DirectX. There's no 2D chapter. And the maths/physics chapters are examplesless and generally useless.

Next I found was Programming the Nintendo Gameboy Advance (Harbour et al.) Still not delivered... but same publishing company... not high hopes...

So... can someone on here suggest some good books on stuff like:

- 2D gfx stuff, like...
.....- rotating / scalling stuff
.....- other matrix fx
.....- fx like plasma
- maths
.....- fixed point maths
.....- trig lookup tables
- pallete stuff
.....- pallete rotation
.....- and any other cool palette effects
- semi-3d gfx like...
.....- isometric 3D
.....- 'mode 7' 3D
- basic 3D stuff
.....- so i can make demos like i saw on my Amiga :)
- basic game stuff
.....- game loop
.....- 2D collision detection
.....- seriously - i've never written a basic game loop...


Thanks for any responses!


Cheers
Russell
_________________
---
Speaker for the Dead

#8384 - NovusAmor - Wed Jul 09, 2003 2:11 pm

2D:
Haven't seen any lately, surf the web or use a Linear Algebra book.

Math:
Not sure but always have a calculus book on hand.

Palette:
Surf the web, most is covered on a site somewhere.

Semi-3d:
Try an older 3d book, Windows Game Programming Gurus by LaMothe has a section on it.

Basic 3d:
You need to hit a local used book store and find Game Programming Gurus by LaMothe (Not the one previously mentioned). It covers 3d in DOS (Doom1 clone) with NO directx. Also look for early flight sim books. I've got one called Build Your Own Flight Sim in C++ by Radtke & Lampton.

Physics for Game Developers published by O'Reilly is okay, although done in Windows.

Basic game stuff:
Most of this should be covered in any good game programming book.
_________________
Robert
Senior Programmer
NeoPong Software, Inc
www.neopong.com

#8415 - Archeious - Wed Jul 09, 2003 11:07 pm

mtg101 wrote:
2D gfx stuff, like...
.....- rotating / scalling stuff
.....- other matrix fx
.....- fx like plasma
- maths
.....- fixed point maths
.....- trig lookup tables
- pallete stuff
.....- pallete rotation
.....- and any other cool palette effects


Look on the web for old Mode 13 tutorials. Also older graphics programming books <pre-96> have a lot of 2D/Fix Point info. They where written for 386/VGA video combop where power was limited and no hardware acceleration for graphics.

Building a 3D Game Engine in C++ IBSN0-471-12326-9 (I know it says 3D engine but this was bubble book that focues alot of 2D too)
Tricks of the Game Programming Gurus http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1049952&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1
More Tricks of teh Game Programming Gurus

Best bet of course will be the old skool demo scene. Here is one of my more favorite links. :)

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/9784/tut.html

- semi-3d gfx like...
.....- isometric 3D
.....- 'mode 7' 3D
- basic 3D stuff
.....- so i can make demos like i saw on my Amiga :)
- basic game stuff
.....- game loop
.....- 2D collision detection
.....- seriously - i've never written a basic game loop...


Thanks for any responses!


Cheers
Russell[/quote]

#8431 - mtg101 - Thu Jul 10, 2003 1:25 pm

thanks for the recommendations guys - and that link looks very useful!

Cheers
Russell
_________________
---
Speaker for the Dead

#8444 - mtg101 - Thu Jul 10, 2003 8:40 pm

right - amazon.co.uk found me those books 2nd hand

however - and idon't mean to complain - but all the 2D links on that page are dead - and they were exactly what I was looking for...

So... can anyone recommend some links for coding the sort of stuff that was in old demos - plasma, image warping, sine-text, star fields (the rotating, panning variaties), and any other techniques that'll help me make something lie the "Jesus on Es" demo I used to love on my Amiga


Cheers
Russell
_________________
---
Speaker for the Dead

#8460 - marker - Fri Jul 11, 2003 7:24 am

Hey Russel!

It looks like you're after exactly what I'm after.

I started coding on the Amiga many years ago, but never came further then a bad bouncing copperbar. I never got my hands on enough litterature and I didn't know anyone, so I folded.

blah blah blah

Anyway! I started again on the GBA, and it's good to see that someone still appreciates good ol' 2D stuff!!

-Marker