Rating: 
Summary: Lots of Writing / Little to Learn
Review: To be honest, I expected this book to contain more coverage of Sockets, as well as DirectPlay...unfortunately, there is a lot of unnecessary info within the content of this book. As other reviewers have said, there is a significant amount of space dedicated to covering "generic game development", including Direct3D, sound, as well as C++...none of which should feature in this book.Since another reviewer has already gone on to say what is *wrong* with the book, let me hit this with a different angle and suggest what I would think would've have made this book (at its size) outstanding: 1. More chapters on pure Sockets code. Peer to Peer. Client/Server. Additions on support for NAT/Firewalled clients would be nice (maybe an advanced chapter). Less on "chat" clients and more on game-related network communications (ie The Tic-Tac-Toe example should have been a complete, working application w/source on the CD, instead of "alluded to" in the book.) 2. More information on TCP vs. UDP, why online games mostly use the latter. Code that examines these issues. 3. More problem solving with multiplayer issues. Code that deals with latency. Code that dynamically handles server dropping (ie assigning one of the clients to be the new server). Mostly, I was looking for a lot more source code looking at complete, yet simple games using networking in multiple formats (real-time, turn-based, etc). Instead, I felt a rush from pratically no knowledge (basics of send/recv) to almost instantly dealing with MMORPG architecture (!!!) A little unbalanced, at best.
Rating: 
Summary: The perfect, all-around, game programming book!!
Review: While the title of this book is somewhat deceiving, this is perhaps one of the greatest programming books I have ever read. It was exactly what I was looking for. Here is a checklist to determine if this book is right for you. BUY THIS BOOK IF:
-If you have basic knowledge of at least one other programming language (preferably C/C++ or JAVA).
-If you want to begin programming games with DirectX but do not know where to start (this book only focuses on DirectX).
-If you like the theory of an example explained first, and THEN the fully commented and explained source code.
-If you want to learn the basics of Winsock.
-If you want to learn more about Windows programming (primarily without MFC).
-If you like having two complete games to work towards and loads of source code that actually compiles!
-If you like your books written in a very informal tone with plenty of humorous one-liners and the occational off-topic rant (which I finds makes the reading of this book extremely enjoyable and rarely dry). Being a senior in college with basic VB & JAVA programming experience, this was exactly the book I was looking for. It helped me make the transition to VC++, learn more about Windows Programming, learn DirectX, learn Winsock, and learn Multiplayer Game Programming all in one shot! If you're looking for complex specifics on multiplayer gaming, this is NOT your book. If you're looking for an intro on the COMPLETE PACKAGE then buy this book NOW!
Rating:
Summary: A Beginners Dream!
Review: Wow, what can I say? This book is THE beginning network game programmer's dream come true. It starts you off easy with some simple sockets programs and then moves you into a complete working game (two games in fact!) My favorite part about the book is that it teaches you everything you need to know to get started writing your own games. It even covers 3D, sound, and input. I know what you may be saying "I already have books on that stuff," but trust me, this guy makes the topics super easy to understand. In fact, I like this book for 3D, sound, and input better than all of my other DX books combined! The writer also covers an introduction into MMORPG databases using SQL, server balancing, and much more. 5 Stars all the way!
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