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Summary: Lightning Fast and great seller
Review: Instant shipping and great product! My thanx-
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible. Confusing. Waste of money.
Review: Please don't spend your money on this book, its terrible, the confusion will waste your time, if you have patience and understand C++ at a professional level, then this may be the book for you.
I am a 15 year old looking to learn game programming, I had been learning C++ for about 6 months and decided to look at this book. I spent hours each night on 5 or 6 pages trying to decipher the confusing code left by the author. I am a very fast and good reader reading above high school level, this book was just terrible.
I recommend you go with Accelerated C++ and then OpenGL Game Programming or some sort of Direct X book. The two I recommend are very very helpful and good books.
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Summary: Not quite for newbies, but a good book...
Review: The problem I have with most books that describe themselves as being for complete novice programmers is that they always forget the fundamentals. For example, how For loops work. Or explaining the more technical vernacular that tends to accompany these books. While I think that de Sousa has made a great attempt at covering these bases (better than most), there may be some rough spots for new programmers who arent familiar with the lingo.That having been said (and I've been coding for quite some time), I am finding GPAIO to be a pretty fun read for INTERMEDIATE programmers; at minimum, someone who knows the basic fundamentals of any other language. My work has mostly been with VB with some C, Java, and Perl peppered in, but it was time for me to lose the handholding that VB provides, even with dotNet, and I'm working through the exercises doing something that I love, which is gaming. I've found the errors that others have discussed, along with the mismatched screen shots, but overall, I find the code to be well written and readable. I cant deal with dry deliveries - de Sousa is snappy, sometimes funny, but always keeps your attention to the next detail. I love the idea of having projects to build on. There are some interesting C++ lesson omissions, though (noting that the language is gigantic) - - no discussion of TCPIP/Net protocols (which is a must in gaming in my opinion)
- I wanted a meatier Win32 programming section, with a discussion about the registry (another must, in my opinion) but I'm a tough critic. New to programming, but want to game? Dont get this one first. C++ is a tough language to start with! Get either a Step by Step book (C# is the move nowadays, and this is a great first step toward C# syntax), then pick this one up. As long as you dont want to deal with stuff like COM, STL, or advanced MFC's, you'll have enough in your C++ arsenal to call yourself a C++ coder. And the book is damn fun too.
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Summary: Briliant game making introduction
Review: This book is awsome, it helps begining programmers learn from c++ to directX programming. Its a great accomplishement for these pupblishers.
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Summary: Ever heard of an editor?!?
Review: This book is simply atrocious! It has so many mistakes, it is like reading a first draft. I am surprised the whole book wasn't written in crayon! I wasn't 40 pages in before I was pulling my hair out because the examples didn't work because there were typos in the code! If you don't have a full working understanding of C++, do not buy this book! You will only lose your mind trying to figure out what is right and what is wrong. And if you DO have a full understanding of C++, don't bother buying it because you already know 90% of what it offers (actually 70%, because 20% is mistakes and typos)! The only value this book offers is the humor it offers C++ pros, laughing at all the foul-ups, but even that isn't worth the price of the book. Save your money for something better!!
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Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: This book is terrible. The bulk of the text is redundant code
examples which server as filler to an otherwise empty book.
Rating: 
Summary: Bass-ackward approach to learning
Review: This book tries to be an all in one. It seems the author wrote a nice little program (called Mirus), and decided to write how he wrote this program, instead of teaching how to write a game. First off, half the book is wasted on learning C++. Now, it's a great for anyone to learn C++. It's not great if the first time you learn C++, when you're in a Microsoft environment, trying to create something complex like a game. In fact, that's just plain idiotic. So, since I already know C++, I skipped half the book and got to the introduction to Windows programming. This chapter provided a little hope. He had a very good writing style, his explanations were clear, and I learned something. Then I went to the meat of the book. One chapter basically explains how to do graphics and rendering and so forth. This is the heart of any game book, and he failed miserably. Instead of giving a top down approach, with small simple example of every aspect of rending and animation, he decides to give you his own program in all its glory. Detail after gory detail. After about 100 pages or pure code, I still could get a rectangle to appear on the screen. It's basically a design document disguised as a learning tool. To add insult to injury, he ends the chapter with a summary that pretty much says, "long chapter, huh?", and that's basically it. The equivalent would be to teach someone new to computer how to use a computer by giving him or her the source code for an operating system. It's apparent that the author has not taught a class or written other books before. About 80 percent of the book is worthless fluff even if everything was explained correctly. It's a shame. It's a huge book (I think 1000 pages or something), and it doesn't even go into 3D programming. About 6 out of the 20 odd chapters contain useful information. Just avoid this book, please.
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Summary: Overall a good book with some mistakes
Review: This book will be a good introduction for anyone who is interested in programming computer games and knows very basic C++. It does give you a tutorial on C++, but there are a fair amount of errors that would bewilder a complete newbie. One of the things I noticed right away was that many of the screenshots are in the wrong spots, and many times in different sections! This would definetely have confused me had I not had basic skills in C++. I also thought that it was strange that the author teaches about Direct3D BEFORE he teaches about DirectX. Another issue is that some of the programs on the CD from later chapters will not run, but rather will give you a run-time error. A few programs have syntax issues as well. The content of the book and the teaching style makes up for these errors however. The author writes with a style that explains the details, not giving you the "You don't need to know how it works, just that it does" line LaMothe is famous for. I found the "pointers" section to be very well-explained and it gave examples of situations where they would be useful, which is something I have not seen in other C++ books. The book also gives you complete game examples throughout the book, utilizing many of the covered topics, which I found to be a plus compared to other books which teach you the techniques, but leave you clueless as how to use them. The author also lists his e-mail address and invites you to contact him with any questions you may have, which I thought was a nice gesture. Overall, I would recommend that you get this book if you have competent enough computer skills to overlook these basic problems. I would also recommend that you have BASIC C++ skills, or that you at least be able to recognize where there is a mistake and be able to work through it.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth it
Review: This is a great introduction book that touches on all the topics, from a simple intro to C++ programming all the way up to graphics sound and input handling. If you know how to program but you think that games may just be a bit beyond you this book is probally the best if not the best place for you to start. Other reviews say the only hitch is the wording because the author's first language is not english and while I will say this is noticeable here and there, it will not hinder your progress in the book at all. There is never any confusion over the topics discussed and so while you may want to keep that in mind, certinaly do not be worried about it (as I kinda was when I ordered the book :)) And to top it off, in the book's introduction there is a web site it gives, which will now lead you to a message board where a good number of us, along with the author, check on a nearly daily basis to give a hand and just chit chat about games and what not.. Not only is the book great and informative, but the supporting online boards for it make this a no lose situation.
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Summary: Book Leaves MUCH to be desired.
Review: When I purchased this book a year ago, I thought to myself, "Finally, I will learn how to create games under Windows using DirectX"; I still wish that I had that thought. This book is hefty, and you would think that it would contain information which you can use. The reason why I gave it 2 stars instead of one is because there is some information which I found useful, but it had nothing to do with programming at all. I know C++ already, and his very brief primer would leave much for the casual gamer to desire. Here is a hint: Pick up a "Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days" book and study it before attempting to understand this book. You get to build ConLib, which is a library for making a Console-based game. While this is interesting, you learn absolutely nothing. By nothing, I mean, he throws code at you without explaining why you want to do something, and it's all Object Oriented. The OOP is not bad in itself, that's a very sound technique, but if you did not understand his brief tour of C++ and classes, then you would do well to stop and take my suggestion as stated above. Leading up to actual windows programming starts smoothly, but then again the author, manages to bungle things. You get code tossed in your face, with barely any explanations as to why you want to do something a certain way. This certainly does not help me learn or teach me anything. Since I already knew the basics about creating a Win32 Application (just not wrapping it in a class), I pushed on to begin to develop "Mirus." This is a joke if ever I have seen one. The author states that you will build this game engine, and yet, he leaves too much out to understand what you are doing. Again more code explodes before your eyes, and you learn...nothing, at least I did not. The author does not explain anything (yet again, am I repeating myself?) and does not stop for questions or much of a review. You are shown example code; however he does not tell you where to place it in your files, let alone why you want to do a certain thing this way. He defines methods, and then tells you to complete them. I hardly consider this helpful. He provides no guidance. I thought I was going to build "Mirus" step by step, so I might learn how; instead he gives you a few lines, and skips onto the next topic. Thankfully, that inane process of coding comes to an end, but not quite completely. After finishing "Mirus" (which I never actually made), he talked about (yet again briefly), Nodes, Trees, and Linked Lists, Math, and Physics. This is probably the BEST part of the entire book. Why? It has several useful equations. Even though he uses the same type of presentation as before, you don't need to read his comments to understand the formulas, not too much at least. Most of his explanations are perplexing, and I had to look up things on the web to better understand them. He does at least mention how to do basic Artificial Intelligence for a guard, by giving them a pattern to walk, and then how to "listen" and "see" you and how to react. That part was all very well done. Near the end of the book (just about) you build some arkanoid/bricks type game using the now finished "Mirus" engine. Of course his method of teaching is still as spotty as ever, and if you have learned anything from my book, then you have my deepest respect. He does mention how to get into the gaming industry, and how difficult it is. You will have to use the "Try and try again" method. So, there is hope for me yet! Overall, this book taught me nothing. The only reason I keep it is because there are some formulas in there that I just know will come in handy some day. There are Formulas relating to how to add gravity, and where the center of mass of a given body is. Other functions like Velocity and rotations. My biggest complaint and I probably sound like a broken record by now, is that as many others have said he just gives you code, and expects you to understand it. This entire book feels rushed. I would have waited another year or two for it to have been completed. Everything just feels as if he hurriedly would work on something, and then has to stop that abruptly and work on something else. It feels more like I am reading his notes, than a real book. The typographical errors do not help either, and they also prevent you from learning. Maybe this book is too advanced for me, but I am not unintelligent person when it comes to programming. Avoid this book if you can help it, if you bought it and like it then I am happy for you, but I cannot like a book that I spent $$$ on and failed to learn a shred of programming. I prefer the "How and Why" method over the "Monkey see, Monkey do". In this world where code is supposed to be reusable, I can understand that, but if you don't understand how or why something works, then you will not understand what happens when something breaks. Simply showing some code and expecting me to learn, does not happen. I have to know why I do something, why do I have to do this. Why is this better than that? How does this work? Those questions were never answered to my satisfaction in this book at least. The Bottom Line: You are better off finding FREE tutorials on DirectX 8.x/9 from places like Drunken Hyena, and others if you do a Google search.
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