Rating: 
Summary: My god.
Review: This simply has to be *the* best game programming book I've read to date. It's packed full of *useful* information, and will most likely keep me busy for awhile :) I'd recommend this to anyone seeking real knowledge about real programming problems and their solutions. Even if you already know most of the techniques discussed, this is a great book to have close by as a refference guide. Personally, it has become invaluable.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: While the book may not be all that useful to an experienced programmer, one must keep in mind that there are more hobbyist programmers than seasoned veterans. And while these tricks may not be anything new to seasoned game developers, it is important to also note that there are more beginner programmers than experienced ones and let's be honest, experienced programmers are not taking the time to write much material (if any at all) that is useful to a beginner. Finally, I found the comment interesting regarding the good reviews being written by people with a vested interest. While this could be true, the same could be stated that the bad reviews are written by people with vested interest in a competing book. Hhhmmmm...Anyway, I think the statement is true that the book is aimed at the hobbyist/beginner as most books are anyway. Even though some of the material can be found on the Net, I think it is great that the authors of that free material are now receiving some compensation!!! And at least the authors were honest and tell us it is available in older form for free. I like the book and have ran it passed 11 of my friends/co-workers and we all agree that it is a book full of the right amount of detail to get anyone going. I must admit that I thought the text-based chapter was outdated myself, but then it was brought to my attention that it was a good idea because not all hobbyist and would-be game programmers can grasp the concepts of graphics (i.e. DX 3D). We have to keep in mind that there are would-be game developers in junior high or even younger. This book made sure that no matter your skill level that you can write a fully functional game and there are numerous locations online where text-based games are still played. Basically, I would recommend this book to any aspiring game developer as it is filled with a nice variety of techniques that can be used in conjunction with other book on specific topics. And remember that just as easy as good comments can be written by someone with a vested interest, the bad reviews can be written by someone with a vested interest in a competing book. But I must say that I will be glad when there is a book that deals directly with advanced topics from start to finish :) alisa
Rating:
Summary: I agree and disagree
Review: While the book may not be all that useful to an experienced programmer, one must keep in mind that there are more hobbyist programmers than seasoned veterans. And while these tricks may not be anything new to seasoned game developers, it is important to also note that there are more beginner programmers than experienced ones and let's be honest, experienced programmers are not taking the time to write much material (if any at all) that is useful to a beginner. Finally, I found the comment interesting regarding the good reviews being written by people with a vested interest. While this could be true, the same could be stated that the bad reviews are written by people with vested interest in a competing book. Hhhmmmm... Anyway, I think the statement is true that the book is aimed at the hobbyist/beginner as most books are anyway. Even though some of the material can be found on the Net, I think it is great that the authors of that free material are now receiving some compensation!!! And at least the authors were honest and tell us it is available in older form for free. I like the book and have ran it passed 11 of my friends/co-workers and we all agree that it is a book full of the right amount of detail to get anyone going. I must admit that I thought the text-based chapter was outdated myself, but then it was brought to my attention that it was a good idea because not all hobbyist and would-be game programmers can grasp the concepts of graphics (i.e. DX 3D). We have to keep in mind that there are would-be game developers in junior high or even younger. This book made sure that no matter your skill level that you can write a fully functional game and there are numerous locations online where text-based games are still played. Basically, I would recommend this book to any aspiring game developer as it is filled with a nice variety of techniques that can be used in conjunction with other book on specific topics. And remember that just as easy as good comments can be written by someone with a vested interest, the bad reviews can be written by someone with a vested interest in a competing book. But I must say that I will be glad when there is a book that deals directly with advanced topics from start to finish :) alisa
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