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1 comment, last by Iron&Blood 24 years, 5 months ago
Iron&Blood is a new founded programmerteam (ok ... it has only 2 guys working)! But what I need is a serious answer on my question: What knowlegde should I else get in order to be able to write a good 3D-RPG? I know, that C++ is important and if possible I need so advise which book I should have (C++ and oder topics like DirectX, ...). I hope somebody can help me!
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Obviously, you are going to need to know something about C/C++, DirectX, Windows, and 3D.

For C++, one of the best books is "The C++ Programming Language" by Bjarne Stroustrup (the creator of C++). This book does expect you to know how to program, so you may also want to pick up Teach Yourself C++ by Al Stevens. Use the Stevens book to learn C++ and the Stroustrup book as your reference.

For DirectX, "Inside DirectX" is the best, but it only covers version 5.2. This isn''t really that bad though since once you know a version of DirectX, you can easily pick up new features. This book doesn''t cover Direct3D, but Microsoft is going to release "Inside Direct3D" in like a month.

For Windows, the no brainer choise is "Programming Windows" by Charles Petzold. This is the introductory book on the Windows API, bare none. Another good Windows book is "Programming Windows with MFC" by Jeff Prosise, but you may want to skip this one unless you are planning on doing more extensive Windows work (like maybe an editor). The final Windows book is "Programming Applications for Microsoft Windows" by Jeffrey Richter. This is an advanced Windows book, which shows you under the hood of Windows. It''s the perfect follow up after the first two books.

Now 3D is another story. The first book ussually referenced is "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice" by Foley etc... Many people swear by this book, but I find it poorly organized and hard to read. It makes a decent reference though. "Black Art of 3D Game Programming" by Andre Lamothe was the book I started 3D with. It''s very dated now, but the last half of the book covers 3D well. Personally, I pieced together my 3D knowlesge from all over the place, so I really can''t recommend a one stop 3D reference (but these books won''t hurt).

Speaking of Lamothe, his books are great for game programmers. "Windows Game Prpgramming for Dummies" is good if you are new to DirectX and Windows, although his new one is out, "Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Guru." I flipped through this book the other day, and it looked like a more thorough version of the Dummies book.

Well, damn, that''s a lot of books. One final book I recommend to any programmer is "Code Complete" by Steve McConnell. EVERY programmer should read this book. You''ll write better code instantly.

I''m sure this is overkill for what you were asking, but these are the books I have worked with over the years, and I can honestly say that each one has helped me.
Thanks for your help. I''ve just bought a book about basic c++ programming and it gives me an good impression of what is waiting for us.

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