Delphi Graphics and Game Programming Exposed! with DirectX [With Contains Programming Examples...]

by John Ayres

Delphi Graphics and Game Programming Exposed! with DirectX is a comprehensive reference describing high-performance graphics and game programming techniques in the Delphi development environment.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1556226373
• ISBN13: 9781556226373
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Wordware Publishing
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 7.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Turbo Pascal upgrade

I don't know what it is about this book but I liked it a lot.The book has a special vibe; it is casual but it leaves no detail out in what it's aimed at.Unlike other technical books where you would skip sections this book keeps you reading from begin to end.Sure it's not sophisticated, no 3D for instance.But it's great for example for people who're coming from Turbo Pascal like me and want to explore Delphi and games(using DirectX). So it is a good primer presented clear and understandable. And no no not beneath beginners.And great 2D games can be made with this book as a background.2D games still have their place in the entertainment world.I'm not saying that you should necessarily learn how to make 2D games to be able to make 3D games but it's an asset. You people shouldn't ignore the "gamemaking thinking" that comes with 2D game manufacturing. But as the author points out in the book if you really wanna make 'em big, you hafta have artists involved in your project. ps: if you notice that im from Belgium: I have the same edition and in English.

What I needed.

This book really helped me. Didn't you people read HOW TO INSTALL THE HEADERS?! All the samples work for me and I'm right now writing my first game as I go along. When the back cover says "intermediate to advanced" it means intermediate programmersNOT intermediate GAME programmers. I do wish it covered 2D in Direct3D though, because in DirectX 8.0 and up you MUST do things this way but nothing off as at print time DirectX 6-7 were current and many people still use 7.

Great book!

I almost didn't buy this book after reading all of the bad reviews on it. After looking at it in a bookstore I decided to pitch in the 60 bucks to see if I could get anything out of it. All of the people having problems apparently don't have much experience with delphi's ide. I had no problems getting any of the examples to compile and work. I think it had more to do with readers skipping the first few chapters which happened to have a paragraph explaining how to add the directx header files to your delphi environment so it would compile. Also you can't expect to pick up a programming language and start writing games in it. I wonder how much experience some of the reviewers had with delphi itself. You should have a decent amount of experience using delphi before trying to tackle this book. The book covers 2d games, sound, input, and basic force feedback. If you are an intermediate delphi programmer looking to design 2d games with delphi this book is a very good place to start. Nothing 3d is covered in this book but if you don't know how do write a 2d game why would you even attempt to design a 3d game? Also this book includes the retail version of delphi 4, the directx headers, and all of the book's examples on cd.Thank you John Ayres!

Much needed book

Until now, the Delphi DirectX examples available on the web are Delphi translations of original C++ examples, mostly from the DirectX SDK. If DirectX programming with Delphi is to become a serious subject, then we need books that approach DirectX purely in Delphi terms - you don't need C++ knowledge to program with DirectX. Ayres is the first to take up this challenge; Applause! This book will make DirectX programming possible for many Delphi programmers. When will we see the first commercial Delphi-DirectX product (game, educational, scientific,....)? WELL DONE, JOHN AYRES!

Excellent how-to for intermediate programmers.

Two days after my order shipped, I read other customers reviews for this book, and thought I had bought a lemon. Quite the contrary. This book is a godsend for those of us creating games, and not interested in acquiring PHD's in "Theoretical Aspects of DirectX Implementation and Their Implications for Quantum Physics." Microsoft may make the most user-fruendly OS on the market, but when it comes to developer APIs, MS makes the most convoluted, user-unfriendly, documentation sparse code out there.Ever wondered why some many programmer's re-invent the wheel and emulate MS APIs with their own original code? I am an intermediate programmer and find the most time-wasting part of coding is try to interface with MS APIs - they are a nightmare to work with. As for this book, I say buy it. Personally, I found about half of the book to be stuff that I already know. What made the book worthwhile were the specific examples of implementing it in DirectX. True you can find some of the info on the web. But most is poorly documented or overly complicated - I don't care how DirectX does what it does, I just want to know how to implement it with the fewest migraines. This book accomplishes that superbly.Unlike most Delphi books which can spend upwards of 50 pages covering REALLY basic stuff, Ayres only spends a 1-2 pages to refresh your memory of the concepts, before diving into how to best implement it using DirectX. You should already be familiar with the basics of DirectX, bitmap and GDI manipulatiion via TBitmap / TCanvas, sprite animation, MCI / sound playback, etc. before purchasing this book. Background on these topics is minimal, the majority of the book and it's examples show how to get them working under DirectX, and point out many of the MS-centric quirks and how to avoid them.Buy this book. If you already know the stuff covered in it, then buy it anyway.