Multiplayer Game Programming [With Accompanying CD W/ Code from Bk, Game Demos, Etc.]

by Todd Barron

A technical guide that seeks to enable the reader to write a complete Internet ready video game. It reveals the techniques and secrets of online gaming technology, as well as the skills necessary to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761532986
• ISBN13: 9780761532989
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Premier Press
• Length: 784 Pages
• Weight: 3.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 7.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Easy to follow

I have many programming books and all of them assume you know all about the subject matter. This book is the first one I have read that assumes very little on the readers part. It walks you through each step thoroughly.I like the fact that most of the code is covered in multiple areas. Since I tend to jump around a lot when reading a book, it helps me from missing something. I have seen some other people complain about lack of sophisticated content and do not agree with them. I found information on synchronization, packet-loss, UDP, and other topics. Some of the super difficult stuff is not covered, but what do you expect, it is not for someone who already knows about multiplayer development. I really like the fact that the author gives you two working game examples to follow. I have already modified the SpacePirates code with many additions.I recommend this book to anyone who needs help getting started with DirectPlay.

The First to Fully Cover DirectX with Direct Play

How many books have you bought for DirectX that "forget" to include Direct Play? I have bought many and every single one either A) Doesnt include Direct Play information or B) Includes very little about it (mainly repeating what is in the SDK documentation.)This book is the first one I have ever read that covers tons of information about Direct Play and making games for the Internet. It's all there: Peer-to-peer, client/server, custom packets, packet queues, synchronization, etc. Even 3D is made amazingly simple to understand.Before reading this book I didnt much like Direct Play. But after seeing how DirectX 8 uses a completely rewritten DPlay system, I am now an advocate of it. DPlay is amazing! It has almost everything you could ask for in a communication API and much more. On that note, I never would have realized how cool DPlay is if I hadnt read this book. The SDK documentation does not come even close to explaining it like this book does.Now that I understand the core of Dplay, I am hoping that Advanced Multiplayer Game Programming will be released. One reason I cant wait is that the author answered my email questions very promptly. Other authors could learn from this guy what customer service should be like for all tech books.

Lots of good information!

After several attempts to learn game programming over the Internet, I have finally figured it out. I owe it all to this book.Sure, I have read many articles posted on the Internet about this topic but none of them seemed very complete. This book starts you with entry level information and then takes you through the entire process. Nothing is left out, its great.Take for example the sockets code. Instead of starting you out with a complete chat program, he shows you how to connect/send data/receive/etc. in simple little programs. Then, you are shown how to bring it all together. The same holds true for the Direct3D information. Everything starts out simple and then gets more complex.Another item I see overlooked quite often by other authors/readers is the inclusion of an actual working game. This book includes two games that are fully working! I have read way too many game dev books that never deliver with a working game, this book does not suffer from this ailment.Now, there is some information not covered, some of the super advanced items are not here. But heck, I wanted to know how to get started with Internet gaming, not how to tweak my existing engine. I hope the author comes out with another book, I can't wait.

Perfect for learning multiplayer game programming!

I have been working on my own game projects for a couple of years now and was always confused when it came to implementing network communication within my games. I tried to understand the DirectX SDK documentation but the examples are too confusing. After little more than a couple of hours with this book, everything started to make sense! I love the fact that the writer walks you through each piece of code, step-by-step, without assuming anything. It is true, some of the code is duplicated throughout the book, but I would have been confused otherwise. I would rather have too much code than too little. The sections on Direct3D, DirectInput, and DirectSound are some of my favorites from any book as well. I have read other books dedicated to these subjects but none of them made the subject matter as clear as this book does. Sure, the book is about network communication, but graphics and sound are part of gaming too. Did I mention the book includes a couple of working games as well? Its amazing how many gaming books fail to include working games; thankfully, this book does not let you down. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn how to incorporate multiplayer support into their games or projects.

Finally, A complete book on network game programming!

I had been waiting a long time for a book to come out that covers game networking and this book is well worth the wait! Everything I was looking for to get started with incorporating network code into my game is included.I like it that the programs start out easy and add complexity as you progress through the book. Finally, there are Direct Play examples that don't use Windows interfaces! The coverage of the major DirectX 8 components alone makes the book worth it. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the inclusion of complete games. I can't count how many books I have read that talk all about game programming but don't actually include any complete game code examples. I strongly recommend you add this one to your game development collection.