C# is the language of choice for learning how
to program. It is a very well structured object-oriented
language and avoids some of the problems of Java.
An excellent free programming environment is available
for C#, as well as a game programming framework. And (if
necessary) moving from C# to C++ is easy. Developing
computer games is a perfect way to learn how to program
in modern programming languages. This book teaches how
to program in C# through the creation of computer games
– and without requiring any previous programming
experience. Contrary to most programming books,
Egges, Fokker and Overmars do not organize the
presentation according to programming language
constructs, but instead use the structure and elements
of computer games as a framework. For instance, there
are chapters on dealing with player input, game objects,
game worlds, game states, levels, animation, physics,
and intelligence. The reader will be guided through the
development of four games showing the various aspects of
game development. Starting with a simple shooting game,
the authors move on to puzzle games consisting of
multiple levels, and conclude the book by developing a
full-fledged platform game with animation, game physics,
and intelligent enemies. They show a number of commonly
used techniques in games, such as drawing layers of
sprites, rotating, scaling and animating sprites,
showing a heads-up display, dealing with physics,
handling interaction between game objects, and creating
pleasing visual effects such as snow or glitter. At the
same time, they provide a thorough introduction to C#
and object-oriented programming, introducing step by
step important aspects of programming in general,
including many programming constructs and idioms,
syntax diagrams, collections, and exception
handling. The book is also designed to be used as a
basis for a game-oriented programming course. For each
part, there are concluding exercises and challenges,
which are generally more complex programming endeavors.
Lots of supplementary materials for organizing such a
course are available on the accompanying web site
http://www.csharpprogramminggames.com, including
installation instructions, solutions to the exercises,
software installation instructions, game sprites and
sounds.
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