Isometric Game Programming with DirectX takes you from zero to DirectX, literally! Beginning with game programming basics you will explore such topics as WIN32 programming basics, GDI fundamentals, fonts, regions and bitmaps, DirectDraw, and Game Logic. You'll then move on to Isometric fundamentals and methodology as well as advanced topics such as Random World Generation and Direct3D.This book is a comprehensive Isometric game programming guide ideal for any serious game developer!
This book, as you are no doubt aware, is a book about programming games—how to do so, specifically—
and it emphasizes use of the isometric view. This means that the program examples are mainly concerned
with the graphical aspect of game programming.
Contained herein is also quite a bit of information on the algorithms behind tile-based games. Isometric
games tend to be tile-based. If you wanted to make overhead view tile-based games, the same algorithms
apply.
Why did I write this book, you ask? Because isometric game programming, and isometric algorithms, have
been largely ignored by other game programming books. Sure, you can find plenty of books on how to
program 3D games, and there are plenty of books on 2D games, but none of the in-between stuff, like
isometric games.
You will find the program examples (and there are a ton of them) that go along with the text on the CD
in the back of the book; you will find instructions on how to load and run those examples in Appendix A.
It is a good idea to turn to that appendix first, even before you start reading. That way, when the first mention
of an example is made, you’ll be ready to go.
About the Author
Ernest S. Pazera started programming on a TRS-80 Color Computer 2 in 1986; he switched to PC permanently
in 1990. He doesn’t have a computer science degree, just a high school diploma. Ernest served in
the United States Navy from 1993 until 1996 but never forgot his first love, which was game programming.