Beginning Game Programming

by Morrison, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780672326592
• ISBN10: 0672326590
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-19
• Publisher: Sams Publishing

Summary

A friendly introduction to game programming on the Windows platform for the beginners.

Author Biography

Michael Morrison is a writer, developer, toy inventor and author of a variety of computer technology books and interactive Web-based courses. In addition to his primary profession as a writer and freelance nerd for hire, Michael is the creative lead at Stalefish Labs, an entertainment company he co-founded with his wife, Masheed. The first commercial debut for Stalefish Labs is a traditional social/trivia game called Tall Tales: The Game of Legends and Creative One-Upmanship (http://www.talltalesgame.com). When not glued to his computer, playing hockey, skateboarding or watching movies with his wife, Michael enjoys hanging out by his koi pond. You can visit Michael on the Web at http://www.michaelmorrison.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(8)
How This Book Is Structured	3	(1)
What You'll Need	4	(5)
Part I: Getting Started
CHAPTER 1: Learning the Basics of Game Creation	9	(22)
Getting to Know Video Games	10	(5)
Why Video Games?	11	(1)
Types of Video Games	12	(3)
Learning Game Design Essentials	15	(7)
Coming Up with the Basic Idea	15	(2)
Putting Together the Story Line	17	(1)
Visualizing the Graphics	18	(1)
Choosing the Right Sound. for Your Game	19	(1)
Dictating Game Play with the Controls	20	(1)
Deciding on the Play Modes	20	(2)
Object-Oriented Programming and Games	22	(4)
Understanding OOP	23	(1)
Applying OOP to Games	24	(2)
Exploring the Tools of the Trade	26	(2)
Compilers and Development Environments	26	(1)
Choosing a Graphics Tool	27	(1)
Selecting Sound and Music Tools	27	(1)
Summary	28	(1)
Field Trip	29	(2)
CHAPTER 2: Creating an Engine for Games	31	(30)
What Is a Game Engine?	32	(1)
Pondering the Role of a Game Engine	33	(4)
Breaking a Game Down into Events	33	(1)
Establishing the Timing for Games	34	(3)
Developing a Game Engine	37	(16)
The Game Event Functions	38	(1)
The GameEngine Class	39	(14)
Building the Blizzard Example	53	(7)
Writing the Program Code	53	(5)
Testing the Finished Product	58	(2)
Summary	60	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	60	(1)
CHAPTER 3: Learning to Draw Basic Graphics	61	(26)
Graphics Essentials	62	(4)
Understanding the Graphics Coordinate System	62	(1)
Learning the Basics of Color	63	(3)
Examining Graphics in Windows	66	(4)
Working with Device Contexts	67	(1)
Writing with Pens	68	(1)
Painting with Brushes	68	(1)
Drawing Images with Bitmaps	69	(1)
Managing Color with Palettes	69	(1)
Painting Windows	70	(9)
Painting Text	71	(2)
Painting Primitive Graphics	73	(4)
Working with Pens and Brushes	77	(2)
Building the Crop Circles Example	79	(5)
Writing the Program Code	79	(4)
Testing the Finished Product	83	(1)
Summary	84	(1)
Field Trip	85	(2)
CHAPTER 4: Drawing Graphical Images	87	(22)
The Basics of Bitmap Images	88	(1)
Looking Inside a Bitmap	89	(2)
Developing a Bitmap Class	91	(5)
How the Bitmap Class Will Work	91	(1)
Putting the Code Together	92	(4)
Building the Slideshow Example	96	(8)
Writing the Program Code	97	(4)
Assembling the Resources	101	(1)
Testing the Finished Product	102	(2)
Summary	104	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	104	(5)
Part II: Interacting with Game Players
CHAPTER 5: Controlling Games with the Keyboard and Mouse	109	(24)
Gaming and User Input	110	(1)
Taking a Look at User Input Devices	111	(4)
Accepting Keyboard Input	112	(1)
Responding to the Mouse	113	(1)
Interacting with Joysticks	114	(1)
Assessing Keyboard Input for Games	115	(1)
Tracking the Mouse	116	(2)
Revamping the Game Engine for Input	118	(6)
Adding Keyboard Support	118	(1)
Adding Mouse Support	119	(2)
Sprucing Up the Bitmap Class	121	(3)
Building the UFO Example	124	(6)
Writing the Program Code	124	(5)
Testing the Finished Product	129	(1)
Summary	130	(1)
Field Trip	131	(2)
CHAPTER 6: Example Game: Brainiac	133	(16)
How Does the Game Play?	134	(1)
Designing the Game	135	(1)
Building the Game	136	(8)
Writing the Game Code	137	(7)
Testing the Game	144	(3)
Summary	147	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	148	(1)
CHAPTER 7: Improving Input with Joysticks	149	(22)
Understanding Joystick Basics	150	(1)
Calibrating Joysticks	151	(2)
Tracking Joystick Movements	153	(3)
Revamping the Game Engine
for Joysticks	156	(7)
Accessing Win32 Multimedia Features	157	(1)
Developing the Joystick Code	158	(5)
Building the UFO 2 Example	163	(5)
Writing the Program Code	164	(3)
Testing the Finished Product	167	(1)
Summary	168	(1)
Field Trip	169	(2)
CHAPTER 8: Example Game: Light Cycles	171	(28)
How Does the Game Play?	172	(1)
Designing the Game	173	(4)
Building the Game	177	(15)
Testing the Game	192	(2)
Summary	194	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	195	(4)
Part III: Animating Games with Sprites
CHAPTER 9: Making Things Move with Sprite Animation	199	(32)
Understanding the Basics of Animation	200	(2)
Animation and Frame Rate	200	(1)
Making the Move to Computer Animation	201	(1)
2D Versus 3D Animation	202	(1)
Understanding the Types of 2D Animation	203	(7)
Frame-Based Animation	204	(1)
Cast-Based Animation	204	(6)
Applying Sprite Animation to Games	210	(2)
Designing an All-Purpose Sprite	212	(2)
Creating the Sprite Class	214	(7)
Creating and Destroying the Sprite	216	(2)
Updating the Sprite	218	(2)
Drawing the Sprite	220	(1)
Building the Planets Example Program	221	(7)
Writing the Program Code	221	(6)
Testing the Finished Product	227	(1)
Summary	228	(1)
Field Trip	229	(2)
CHAPTER 10: Managing a World of Sprites	231	(20)
Assessing the Need for Sprite Management	232	(1)
Designing a Sprite Manager	233	(1)
Adding the Sprite Manager to the Game Engine	234	(7)
Improving the Sprite Class	235	(2)
Enhancing the Game Engine	237	(4)
Eliminating Flicker with Double-Buffering	241	(3)
Building the Planets 2 Example	244	(5)
Writing the Program Code	244	(5)
Testing the Finished Product	249	(1)
Summary	249	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	250	(1)
CHAPTER 11: Example Game: Henway	251	(22)
How Does the Game Play?	252	(2)
Designing the Game	254	(2)
Building the Game	256	(10)
Writing the Game Code	256	(10)
Testing the Game	266	(3)
Summary.	269	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	269	(4)
Part IV: Making Noise with Sound and Music
CHAPTER 12: Playing Digital Sound Effects	273	(20)
Understanding Digital Sound	274	(2)
Getting to Know Windows Waves	276	(2)
Exploring Sound Tools	278	(1)
Sony Sound Forge	278	(1)
Adobe Audition	279	(1)
Economical Sound Editors	279	(1)
Creating and Editing Sounds	279	(1)
Finding Sounds and Music	280	(1)
Accessing Wave Sounds	281	(1)
Playing Wave Sounds	281	(5)
Playing a Wave from a File	283	(1)
Playing a Wave as a Resource	284	(1)
Looping a Wave Sound	284	(1)
Stopping a Wave Sound	285	(1)
Building the Brainiac 2 Example Program	286	(5)
Writing the Program Code	287	(1)
Assembling the Resources	288	(2)
Testing the Finished Product	290	(1)
Summary	291	(1)
Field Trip	292	(1)
CHAPTER 13: Playing MIDI Music	293	(18)
Feeling the Music with MIDI	294	(2)
Understanding the Windows Media Control Interface	296	(1)
Using the MCI to Play MIDI Music	297	(4)
Opening the MIDI Device	297	(2)
Playing a MIDI Song	299	(1)
Pausing a MIDI Song	300	(1)
Closing the MIDI Device	300	(1)
Adding MIDI Music Support to the Game Engine	301	(2)
Building the Henway 2 Example Program	303	(7)
Writing the Program Code	303	(6)
Testing the Finished Product	309	(1)
Summary	310	(1)
Field Trip	310	(1)
CHAPTER 14: Example Game: Battle Office	311	(24)
How Does the Game Play?	312	(1)
Designing the Game	313	(4)
Building the Game	317	(11)
Writing the Program Code	317	(11)
Testing the Game	328	(2)
Summary	330	(1)
Field Trip	330	(5)
Part V: Taking Animation to the Next Level
CHAPTER 15: Animating the Appearance of Sprites	335	(16)
Frame Animation Revisited	336	(2)
Designing an Animated Sprite	338	(2)
Adding Animated Sprite Support to the Game Engine	340	(5)
Drawing Only Part of a Bitmap	340	(2)
Animating the Sprite Class	342	(3)
Building the Battle Office 2 Example Program	345	(4)
Writing the Program Code	345	(3)
Testing the Finished Product	348	(1)
Summary	349	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	349	(2)
CHAPTER 16: Creating Backgrounds for Your Sprites	351	(20)
Assessing the Significance of Game Backgrounds	352	(1)
Understanding the Types of Game Backgrounds	353	(3)
Solid Backgrounds	353	(1)
Image Backgrounds	354	(1)
Animated Backgrounds	354	(1)
Scrolling Backgrounds	355	(1)
Adding Background Support to the Game Engine	356	(7)
Creating a Basic Background Class	357	(2)
Creating an Animated Background Class	359	(4)
Building the Roids Example	363	(5)
Writing the Program Code	363	(4)
Testing the Finished Product	367	(1)
Summary.	368	(1)
Field Trip	369	(2)
CHAPTER 17: Example Game: Meteor Defense	371	(28)
How Does the Game Play?	372	(1)
Designing the Game	373	(5)
Enhancing Sprites in the Game Engine	378	(3)
Building the Game	381	(11)
Writing the Game Code	381	(11)
Testing the Game	392	(2)
Summary	394	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	395	(4)
Part VI: Adding Brains to Your Games
CHAPTER 18: Teaching Games to Think	399	(18)
Understanding Artificial Intelligence	400	(2)
Exploring Types of Game AI	402	(7)
Roaming AI	403	(3)
Behavioral AI	406	(1)
Strategic AI	407	(2)
Developing an AI Strategy	409	(1)
Building the Roids 2 Example Program	410	(6)
Writing the Program Code	410	(5)
Testing the Finished Product	415	(1)
Summary	416	(1)
Field Trip	416	(1)
CHAPTER 19: Example Game: Space Out	417	(28)
How Does the Game Play?	418	(1)
Designing the Game	419	(4)
Adding Yet Another Sprite Feature to the Game Engine	423	(2)
Building the Game	425	(14)
Writing the Game Code	425	(14)
Testing the Game	439	(2)
Summary	441	(4)
Part VII: Spicing Up Your Games
CHAPTER 20: Adding Pizzazz to Your Game with a Splash Screen	445	(12)
The Importance of a Splash Screen	446	(1)
Looking Behind a Splash Screen	447	(1)
Building the Space Out 2 Game	448	(6)
Writing the Game Code	449	(4)
Testing the Finished Product	453	(1)
Summary	454	(1)
Field Trip	455	(2)
CHAPTER 21: Showing Off Your Game with Demo Mode	457	(14)
What Is Demo Mode?	458	(1)
The Nuts and Bolts of Demo Mode	458	(2)
Building the Space Out 3 Game	460	(9)
Writing the Game Code	460	(7)
Testing the Finished Product	467	(2)
Summary	469	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	469	(2)
CHAPTER 22: Keeping Track of High Scores	471	(18)
The Significance of Keeping Score	472	(1)
Modeling High Score Data	473	(1)
Storing and Retrieving High Score Data	474	(3)
Building the Space Out 4 Game	477	(9)
Writing the Game Code	477	(7)
Testing the Finished Product	484	(2)
Summary	486	(1)
Field Trip	486	(3)
Part VIII: One for the Road
CHAPTER 23: Changing Perspective with Scrolling Backgrounds	489	(30)
What Is a Scrolling Background?	490	(2)
Side-Scrolling Backgrounds	490	(1)
Vertical-Scrolling Backgrounds	491	(1)
Parallax-Scrolling Backgrounds	492	(1)
Understanding How Scrolling Backgrounds Work	492	(2)
Adding Scrolling Background Support to the Game Engine	494	(10)
Creating a Background Layer Class	495	(7)
Creating a Scrolling Background Class	502	(2)
Building the Wanderer Example	504	(13)
Writing the Program Code	505	(11)
Testing the Finished Product	516	(1)
Summary	517	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	517	(2)
CHAPTER 24: Example Game: Stunt Jumper	519
How Does the Game Play?	520	(1)
Designing the Game	521	(6)
Building the Game	527	(16)
Writing the Game Code	527	(16)
Testing the Game	543	(2)
Summary	545	(1)
Extreme Game Makeover	546	(1)
Field Trip	547	(3290127)
Part IX: Appendixes on CD-ROM
APPENDIX A: Selecting a Game Development Tool	CD:551
Microsoft Visual C++	CD:553
Borland C++Builder	CD:553
Bloodshed Dev-C++	CD:554
DJGPP	CD:554
APPENDIX B: A C++ Programming Primer	CD:555
C++ Language Basics	CD:555
The C++ Development Cycle	CD:556
Creating a Simple C++ Program	CD:557
Documenting Code with Comments	CD:559
Providing Code Separation
with Whitespace	CD:560
Organizing Code into Functions	CD:560
Manipulating Data with Expressions	CD:560
Enhancing the Program Example	CD:562
Variables and Constants	CD:563
Types of Variables	CD:565
Case Sensitivity	CD:566
Keywords	CD:566
Strings and Arrays	CD:566
The if Statement	CD:567
Relational Operators	CD:568
Functions	CD:570
Global Variables	CD:572
Modules	CD:572
Doing Things More Than Once	CD:573
Doing Things at Least Once	CD:574
Doing Things Zero or More Times	CD:574
The for Loop	CD:575
switch Statements	CD:576
Incrementing and Decrementing	CD:577
Learning the Bare Essentials of Classes	CD:578
Classes Versus Instances	CD:578
Declaring a Class	CD:578
Understanding Methods	CD:579
Initializing and Cleaning Up Objects	CD:579
Destructors	CD:580
Where to Go Now	CD:581
APPENDIX C: A Windows Game Programming Primer CD:583
Windows Programming Essentials CD:583
Event-Driven Programming	CD:584
Communicating with Messages	CD:585
Understanding Device Independence	CD:585
Storing Program Information as Resources	CD:586
Dealing with Strange Data Types	CD:586
Unconventional Coding Conventions	CD:587
Peeking Inside a Windows Program	CD:588
Where It All Begins	CD:588
The Window Class	CD:589
Creating a Window	CD:590
Handling Messages	CD:591
The Window Procedure	CD:592
Working with Resources	CD:594
Building the Skeleton Example CD:595
Writing the Program Code	CD:596
Assembling the Resources	CD:599
Testing the Finished Product	CD:601
APPENDIX D: Creating Graphics for Games	CD:603
Assessing Game Graphics	CD:603
Determining the Game Screen Size	CD:603
Reaching the Target Audience	CD:604
Establishing a Game Setting and Mood	CD:605
Adhering to a Graphics Style	CD:606
Exploring Graphics Tools	CD:606
Image Alchemy	CD:607
Paint Shop Pro CD:607
Graphic Workshop	CD:607
Creating and Editing Graphics	CD:608
Line-Art Graphics	CD:608
3D Rendered Graphics	CD:608
Scanned Photography and Video-Captured Graphics	CD:609
Background Graphics and Textures	CD:610
Animated Graphics	CD:610
Finding Graphics	CD:611
Index 551