PROGRAMMING ROLE PLAYING GAMESWITH DIRECTX 1ST EDITION

by Adams, Jim

• ISBN13: 9781931841092
• ISBN10: 1931841098
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-02
• Publisher: Cengage Learning Ptr

Summary

No game draws a player into its world in quite the same way as a role-playing game does. In role-playing games, players break through the barrier that exists between their actions and the fantastic world that they're navigating through and instead become an inhabitant of that world. Get ready to put your creative ideas in motion and try your hand at creating your own role-playing game! "Programming Role Playing Games with DirectX, 2nd Edition" will show you how to do it as you create cool graphics and combat engines, handle players in your game, use scripts and items, and make your game multiplayer-capable. This book breaks a role-playing game down into its essential components, examining the details of each and showing you how to use them in your game project. Learn how to draw with DirectX Graphics, play audio with DirectX Audio, network with DirectPlay, and process input with DirectInput. By the time you finish, you'll have the skills you need to create a complete role-playing game.

Author Biography

Jim Adams has been programming since age nine. For the past 11 years, his main focus has been on C and C++. He stays active in the game programming community by writing technical articles and moderating a message forum on www.gamedev.net. He has contributed to several books on game development and maintains a core library of DirectX functions to assist in game development

Table of Contents

Foreword	xxxvi
Introduction	xxxix
Part One An Introduction to Role-Playing Games	1	(18)
A World of Role-Playing	3	(16)
Part Two Role-Playing Game Design	19	(42)
Exploring RPG Design Elements	21	(14)
Story-Writing Essentials	35	(26)
Part Three Programming Basics	61	(404)
Starting with C++	63	(34)
Programming with Windows and Application Basics	97	(62)
Drawing with DirectX Graphics	159	(102)
Interacting with DirectInput	261	(32)
Playing Sound with DirectX Audio	293	(58)
Networking with DirectPlay	351	(48)
Creating the Game Core	399	(66)
Part Four Role-Playing Game Programming	465	(442)
Using 2-D Graphics	467	(34)
Creating 3-D Graphics Engines	501	(60)
Mixing 2-D and 3-D Graphics Engines	561	(18)
Implementing Scripts	579	(34)
Defining and Using Objects	613	(40)
Controlling Players and Characters	653	(108)
Working with Maps and Levels	761	(58)
Creating Combat Sequences	819	(24)
Getting Online with Multiplayer Gaming	843	(64)
Part Five The Finishing Touches	907	(73)
Putting Together a Full Game	909	(58)
Marketing and Publishing Your Game	967	(13)
EPILOGUE	980	(3)
Part Six Appendixes	983	(38)
Appendix A Setting Up DirectX 8.0 and Configuring the Compiler	985	(10)
Appendix B Getting Help on the Web	995	(4)
Appendix C Recommended Reading	999	(4)
Appendix D Glossary	1003	(14)
Appendix E What's on the CD	1017	(4)
Index	1021