   Good rts programming book...
  So I finally paid most my dues: did the requisit simple games (pong, tetris etc) tried to do some other games, rpg''s etc...got far on some, quit on others (not due to lack of skill, but mostly a lack of a team with artists etc..)this time I have a team.I have the skills, i have the drive...I want to start putzing around with an RTS game for a mobile platform (www.tapwave.com).  The reason?  I currently HATE rts games on mobile platforms, even the ones hailed as good ones annoy me...finally there is a platform out there that can handle a rts well I think and I want to give it ago.. sooo my question is, whats a good rts book, one that is cheap that i would like to use cause it seems to show rts games from a 2d perspective is:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1556226446/103-3908827-2747814?v=glanceAny comments on that book?? any better ideas?-Shanep.s. what is the hardest thing bout an rts?  the rendering code? the ai? balancing the game *grin* any input from anyone whose done or doing an rts?thanks. 
  Read the user comments there and you'd know that the book's a disappointment. I purchased it a long time ago and while it teaches some of the basic concepts, some of them are really quite useless now. For example, the chapters on their font system and color coding techniques are quickly rendered useless since DirectDraw or other libraries can do that for you.The way they designed their systems are quite simple and not very extensible without having to tear up everything. You're always better off redesigning it yourself. But there are some ideas you can glean.On the overall, there's little you can learn here. But the book is more enjoyable if you treat it like a storybook. =p The author has a few chapters on the game industry (at that time) which is an interesting read, and quite a motivator for me. I wouldn't buy a book just for that, but that's just me.P.S They have a second edition and I don't know how good it is.   [edited by - Darkor on February 11, 2004 8:30:40 AM];  Ive seen the second edition only in passing, its hard to find online...the first edition is down to like 9$ used though...Ya the user comments weren''t that favorable, but sometimes I realize the users on computers book are off base.   They have another book out by the same publisher that covers strategy games in DirectX 9.0, the code can be found on their website, so I think im going to get that and putz around with it, and if I like it ill pick up the book or something too...-Shane;  I own the book in question and I certainly wouldn''t recommend it. It''s quite plain the author doesn''t really know what sort of audience he''s writing for, and his command of C++ shows through as being "C with a couple of extras". Also, there''s no complete game, just a load of snippets, some of which are repeated. There''s little to recommend this book really, especially now the DirectX code is out of date.   [ MSVC Fixes | STL Docs | SDL | Game AI | Sockets | C++ Faq Lite | Boost  Asking Questions | Organising code files | My stuff | Tiny XML | STLPort] ;  Well code out of date is fine, cause the target platform would be 2d anyway that works a lot like directDraw.In either case more and more im opting not for the book, I wish ther ewas some good book that showed you an RTS start to finish and how to handle the little nuances there in (like how is damage from one unit to another caluclated, is it a "dice" roll on wether your control group of 10 grunts hits the other bad guys etc...and other AI issues) and also how the engines sorta work via scrolling the world, and putting up the sprites correctly and such..-Shane;  I also have the strategy book with DirectX 9. I don''t see anything wrong with it(I haven''t read it yet, but skimmed thorugh many times), other than not putting a full game together. Is Strateg Game Programming a good book for those who have read it(excluding the fact that it doesn''t make a full game)? Either way I guess it would be good for you if you only programmed other types of games before. I also was looking for a RTS programming book, then got this one. It also uses DirectX9 which isn''t so outdated. ;  I have the book, and I found it to be a pretty solid book.  The author does take a 2D approach too, so it might be a good candidate for you.  The only thing that I didn''t like about it was that it concentrated more on creating the game concepts and less on the programming, but that''s just a personal feeling.  That might be exactly what you''re looking for. ;  When you say game concepts do you mean concepts on game programming (there is a game loop, and units, and sides blah blah blah) ord o you mean rts concepts specifically:  A* pathfinding, other AI routines, balancing , how damage is dealt etc..?;quote:Original post by Codejoy  When you say game concepts do you mean concepts on game programming (there is a game loop, and units, and sides blah blah blah) ord o you mean rts concepts specifically:  A* pathfinding, other AI routines, balancing , how damage is dealt etc..? if he''s talking about the DirectX 9 book. I haven''t read it(but plan to soon) but I have looked over, from what I know it discusses the A* pathfinding, the game loop, units, and there more of what you listed there. 