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Visual Basic Game Programming For Teens | 
| Author: Jonathan S. Harbour
Publisher: Course Technology PTR
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $9.97
You Save: $20.02 (67%)
New (28) Used (13) from $9.97
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 265098
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 392
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 7.3 x 1
ISBN: 159200587X
Dewey Decimal Number: 794.81526
EAN: 9781592005871
ASIN: 159200587X
Publication Date: December 21, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: We ship books out daily M-F. Tracking number will be emailed when we ship. We list the majority of our books in "Good" condition. If this book had any major flaws, it would be listed in "Acceptable" condition. Easy returns if you are unhappy with book. PLEASE NOTE: We ship immediately, however the Post Office controls delivery speed. In a hurry? Please choose EXPEDITED SHIPPING. Proceeds benefit non-profit Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Get ready to create your first complete 2D-based role-playing game using Visual Basic 6.0. If you have experience using Visual Basic, you already have the essential skills that you need. You will learn, step by step, how to construct each part of an RPG game using DirectX components such as Direct3D. As you work your way through the book, you will write short programs that demonstrate the major topics in each chapter. Dive into the exciting world of game programming, learn how to write your own code, and take complete creative control over how your game operates. Let your imagination loose as you create amazing new adventures!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
I have been looking for a book like this, a VB.Net perspective April 12, 2007
J. Huber (USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Overall I find this book good at what it advertises to be, a tour through the process of making a DirectX game in VB that would be very interesting and appealing to a novice programmer (teen). The game is a simplified 2d rpg/adventure game, called `Celtic Crusader'. While functional, in the interest of simplicity and time by the author's own words it isn't a fully featured game, it lacks features such as character inventory or network play.
If you are looking for detailed information on DirectX, this is not the book. This book does not explain the DirectX methods used, or even display their signatures, it just tells you what the routine you are coding does as a whole, and gives you the code.
I currently work in VB.Net, but I am experienced in the last few incarnations of VB, so the conversion of the provided code examples into VB.Net is not much of a problem. I would say someone familiar with VB.Net but without experience in VB6 will not have much problem; in fact the DirectX method calls in VB.Net are more logical than in VB6.
For example
d3ddev.Present(ByVal 0, ByVal 0, 0, ByVal 0)
becomes
d3ddev.Present(Handle.zero,Handle.zero, 0, Handle.zero)
If you pay attention to the intellisense balloons then the DirectX method calls are fairly easy to figure out.
The author doesn't fully qualify all his references, so be aware and supply the appropriate qualifacation for the constants. Be sure to Imports DxVBLibA
For example
d3dpp.SwapEffect = D3DSWAPEFFECT_DISCARD
becomes
d3dpp.SwapEffect = CONST_D3DSWAPEFFECT.D3DSWAPEFFECT_DISCARD
The VB side of the code is the same (an If-Then is still If-Then) except that you will need to recognize form events as such by their names instead of their handles keyword.
The DirectX8 for Visual Basic type library reference is still available with DirectX9.0c in VB.Net (just look under the Com tab when adding the reference) and seems to work fine in XP (I have tried it on 3 different machines.) I have not worked through the entire book yet, but so far I have not had any problems with compatibility.
This book is thinner than the typical programming book (tome) you normally find. It leads the reader directly through the creation of this adventure game, cutting out many side details as mentioned earlier. However, I find it delivers enough to create a decent working game, and a nice resource for a programmer looking for straightforward code examples.
 VB6 is alive and well! September 3, 2006
Walid Abdi (Riverside, CA United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Don't believe those that tell you VB is dead, vb is still alive and well! Just look at Microsoft Access 2003(A database program)when you build advance coding in it you are using vb language,even in the latest Access edition, VB is still there. Just visit your local book store, you will still see VB books out there. Another proof that VB is still alive, look at many E-commerce shopping carts, many of them are build in VB, and they are functioning with great precision.
The book is intended for the teenager that wants to explore programming in a fun, and easy method, and Vb can deliver that without advance codes that will make a teenage kid left in the dark. It will give them the opportunity to learn to write simple executable codes, once they do that, then they can move on to Vb.net or C++. And with that, the author would accomplish his/her mission, and that is teaching a young mind.
Go ahead buy the book, play with the codes, and have fun!
Good Book April 17, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Just started programming and VB seems like a good place.
Johnathan rambles on a bit to much about maps but I learned alot. Rich D
VB6 DEAD ? March 26, 2006
Christy Brooks
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
Helloooo! VB 6 is dead! <--------- You are in denial.
First off VB will never leave you in the dry.
1. VB is owned by Microsoft and will never be ported to Linux or Mac.
2. VB has continued to have new releases.
3. C++ uses directx just like the rest of programming languages for games.
4. VB dominates in database programming. [MMO] Game DataBase!
5. It is possible to code in VB, that can run faster than C++.
6. Most people who bash VB do not know how to code in it and claim it to be for beginners when they only seen the dev. Fact is VB can do anything C++ can if you know how to code it.
7. So i say read and know what you are talking about before shooting off at the lips about something you have no clue about. Try looking at the development and then retract your comment.
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