Introduction

Congratulations on taking your first step to becoming a 3D game programmer by buying this book! If you are looking at this introduction online or are flipping through the pages while standing in a bookstore. . . What are you waiting for? It’s time for the adventure to begin.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball or great psychic ability, so I can’t say for certain exactly who you are, but I think I have a few good guesses. You might be a teenager who is interested in getting started in 3D game programming, and you’re looking for a great resource to get started. If so, you’ve come to the right place. Or, you might be the parent of a teenager or young adult who is looking for a good resource for your child to start 3D game programming. Again, if so, you’ve come to the right place. My final guess is that you may not be a teenager or the parent of a teenager at all, but you may just be someone who is interested in getting into 3D game programming, and you’re looking for a great resource for beginners that isn’t intimidating and won’t get you lost in a wilderness of heavy technical jargon and difficult math computations. Don’t let the title of this book restrict you from diving right in; this book is designed specifically for anyone who is interested in starting the journey to 3D game programming.

Here’s what I’m assuming: You love games, but you have little or no programming experience. The good news is that you don’t need any experience. You just need the will to learn and some time. The only tool that you need to use this book properly is a computer with a CD drive. I’ll provide you with everything else. Our journey will involve the use of three different programs: one for programming (Blitz3D), one for graphic design (CorelDRAW/PHOTO-PAINT), and one for 3D modeling (Autodesk 3ds Max), all of which are included on the accompanying CD or can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet.

What’s in the Book?

This book is meant to be a guide to teach any beginner how to design and develop games. Inside the book you will find a wealth of knowledge all written to help you reach the goal of making a game. Each chapter builds on the previous chapters and makes the book seem like a staircase—you move up step by step. The last chapter helps use all of your culminated knowledge in the production of a final game.

Part I discusses the Blitz3D language. During this time, the book does not discuss graphical programs, but instead uses text-based programs to get the language points across.

Part II teaches you all about graphics within games. This part teaches the majority of the 3D concepts you need to make awesome games.

Part III examines other related parts of game programming. You can learn how to use sounds, gravity, timers, and everything else you need to develop a game. This part also creates the final game that the book has been leading up to.

A handy appendix is included at the end of the book. Here, you will find all of the scan codes (for handling input).

What Do You Need to Know?

There are literally very few requirements. All you really need is a basic knowledge of math, like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. If you know those techniques, you are pretty much set! I use some rudimentary algebra, but those instances are few and far between, and should be easy to comprehend.

You don’t need to have any knowledge of other programming languages. Not that it won’t help if you do, of course. If you do know any other languages, you can learn from this book as well. But, 3D Game Programming for Teens teaches the language of game programming along with the ability to actually implement games.

If you are the parent of a child you want to learn programming, this book is the way to go. General programming is a long and boring subject, but game programming allows your child to create things that are fun. Help your child with programming while he or she reads this book. Not only will you both learn programming, but who knows, it may strengthen the bond between parent and child (this comes from my psychologist side).

Who Am I?

Hey everybody, I am Maneesh Sethi. I am a student at Stanford University, and the reason I am writing this book is because I believe that, because I am a basically a teenager myself, I would be the best one to help other teens learn about programming. I began programming in 1999 in C and C++. I wrote a book on BlitzBasic, entitled Game Programming for Teens, which eventually became an international best-seller.

Blitz3D seems to be the easiest way for any novice to begin writing 3D games, and I want to help you progress as fast as possible. The website for this book is located on www.maneeshsethi.com, and you can e-mail me with any questions (before or after you buy the book) at [email protected]. I love to get e-mails!

The CD

The CD included with the book includes demo software and the source for all of the code in the book.

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble

If you are still browsing this book in the bookstore, now would be the time to take it home. The bookstore would probably appreciate it if you buy it first (so would I!).

The first part quickly teaches you all of the intricacies of the Blitz3D programming language.

And so we begin. . .