Elementary Game Programming and Simulators Using Jamagic (Charles River Media Game Development (Paperback)) [Paperback]

But what of JamagicScript?

With hundreds and hundreds of commands on offer, it was difficult to know where to start!?! I read the tutorials in the Help file, read the instructions on commands in Jamagic, and studied the sample programs that came with Jamagic... I picked up the basics of JamagicScript but I felt lost. The creation of a game seemed like such a daunting task. Where do I even start creating a game?

A few weeks ago, this book appeared. I invested in a copy and when it arrived, I started reading it. I am currently on page 74 but I am now planning my first Jamagic 3D game and the construction of this game looks to be very easy to under take!!

The books starts off at the very beginning, introducing the concept of 3D space to you. It then takes a basic look at Jamagic itself, introducing how to get started on a new project, after which you then encounter some basic programs which teach you how Jamagic works. These programs are quite simple but very powerful as they show you how to construct 3D objects using only code; something I assumed would be quite complex to do, is actually very simple.

The next chapter takes you up to the next level and it is here that you start to create your first game, a 3D version of Lunar Lander. This is the chapter I am currently on and am only about half way though, but in this chapter I have learned how to program the keyboard controls, add and control fog in a 3D world, the rotation of objects and the way the move command works, all things that I previously did not know.

This book is 292 pages thick, and to be able to say that just by page 74, I am already planning my first 3D game, I can't help but wonder what else I will have learned by the time I have finished reading this book. Later chapters teach you how to create two simulators; a submarine sim and a flight sim. The author, Sergio Perez, explains every line of code, every concept of Jamagic, extremely well. The accompanying CD ROM contrains the programs, as well as a copy of the Jamagic demo and MilkShape 3D demo to get you started.

Jamagic is extremely powerful but the number of commands on offer to creators can make using it seem daunting. This book shows you where to start and how Jamagic works. I highly recommend this book. It will make using Jamagic a dream and will help you get that 3D game you wanted to make, started.

Two weeks ago, 3D gaming seemed a long way off...
Today, I am planning my first 3D game.