Carl Granberg has been creating computer games since DOS based Mode 13h graphics were available. He currently works as a 3D game programmer for Digital Chocolate in Helsinki, and has a degree in computing, for which he investigated different learning AI algorithms and implemented an RTS game using DirectDraw. He is currently completing his MSc of Computing at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, where he is focused on visualization of medical data and computer graphics.

Making a commercial-quality RTS game takes thousands of dollars and a large team of talented people. So is it possible for a book to teach one person how to make their own RTS game? The answer is yes. Programming an RTS Game with Direct3D is such a reference. The book provides intermediate programmers with a step-by-step implementation guide for programming a complete RTS game. In this book you'll learn how to make a very simple RTS game with all of the core elements. Don't be fooled though-- even this simple game will take a lot of knowledge and hard work. But during the process of making the game, you'll learn many general game programming skills, including terrain generation, skinned meshes, path fi nding, visual effects, sounds, networking, how to create a user interface, and much more. Each chapter deals with one or more specifi c component in the building process to mimic a logical project workfl ow from concept to completed game. The book begins by laying the theoretical framework and discussing RTS game design and various implementation issues. From there, you'll move on to implement component after component, until you are finally ready to put them all together to form an RTS game. Throughout the book, there is a heavy emphasis on coding and a lot of this code will be found in the example applications on the companion CD-ROM.