What is a good book for someone a C++ newbie?

Fitwizle · 07-08-2010, 12:26 PM

I'm new to programming, and I've decided to start with C++.
I've already decided to buy this book here
http://www.amazon.com/C-Game-Program...dp_ob_title_bk But, like the description says "the book is not intended to replace foundational C++ books and reference material: instead, it supplements them by putting everything into perspective from a game-development point of view"
So does anybody know any good books that will teach me the foundational skills needed for C++?

ndimucci · 07-08-2010, 02:34 PM

http://www.amazon.com/Primer-Plus-5t...8628375&sr=8-3

Why are you learning programming? What do you expect to get out of reading a intro to C++ book?

Fitwizle · 07-08-2010, 04:39 PM

^I plan on getting a career in game programming.

Maybe I should have posted this in the "Programming" section,

yaustar · 07-09-2010, 06:17 AM

The later revisions of Learn C++ in 21 days are pretty good. Avoid the early ones though. There is also these free eBooks:
http://www.steveheller.com/cppad/Output/dialogTOC.html
http://www.mindview.net/Books/TICPP/...ngInCPP2e.html

Cod · 07-09-2010, 10:00 AM

For a beginning programmer, I believe buying a book may be overkill with the number of tutorials and free e-books available. There is an endless amount of websites with C++ tutorials, articles, etc. to help one get started down the right path. With that said, if you feel you learn better from a book, by all means go that route.

Once I got down some basics from tutorials (back in 2005), I purchased this book: http://www.amazon.com/Without-Fear-B...698354&sr=8-14. Easy read and very easy to follow, I recommend it for any beginner.

ndimucci · 07-14-2010, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitwizle

^I plan on getting a career in game programming.

Maybe I should have posted this in the "Programming" section,

What kind of formal education do you have planned then?

And if you are serious about becoming a programmer, forget learning C++ for now. Start here. The Head First series are absolutely fantastic and I guarantee success with them. They make learning programming more enjoyable, and more effective.

Start slow, work your way up to C++. Starting with a scripting language like Python has its advantages versus just diving into an OO (object oriented) language like C++; It's not the friendliest of languages.

Becoming a confident, and more importantly competent, programmer takes a long long time. C++ should be your language of focus, but there's more to programming then just learning the syntax of a language.

Fitwizle · 07-21-2010, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ndimucci

What kind of formal education do you have planned then?

And if you are serious about becoming a programmer, forget learning C++ for now. Start here. The Head First series are absolutely fantastic and I guarantee success with them. They make learning programming more enjoyable, and more effective.

Start slow, work your way up to C++. Starting with a scripting language like Python has its advantages versus just diving into an OO (object oriented) language like C++; It's not the friendliest of languages.

Becoming a confident, and more importantly competent, programmer takes a long long time. C++ should be your language of focus, but there's more to programming then just learning the syntax of a language.

I'm planning on majoring in Computer Science at UCSD.
I already bought the C++ Primer Plus a couple of days ago, and I don't think I'll be buying any other books for a while.
It seems like it will be a while until I actually use C++ to make my first game, though.

ndimucci · 07-21-2010, 02:59 PM

C++ Primer Plus will also do a good job of teaching you basic programming. It's very thorough and well written.

And yes, it'll probably be awhile before you can start programming games in C++, but once you reach at least a intermediate skill level in C++, you should be comfortable diving into specific game programming books.

kbaxter · 07-22-2010, 03:16 AM

They may not be very exciting, but there are plenty of games you can start working on even when you're just starting to learn C++. Think about games that can run in a command prompt window. When I was learning to program, I made command prompt tic tac toe and battleship, simple text adventure games, and roguelike games.

ndimucci · 07-22-2010, 03:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbaxter

They may not be very exciting, but there are plenty of games you can start working on even when you're just starting to learn C++. Think about games that can run in a command prompt window. When I was learning to program, I made command prompt tic tac toe and battleship, simple text adventure games, and roguelike games.

Very true. Even with rudimentary knowledge of any programming language you can create a game, but I'm sure the OP has bigger ambitions in mind