Torque Book: 3D Game Programming All In One
by Ken Finney · in General Discussion · 05/03/2004 (5:09 am) · 126 replies
(I think the hijacking of Stede Troisi's thread has gone on long enough :-)
This is a sort of continuation of the thread found here.
ISBN: 159200136X
Uses the Torque Engine throughout, also covers MilkShape 3D and QuArK, among other tools.
Click on this link to order. I understand that GG will have an order link of their own on this site sometime soon, and you will be able to order through them as well.
Chapter Preview
Chapter 9.pdf
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to 3D Game Development
2. Introduction to Programming
3. 3D Programming Concepts
4. Game Programming
5. Gameplay
6. Network
7. Common Scripts
8. Introduction to Textures
9. Skins
10. Creating GUI Elements
11. Structural Material Textures
12. Terrains and Skyboxes
13. Introduction to Modeling with Milkshape
14. Making a player model
15. Making a Vehicle Model
16. Making Weapons and Items
17. Making Structures
18. Making the Game World Environment
19. Creating and Programming Sound
20. Game Sound and Music
21. Creating the Game Mission
22. The Game Server
23. The Game Client
24. The End Game
Appendices:
A: The Torque Game Engine Reference
B: Game Development Resources on the Internet
C: Game Development Tool Reference
D: QuArK Reference
This is a sort of continuation of the thread found here.
ISBN: 159200136XUses the Torque Engine throughout, also covers MilkShape 3D and QuArK, among other tools.
Click on this link to order. I understand that GG will have an order link of their own on this site sometime soon, and you will be able to order through them as well.
Chapter Preview
Chapter 9.pdf
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to 3D Game Development
2. Introduction to Programming
3. 3D Programming Concepts
4. Game Programming
5. Gameplay
6. Network
7. Common Scripts
8. Introduction to Textures
9. Skins
10. Creating GUI Elements
11. Structural Material Textures
12. Terrains and Skyboxes
13. Introduction to Modeling with Milkshape
14. Making a player model
15. Making a Vehicle Model
16. Making Weapons and Items
17. Making Structures
18. Making the Game World Environment
19. Creating and Programming Sound
20. Game Sound and Music
21. Creating the Game Mission
22. The Game Server
23. The Game Client
24. The End Game
Appendices:
A: The Torque Game Engine Reference
B: Game Development Resources on the Internet
C: Game Development Tool Reference
D: QuArK Reference
About the author
#2
05/03/2004 (6:47 am)
Nice work ken, wondered where you'd gotten to :) 
#3
Awesome job, Ken. I read much of the book last night. It's great. I'll just re-post here what I wrote in the thread I started:
--------------------------
3D Game Programming All in One, a book on game development using Torque, written by Ken Finney, and a part of the La Mothe game dev. series, is now available (GG Resource, @Yahoo (Ken get's a commission :), @Amazon, @Powell's, @BN, @GG directly soon).
I read this book for quite a while last tonight. It is a phenomenal resource for beginning and intermediate Torque developers.
Whether you are a designer, programmer, or artist (and especially if you are all three), you will save yourself dozens of hours of study time and become productive more quickly with this book. If you value your time at more than 50 cents an hour, get this thing; it will save you much, much more than it costs.
Examples of subjects covered in detail: programming with TorqueScript, creating and exporting DTS shapes with Milkshape, creating and exporting DIF interiors with Quark, and editing missions, terrains and GUIs in Torque. References are provided covering TorqueScript functions, objects, and datablocks. Ken actually creates a game, step-by-step, in the book. The companion CD contains all source materials and relevant programs, as well as demos of ThinkTanks, Orbz, Chain Reaction, and MarbleBlast (which is basically free marketing for those teams... rock on, Ken).
The writing style is excellent: concise, complete, clear and entertaining. The book contains plenty of source and reference materials but is never dominated by them. I have thoroughly enjoyed going through it.
Ken also takes time to thank many, many members of the community here, including: Desmond Fletcher, Melv May, Harold Brown, Anthony Rosenbaum, Phil Carlisle, Dave Wyand, Matthew Fairfax, Pat Wilson, Ryan Parker, Simon Windmill, Kevin Ryan, Joe Maruschak, Joel Baxter, Justin Mette and 21-6, and Frank Bignone. That is awesome, you are all famous now. ;) We should all go return the favor and review Ken's book with honest opinions once we've perused it. I have no doubt everyone will be as impressed as I am.
Even if you aren't interested in Torque, this book is a great guide to modern 3D game development.
Congrats and thank you to Ken Finney (and Andre La Mothe and co.) for producing such an excellent resource.
05/03/2004 (8:24 am)
Psh... my thread wasn't good enough, huh? ;)Awesome job, Ken. I read much of the book last night. It's great. I'll just re-post here what I wrote in the thread I started:
--------------------------
3D Game Programming All in One, a book on game development using Torque, written by Ken Finney, and a part of the La Mothe game dev. series, is now available (GG Resource, @Yahoo (Ken get's a commission :), @Amazon, @Powell's, @BN, @GG directly soon).
I read this book for quite a while last tonight. It is a phenomenal resource for beginning and intermediate Torque developers.
Whether you are a designer, programmer, or artist (and especially if you are all three), you will save yourself dozens of hours of study time and become productive more quickly with this book. If you value your time at more than 50 cents an hour, get this thing; it will save you much, much more than it costs.
Examples of subjects covered in detail: programming with TorqueScript, creating and exporting DTS shapes with Milkshape, creating and exporting DIF interiors with Quark, and editing missions, terrains and GUIs in Torque. References are provided covering TorqueScript functions, objects, and datablocks. Ken actually creates a game, step-by-step, in the book. The companion CD contains all source materials and relevant programs, as well as demos of ThinkTanks, Orbz, Chain Reaction, and MarbleBlast (which is basically free marketing for those teams... rock on, Ken).
The writing style is excellent: concise, complete, clear and entertaining. The book contains plenty of source and reference materials but is never dominated by them. I have thoroughly enjoyed going through it.
Ken also takes time to thank many, many members of the community here, including: Desmond Fletcher, Melv May, Harold Brown, Anthony Rosenbaum, Phil Carlisle, Dave Wyand, Matthew Fairfax, Pat Wilson, Ryan Parker, Simon Windmill, Kevin Ryan, Joe Maruschak, Joel Baxter, Justin Mette and 21-6, and Frank Bignone. That is awesome, you are all famous now. ;) We should all go return the favor and review Ken's book with honest opinions once we've perused it. I have no doubt everyone will be as impressed as I am.
Even if you aren't interested in Torque, this book is a great guide to modern 3D game development.
Congrats and thank you to Ken Finney (and Andre La Mothe and co.) for producing such an excellent resource.
#4
05/03/2004 (3:21 pm)
Wow, I feel honored to be mentioned. Amazon has mine on it way. Support your indies. 
#5
Some friends and I was talking about your book today. All good of course... we had a couple of questions. 1.) Is GG going to sell it on their site and do a nice review on the products page of it? 2.) Was wondering why you used UltraEdit-32 instead of JEdit? They wanted to know if UltraEdit-32 was a better editor and what the differences might be.
So....when are you going to write a book on GameSpace1.5 Torque bundle?
05/03/2004 (5:50 pm)
@Ken: Great book! As I go through every page and do all the exercises... I find that it has generated more ideas of games and things to try with the Torque engine. I actually got about four new game ideas that we are going to do. Some friends and I was talking about your book today. All good of course... we had a couple of questions. 1.) Is GG going to sell it on their site and do a nice review on the products page of it? 2.) Was wondering why you used UltraEdit-32 instead of JEdit? They wanted to know if UltraEdit-32 was a better editor and what the differences might be.
So....when are you going to write a book on GameSpace1.5 Torque bundle?
#6
1) Yes they are going to be selling it. I don't know the particulars, the details are between GG and Course PTR.
2) I've been using UltraEdit since long before Jedit existed, and UE's author is practically a neighbour...
I'm not that familiar with JEdit, so I couldn't give you a comparison, but any decent programming editor will certainly fill the bill.
The fact that it is OpenSource is definitely a BIG plus.
3)Probably Never. GameSpace's price point is too far outside my personal preference for Indie tools (around $100 US max per tool).
05/03/2004 (6:16 pm)
Thanks Mark.1) Yes they are going to be selling it. I don't know the particulars, the details are between GG and Course PTR.
2) I've been using UltraEdit since long before Jedit existed, and UE's author is practically a neighbour...
I'm not that familiar with JEdit, so I couldn't give you a comparison, but any decent programming editor will certainly fill the bill.
The fact that it is OpenSource is definitely a BIG plus.
3)Probably Never. GameSpace's price point is too far outside my personal preference for Indie tools (around $100 US max per tool).
#7
05/03/2004 (6:29 pm)
I ordered this earlier today, but might take longer to get it as im in UK atm. :p
#8
05/03/2004 (6:45 pm)
Double-post
#9
Is there a downloadable electronic version of this? I'm a bit of an instant gratification kinda guy and don't want to wait for a hardcopy.
In any case, great stuff. Looking forward to this (and getting back to the Torque world).
-Bil
05/03/2004 (6:58 pm)
@Ken: Wow, this looks fantastic. I read over the sample chapter (I'm not too interested in skins, but oh well) and it was great. As that's a sample the rest of the book looks like a real hit. I'm glad something like this has fully been realized now.Is there a downloadable electronic version of this? I'm a bit of an instant gratification kinda guy and don't want to wait for a hardcopy.
In any case, great stuff. Looking forward to this (and getting back to the Torque world).
-Bil
#10
05/04/2004 (7:12 am)
Sorry Bill, no electronic version in the forseeable future. 
#11
05/04/2004 (7:42 am)
Just ordered it! Good job!
#12
05/05/2004 (10:40 am)
Ordered it, too.
#13
Yeah, I got an email from Andre LaMothe saying that there were two other books in the series using Torque. I have no idea which ones though, or if they are out already or not. Anyone with more info, please share.
05/05/2004 (4:04 pm)
Ed, where's that link? :)Yeah, I got an email from Andre LaMothe saying that there were two other books in the series using Torque. I have no idea which ones though, or if they are out already or not. Anyone with more info, please share.
#14
05/05/2004 (5:13 pm)
@Josh: The other book he refers to is "2D Artwork And 3D Modeling For Game Artist" by David Franson. More geared on making models and texturing them for the Torque Engine. It comes with a demo of Realm Wars from GG. Also comes with demos of Truespace, 3ds Max, Photoshop and Deep UV. It is a good book to go along with "3D Programming All In One". Ken's book is alot more in depth of making a complete game. I think GG should have these two books for sale on this site (with in depth reviews). Both are great books for beginners.
#15
05/05/2004 (7:10 pm)
I agree, Mark. :) We should have Ken's book available fairly soon. And I think we'll definitely be looking at the others.
#16
05/05/2004 (7:28 pm)
Mine just came in and I can say th Appendix will be a great asset
#17
Is "2D Artwork And 3D Modeling For Game Artists" use 3D Studio mostly with its examples? One reason I bought Ken's book is that it uses MS for its modeling, which is very very nice for us 'po folk.
cheers,
-s
05/05/2004 (8:35 pm)
I bought Ken's book as soon as I found it used (sorry ken, poor ass student). Cant wait, even if I dont learn anything new about TS. Is "2D Artwork And 3D Modeling For Game Artists" use 3D Studio mostly with its examples? One reason I bought Ken's book is that it uses MS for its modeling, which is very very nice for us 'po folk.
cheers,
-s
#18
One does wonder how 'used' a book that has been in print for only a month could be though :-)
05/05/2004 (8:45 pm)
Hey Stephen, no worries. More than half my personal free copies of my book are being donated to the local high school for the students to use...One does wonder how 'used' a book that has been in print for only a month could be though :-)
#19
I just got my confimation from Amazon. My copy will be delivered around June 4 to 17 (this year of course). I find it funny that had I wanted to get the book in 2 to 4 days ... the shipping costs more than the book (lol) ... as it is I'm paying $46USD for it. Sometimes I wish I have some relatives in the US. ;)
Btw. I used GG's link to the book in Amazon. At least give some creds to GG. ;)
r/Alex
05/05/2004 (10:07 pm)
Hey Ken.I just got my confimation from Amazon. My copy will be delivered around June 4 to 17 (this year of course). I find it funny that had I wanted to get the book in 2 to 4 days ... the shipping costs more than the book (lol) ... as it is I'm paying $46USD for it. Sometimes I wish I have some relatives in the US. ;)
Btw. I used GG's link to the book in Amazon. At least give some creds to GG. ;)
r/Alex
Torque Owner Edward Gardner
There is another book, something like 3D game art (I avoided the previous thread) I will post a link, it uses TGE throughout as well :)