Starting Out with Games & Graphics in C++, 2nd edition

The Second Edition has been completely revised to provide students with more knowledge of standard C++, while retaining the interesting examples and exercises that students latch on to. Now organized in two parts, Part 1 covers the fundamentals of procedural programming using standard C++. To inspire student productivity and reinforce the core objectives of a strong CS1 foundation, Gaddis covers graphics and game programming using C++ and the App Game Kit in Part 2. Part 2 also covers file I/O and introduces object-oriented programming.

• Concise real-world examples that students understand and relate to foster motivation and retention.
• Full games are used as examples to motivate students' interest in programming concepts.
• A late-objects approach insures that students grasp programming fundamentals before moving on to more powerful object-oriented concepts.
• A variety of exercises in each chapter encourage students to put concepts to work as they are learned. Source code is provided so students can run the programs themselves.
• Full-colour graphics insert helps students better visualize how their own graphics should look.

• Completely Revised for More Thorough Standard C++ Coverage
  The 2nd edition of this book is a complete revision of the first edition. Reviewers of the first edition overwhelmingly expressed that their students needed more knowledge of standard C++ to be adequately prepared for subsequent courses. To address this concern, the 2nd edition is divided into two parts: Part 1 (Chapters 1 through 6) covers the fundamentals of procedural programming using standard C++. Part 2 (Chapters 7 through 11) covers graphics and game programming using C++ and the App Game Kit. Part 2 also covers file I/O and introduces object-oriented programming.
• Use of the App Game Kit Tier 2 Another change in the 2nd edition is the use of the App Game Kit Tier 2, instead of the Dark GDK. The App Game Kit is the latest development environment from The Game Creators. It is designed to create games for Windows, as well as a variety of smartphones and tablets. The App Game Kit is available in two "tiers." Tier 1 provides an integrated development environment that supports a BASIC-like programming language. Tier 2 provides a C++ library that is compatible with Microsoft Visual C++ 2010. In Part 2 of this book we use the App Game Kit Tier 2, along with Microsoft Visual C++ 2010. (Although the App Game Kit is a commercial product, The Game Creators provide a free trial version that includes Tier 2. The trial version is not time-restricted, but it does display a small watermark on the screen. You can use either the trial version, or the full commercial version with this book.)