I'm looking for books one would brand as "Excellent" or "Required Reading" in the field of game programming.
I'm not looking for a list derived by searching Google or Amazon. I can do that. It would be pointless as I probably own most of those books. I'm looking for something I may have missed because I can only think of a single "3d programming" book I would call excellent. I can't think of a single game programming book I would call excellent.
Also, I don't want books that are largely about "professional game development" or the "game industry" that attempts to explain the business, financial, or marketing aspects of games. These are fine topics, but they have nothing to do with programming.
If you have an Amazon account setup where you get some "kickback" for sales include the link. If I don't have the book I'll use your link.
My problem is, I can't come up with a list that matches the range, excellence, and craft of the C++ "required reading" stack. I need help developing such a list.
I'm targeting a ten or maybe twelve book list. I think such a list would ideally be split into three groups with a major group generally applicable to game programming and two groups overlapping having a secondary focus on the two major API/SDK generally available (DirectX and OpenGL and maybe OpenAL or similar).
I feel the "generally applicable to game programming" books should cover a range of materiel form an intermediate to advanced programmer perspective in facets like terrain generation, deformable models, collision detection, and "graphic engine" design. These books should be supplemented by coverage of topics in the fields of artificial intelligence, scripting, and network programming. (The books presenting the "necessities of implementation" in other words.)
I don't think the "game programming stack" should focus on other topics of use to programmers in general or other fields. Books that cover such topics as an introduction to more specific material are fine. Books focusing on common data structures, sorting and searching techniques, data compression, cryptography, or mathematics probably belong in a different list.
The only book I currently consider listing is "OpenGL SuperBible". It presents a great tutorial with multiple introductory sequences to different aspects of "3d math" and "3d programming". It covers a considerable range of materiel with a major focus on the core API and does a fair job introducing more complex and specific material. The latest versions cover more "arcane" techniques and provides a decent but somewhat lacking introduction to the "OpenGL Shader Language".
Soma
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Accelerated C++
The C++ Standard Library
Effective C++
More Effective C++
Effective STL
Exceptional C++
More Exceptional C++
Exceptional C++ Style
C++ Templates
C++ Template Meta-programming
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