Books to Read: Learning About Game Engines and Programming

Beginning C++ Through Game Programming by Michael Dawson

Check out a nice introduction book to learn C++ through games.  The book will be spot-on for those who have no programming experience. The whole programming process includes detailed explanations given in a simple language. After each chapter, you’ll have to work on a small project to make sure you’ve practiced the new piece of knowledge.

Game Programming Patterns 

Game Programming Patterns is a perfect choice for a game programmer looking for ways to enhance the game’s code. The book unveils solutions for game optimization with patterns proved by years of experience in shipping AAA titles.

Find such tricks as writing a robust game loop, organizing your entities using components, using CPUs cache to improve your performance. You’ll also get into the details of how scripting engines work,  how quadtrees and other spatial partitions optimize your engine, and how other classic design patterns can be used in games.

Game Engine Architecture by Jason Gregory 

Dive into the game engine architecture and learn the theory underlying various subsystems that comprise a commercial game engine as well as the data structures, algorithms, and software interfaces that are typically used to implement them. It primarily focuses on the engine itself, covering a host of low-level foundation systems, the rendering engine, the collision system, the physics simulation, character animation, and audio.

The book includes an in-depth discussion on the "gameplay foundation layer", including the game’s object model, world editor, event system, and scripting system.

Programming Game AI By Example by Mat Buckland 

A practical introduction to the AI techniques broadly used in the game development industry. Mat will guide you through the process of designing, programming, and implementing intelligent agents for action games using the C++ programming language. Techniques covered:

• state- and goal-based behavior
• inter-agent communication
• individual and group steering behaviors
• team AI
• graph-theory
• Search
• path planning and optimization
• triggers, scripting, scripted finite state machines
• perceptual modeling
• goal evaluation, goal arbitration, and fuzzy logic.

Unity 5 from Zero to Proficiency by P. Patrick Felicia 

Unity 5 from Zero to Proficiency will give you the essentials of Unity’s features and basic workflow in the software without getting overwhelmed by its functionality. 
Things you’ll learn from the book:

• Know and master the features that you need to create 2D and 3D environments for your games.
• Quickly create (and navigate through) realistic 3D indoors and outdoors environments.
• Create a 3D Maze with lights, walls, and textures.
• Create an island with trees, sandy beaches, mountains, and water.
• Include and control a car and a plane.
• Create a 2D platform game (with no scripting needed).
• Export your games to the web.

The cover image is an art by Sergey Kuydin.