Cocos2d-X by Example Beginner’s Guide by Roger Engelbert

Cocos2d-X by Example Beginner’s Guide by Roger Engelbert

Cocos2d-X by Example Beginner's Guide | Packt Publishing

Summary:Nice introduction, but I am not sure whether beginners will survive

If you are looking for cross platform mobile development, Cocos2d-X can be a solution for you. Written in C++, cross-platform graphics engine that allows to develop games with ease.

But with new engine comes great effort – you simply have to learn it. And it’s always good to have a companion to show you where to start. COCOS2d-X by Example can be such companion. It is organised such way it covers most common topics in games development: sprites, layers, graphics, sound, music, animations and basics of physics (big plus for the appendix with physics basics at the and of the book). You will also find nice clues e.g. how to create game tutorial with ease.

I have just one big remark here. This book is titled as “Beginner’s Guide”. Well, this might be a challenge if you are complete beginner:

– C++ explanation is definitely too shallow – make sure to buy some companion book to get started with C++
– There are also small issues with the C++ explanation. For example, I am not quite sure whether this sentence is quite correct:

“You use this instead of self. The -> notation is used to access public methods inside an object, and the . (dot) notation is used for public properties”

I think that “->” is used for accessing pointer’s properties while . (dot) is used for object’s instances.

Another thing here is, that book demands some knowledge of physics – surprise, surprise. If you haven’t heard that yet, be warned that developing games without basics of physics is hardly possible.

As for the Cocos2d-X itself, I think this is really good introduction. Each example is covered from the beginning till the end – you actually work with executable samples. There are detailed explanations of what’s going on, but as I said, people who are not familiar with C++ will probably get lost in the source listings.

Why do I give just three stars here? For the miss leading title. In my opinion, this book is for intermediate developers who are already familiar with XCode and have some basic knowledge of C++.

Summarizing, if you want to start coding with Cocos2d-X – make sure to check this book as one of the sources but be prepared for challenging source codes.

Product page:

Packt: Cocos2d-X by Example Beginner’s Guide
Safari Books Online: Cocos2d-X by Example Beginner’s Guide