Learn C programming via Doom modding book

[doomlayman]

I have worked with several computer languages but I never wrote a single line of code in C.

 

• I want to learn a bit about C via Doom modding. A few years back I suggested Sergeant Mark IV to write a book about it and he clued this could be an interesting idea.
• I found a very small (~6kb) pk3 named "Fast Doom", made by Rowsol and I hope to make a similar, even smaller similar pk3 myself; just changing some variable values for starters.

 

Is there a book I could buy to learn about C via Doom modding (slowly, in the background of work tasks, etc with tutorials about making vanilla Doom faster and alike)?

Edited February 19, 2021 by doomlayman

[doomlayman]

By the way, such a book could start with explaining a bit about the evolution of the Doom Engine from earlier engines:

 

• Hovertank 3D[1][2] (also comparing it with the earlier somewhat similar Microsoft's Flight Simulator_1.0 engine)
• Catacomb 3-D
• Wolfenstein 3D 

 

Then, such a book could go slowly into Doom modding from there as the engines become more and more sophisticated, and all adjusted to modern 64-bit OS programming.

 

Perhaps Doom deserves its own book though, I don't have a solid opinion about this because I lack data on the subject matter.

Edited February 19, 2021 by doomlayman

[Optimus]

I don't think you can learn C by doom modding. Doom modding involves using the map editing tools like Doom Builder to design maps, not working on the actual Doom source code.

There is already a book ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Game-Engine-Black-Book-DOOM/dp/1099819776 ) about the internals of the Doom engine. Doesn't teach you C but it's more technical on the datastructures and algorithms used.

It might also be a bad idea for a new person to learn C with the first code looking into, being the Doom source code as it's pretty complicated for starters. It's better to read a book on C language or some tutorials or write something simple, chose a more basic project.

[Kappes Buur]

There are none specific to DOOM programming but some books come close, for example

• GAME ENGINE BLACK BOOK DOOM by FABIEN SANGLARD
• Zen of Graphics Programming by Michael Abrash

do a Google search

 

or take a look at the source of

• Crispy Doom
• PrBoom+

 

However, modern doom ports are programmed in C++, for example

• GZDoom
• Eternity
• EDGE

Edited February 19, 2021 by Kappes Buur