I have been making great strides in reading through a book on cocos2d (for iPhone) and although I have yet to go cover to cover (I keep jumping around!) I want to get a quick review out for them of the parts I did get a chance to study.
http://www.packtpub.com/creating-games-with-cocos2d-for-iphone-2/book
Let me just open with how refreshing it was to pick up a book you are ready for skill wise. I have a few games I worked on in the App Store and I have some [street] experience with cocos2d and this book is a nice fit. So I dive in. You might not want to use this book to start learning cocos2d. And if you read warnings, prefaces, and intros you better pick up on that from the books description real early and IF you still got this not knowing a thing about cocos2d 1) I applaud your tenacity 2) I shame you for not doing some up front due diligence... You have failed yourself. But this post is not about you, BUT if this matches what you did then hang onto the book and go check out Ray Wenderlich's intro tutorials for that (I can't leave you with nothing, this is where I started my education btw. I owe Ray a couple dinners now... I'll settle that account someday.)
So back to the BOOK! As I said I tend to read a book cover to cover, that is my preference. Schedules, releases, bugs, family are just going to let that happen this quarter. But I have been in and out of the text every down moment I had. Which is telling, considering I chose soaking up some tech text versus firing up some Minecraft. I must admit I jumped around a lot! There are some parts that build on one another. Luckily in every case I encountered there is a reference back to the moment I should be building on. Depending on your experience level you might not need that though.
A little side note on finding a specific 'thing' using the TOC (table of contents) or the index... Since Each chapter is covers a fairly familiar game 'type' unto itself the TOC does not lend itself for specific message lookup. If you are looking for a specific CC message you will want to start in the index. What I did find interesting was each chapters game had a detailed index, so you could scan that and get a *REAL* good idea what each chapter holds. I think that is the primary way since the TOC through me a loop initially. I appreciate the cute names and the text is fun like from time to time. If your not in a mood for that you need to steel yourself for those moments. Work through it! I did. So can you! ;)
This a great concept book with enough concrete examples to get your own code moving in the right direction (including reasoning for the choice of convention in several places, which if was your only awareness of the way something was done *cough* *cough* you [I] would never have known otherwise.) I learned something new (old) from this book I missed in my grueling on-the-street training... For that I give the book high marks. Your mileage may vary, but I appreciate the alternate takes on approaches. I feel stronger because of it. Knowing they exist.
So the best thing for me in the book... I wish the book was out when we figured out how to do Bluetooth that would have saved us some serious pain in the making of Doodle Army 2. You kids don't know how good you have it! Now get off my lawn! (and you might want to go check out this book!)
The price is not bad at all either! Check it out.
http://www.packtpub.com/creating-games-with-cocos2d-for-iphone-2/book