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Fundamentals of Game Design (Game Design and Development Series)

Ernest Adams, Andrew Rollings

Fundamentals of Game Design (Game Design and Development Series) Ernest Adams, Andrew Rollings Amazon Price: $73.41
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By: Prentice Hall
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Editorial Review:

For courses in Fundamentals of Game Design for all video game developers and designers


With a focus on designing for the commercial entertainment market, this text teaches the principles and practice of game design and covers each of the major game genres  individually.

Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design

Karen Collins

Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design Karen Collins Amazon Price: $22.40
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Editorial Review:

A distinguishing feature of video games is their interactivity, and sound plays an important role in this: a player's actions can trigger dialogue, sound effects, ambient sound, and music. And yet game sound has been neglected in the growing literature on game studies. This book fills that gap, introducing readers to the many complex aspects of game audio, from its development in early games to theoretical discussions of immersion and realism. In Game Sound, Karen Collins draws on a range of sources—including composers, sound designers, voice-over actors and other industry professionals, Internet articles, fan sites, industry conferences, magazines, patent documents, and, of course, the games themselves—to offer a broad overview of the history, theory, and production practice of video game audio.

Game Sound has two underlying themes: how and why games are different from or similar to film or other linear audiovisual media; and technology and the constraints it has placed on the production of game audio. Collins focuses first on the historical development of game audio, from penny arcades through the rise of home games and the recent rapid developments in the industry. She then examines the production process for a contemporary game at a large game company, discussing the roles of composers, sound designers, voice talent, and audio programmers; considers the growing presence of licensed intellectual property (particularly popular music and films) in games; and explores the function of audio in games in theoretical terms. Finally, she discusses the difficulties posed by nonlinearity and interactivity for the composer of game music.

Digital Sci-Fi Art: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Stunning, Futuristic Images

Michael Burns

Digital Sci-Fi Art: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Stunning, Futuristic Images Michael Burns Amazon Price: $19.02
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By: Collins Design
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Visions of future worlds have always captured the imaginations.Images of towering cyber-cityscapes, awesome uninhabitable planetary worlds, sleek super-cars and space cruisers, strange mutant beings, and terrifying alien life forms have spilled from the feverish minds of fantasy sci-fi illustrators for as long as the genre has existed. Today, as more and more artists are switching from traditional media to the digital world of computers, the images being created are breathtakingly realistic.

Featuring works from the world#146;s best sci-fi artists, Digital Sci-Fi Art begins with an examination of the traditional styles and sources of sci-fi imagery then analyzes the new digital tools available to today#146;s illustrators. The heart of the book comprises a detailed survey of the key techniques involved in creating digital sci-fi art -- with step-by-step walkthroughs showing how specially-created pieces are produced. The book ends with a showcase of some of the best contemporary work being produced anywhere in the world.

Advanced Global Illumination

Philip Dutre, Philippe Bekaert, Kavita Bala

Advanced Global Illumination Philip Dutre, Philippe Bekaert, Kavita Bala List Price: $48.00
By: AK Peters, Ltd.
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Huge Dissapointment 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 12 people found this review helpful.

This review is for the second edition text, but I am putting it here since the page for that book does not yet yet have a place for customer reviews.

First off, the two prior reviews for this text are highly suspect. The text is basically a collection of highly complex mathematical formulas with little explanation. The physics, statistics, and calculus courses I took for my computer science degree were not nearly adequate preparation for this book. Even after dusting off my old math books and trying to refamiliarize myself with the content, the first few chapters were nearly impossible to trudge through. Perhaps this text could serve as a reference if you were already a professional in the field, but as any sort of learning aid, it is completely useless.

Editorial Review:

This book combines a thorough introduction to the theoretical foundations with hints and tips on how to implement these concepts into actual code for global illumination algorithms. An appendix describes how to design a global illumination system using the building blocks outlined in the book.

It is an essential tool for programmers and developers of computer graphics applications in computer games, animation, and media design.

Maya Techniques: Hyper-Real Creature Creation

Alias Learning Tools, Erick Miller, Paul Thuriot, Jeff Unay

Maya Techniques: Hyper-Real Creature Creation Alias Learning Tools, Erick Miller, Paul Thuriot, Jeff Unay Amazon Price: $37.79
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By: Sybex
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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hyper-Realistic Creature Creation

Step-by-step instructions combined with in-depth discussions of topics ranging from the importance of good topology to the subtlety of facial expressions, make Hyper-Realistic Creature Creation an excellent all-around resource for the modeling, texturing and rigging of characters.
—William Dwelly, Senior Software TD

Maya Techniques / Hyper-Realistic Creature Creation is you solution for creating convincing characters in Maya. Get hands-on experience with innovative tools and powerful industry-recognized techniques as you learn to model like a pro, set-up your skeleton in a fast and easy way and create realistic facial controls. This book will help you achieve hyper-real characters quickly and effectively.

Get the inside scoop on high-end production techniques from industry pros Erick Miller, Paul Thuriot, and Jeff Unay! Through Project-based lessons, follow Jeff Unay's process for modeling the beast, Paul Thuriot's workflow for rigging the beast's body and Erick Miller's tips and techniques on complex facial rigging for maximum flexibility. The book car5efully delineates the entire production process for the beast's creation, so that you can both understand the individual techniques and how they relate to each other in a pipeline. You'll also take advantage of helpful video demonstrations so you can watch the experts at work.

By examining the entire process, you will learn strategies for creating characters with an emphasis on anatomy and realism. Lessons are designed to cover effective workflows for devising models that can be easily manipulated and animated. The methods discussed in this book can be applied to any setup needs that you may have because you'll learn the rigging process from the concept stage through to pipeline integration.

With this book you will:

  • Be introduced to modeling theories
  • Learn how to use powerful tools like the Soft Modification Tool and the Split Edge Ring Tool.
  • Learn how to create custom hotkeys and marking menus
  • Import image planes and block out a character
  • Create an Adobe Photoshop network
  • Use automation scripts
  • Understand how to use a multiple rig workflow
  • Lock, paint, mirror skin weights, and connect a bound rig to a control rig
  • Create corrective blend shapes, and set-up cluster controls
  • Learn how to create jaw, eye, and lip setups
  • Discover concepts of a realistic skin shader

What you need to use this book

  • Maya Complete 7 or Maya Personal Learning Edition
  • DVD-ROM drive

Bonus Features

  • Video demonstrations of workflows & animation skills
  • Artist Interviews
  • MELTM Scripts
  • Scene Files
  • Support Files

Beginning DirectX 9 (Game Development Series)

Wendy Jones

Beginning DirectX 9 (Game Development Series) Wendy Jones Amazon Price: $19.79
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Old Edition 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a book that teaches you directX 9b NOT 9c or 10. If you use the new 2005 Visual Studio the code may not compile, but with a few fixes it is still possible. The code on the CD is understandable if you read the chapter, but you need at least a good understanding of C++. So I recommend you look for a newer edition and get a book on beginning C++ as well.

Beg your professor to change textbooks. 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Miserable and frustrating. I wasted an entire weekend trying to learn from this book. I seriously think they outsourced the actual coding in the CD, because there are so many ridiculous inconsistencies.

For one thing, the in-book code samples and example(from CD) code samples are completely different. The example code is written in a bizarre style that overuses uses spaces and parentheses in a way not used by the book and generally atypical to American code. There's also a number of devastating errors with both the book AND CD which made this a frustrating learning experience:

- Book code for a basic Windows program has error that causes program to not close properly. (have to ctrl-alt-delete) CD code for this actually works, but it's uncommented and very ugly.
- CD code for the entire third chapter does not execute. It compiles, but it doesn't run.
- CD code has this dxManager structure that is simply not explained.
- Book doesn't tell you that you need to add .lib files until far too late. Sometimes it doesn't tell you what .lib files you need to add at all.
- No VC++ 6.0 project/workspace files are provided. This is sheer laziness...it'd take them 10 minutes to add these.

I spent my whole weekend trying to use their base code, then trying to use the DirectX SDK's base code, then experimenting until I finally figured out a way to get their ransom-note HELLO WORLD program to work. I wasted an entire weekend on this. I had to hollow out chapter 4 example 1 code and plug in the chapter 3 example 3 code in to work with it. I've never had this much difficulty coding in my life.

Waste of time, waste of money. Find something else.

Editorial Review:

As a beginning programmer, you've probably noticed how difficult it is to find introductory guides to game programming. If you're interested in learning DirectX and are looking for a book that helps you go beyond the 3D component of DirectX and gives you complete coverage of this amazing product, then look no further! "Beginning DirectX 9" gives you examples that build on previous chapters and culminates in the completion of a playable game.

The Game Asset Pipeline (Game Development Series)

Ben Carter

The Game Asset Pipeline (Game Development Series) Ben Carter Amazon Price: $26.37
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Editorial Review:

Many of today's computer games are mega productions with huge teams and budgets, vast quantities of content, and crunched schedules. Getting these games to market is not an easy feat. Just managing the creation of content and getting that content into the right place at the right time is an enormous challenge. Hundreds of development hours are lost dealing with asset and pipeline issues, so the need for a working system is immense. The Game Asset Pipeline is written for tools programmers, producers, and managers who need to know how to create such a system. The solutions and ideas presented in the book cover current technology and methods that can be used to design and implement an asset management system.

The book is divided into three distinct areas:
* Construcutng robust and usable asset management systems
* Building systems necessary to implement an automated system for managing asset processing
The nuts and bolts of performing the most common tasks

Each of these areas will be of interest to various members of the production team. The beginning chapters cover both design and implementation details, including data formats, naming conventions, custom export tools, asset identification, broken data, synchronizing code and data, building a distribution package, and automated testing. From there the book moves into the specifics of the system, such as storage methods, transactions and locking, client/server architecture tools, managing the local repository, access controls and security, scripting support, and archiving and purging data. The remainder of the book covers low-level processing tasks, management of the pipeline, and the production of the final data. Some of the topics covered in these chapters include: texture and image processing, geometry processing, audio and video processing, and environment processing.

This is the one book that will guide the production team through the daunting task of managing the vast array of game assets in a structured, practical method.

Key Features!
* Provides detailed coverage of the entire asset building process, from source content through to final game disc files
* Details how to build and maintain an efficient asset management system, using either existing products or a custom solution
* Includes examples of commonly-needed asset processing tasks, with implementation details and strategies
* Covers the processes and tools tailored to the specialized needs of game development teams
* Teaches how to use dependence maintenance and smart build tools to ensure game assets are processed and integrated as efficiently as possible

Linux Multimedia Hacks: Tips & Tools for Taming Images, Audio, and Video

Kyle Rankin

Linux Multimedia Hacks: Tips & Tools for Taming Images, Audio, and Video Kyle Rankin Amazon Price: $19.77
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The fact that Linux has more multimedia application choices than Mac OS X and Windows combined may come as a surprise to many, but not to those who know Linux well. In Linux Multimedia Hacks, author Kyle Rankin showcases the best available multimedia tools so you can maximize the entertainment capabilities of your favorite OS. Included are tips and tricks for connecting to iPods, creating MP3s and Oggs, watching and making DVDs, turning your Linux box into a Tivo ala MythTV, and much more.

You don't have to be a Linux server guru to make use of this book. Linux Multimedia Hacks takes the best of Linux's multimedia tools and with step-by-step instructions shows even novice users how to do cool and useful things with images, audio, and video. It includes entry level hacks that nearly all Linux users will want, such as installing codecs for audio and video playback and managing thousands of photographs. Later, you'll find hacks that cover a variety of advanced projects, from ripping and organizing media files with metatags, to editing video and audio tracks, to creating your own DVDs. Basic or advanced, each hack stands on its own, so you can feel free to jump around to only the sections that interest you.

The book is divided into five easy-to-understand chapters:

  • Images: tips range from basic image edits to automated image manipulation
  • Audio: hacks include audio format conversion and tweaking metadata within audio files
  • Video: learn how to covert between video formats, plus how to create your own VCDs and DVDs
  • Broadcast Media: tips include how to access and create you own web broadcasts as well as watch and record TV
  • Web: learn how to make your multimedia creations available to the world

As one of the most powerful multimedia platforms around, Linux has far more capabilities and features than meets the eye. This latest Hacks book gives you the technical chops to enjoy them all.

Professional XNA Programming: Building Games for Xbox 360 and Windows with XNA Game Studio 2.0

Benjamin Nitschke

Professional XNA Programming: Building Games for Xbox 360 and Windows with XNA Game Studio 2.0 Benjamin Nitschke Amazon Price: $26.39
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Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Professional XNA(r) Programming

Building Games for Xbox 360(r) and Windows(r)with XNA Game Studio 2.0, 2nd Edition

This improved and updated edition of the bestseller will get you up and running quickly with building games for Xbox 360 and the Windows platform. Professional game developer and Microsoft MVP Benjamin Nitschke begins by explaining how to install the free XNA Game Studio 2.0 and then goes on to share essential advice for using it in a productive way.

Before you know it, each successive chapter will have you developing small games that increase in difficulty. By using the chapters as building blocks, you'll evolve from 2D programming to 3D, and you'll ultimately create a full-blown graphics engine that can be used for more advanced game projects. Plus, you'll get an inside look at six fully functional games, including the popular Racing Game and the new Dungeon Quest.

What you will learn from this book
*

Tips for adding music and sound with XACT
*

Techniques for creating unique visual effects through Shaders
*

Ways to access keyboard, mouse, and Xbox controllers with XInput
*

How to write your own XNA graphics engine and create a game engine
*

How to manage content in XNA
*

Myriad ways of fine-tuning, debugging, and troubleshooting
*

How to make sure games run on the Xbox 360
*

Ways to generate landscapes and tracks
*

How to take advantage of XNA's new networking APIs

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone who wants to create games on the Xbox 360 and Windows platforms. Experience with C# or a similar .NET language is necessary, but previous game programming is not required.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

Mathematics and Physics for Programmers (Game Development Series)

Danny Kodicek

Mathematics and Physics for Programmers (Game Development Series) Danny Kodicek Amazon Price: $32.97
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Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Many programmers frequently have limited backgrounds in the mathematics and physics needed for game development or other complex applications. Sooner or later, all programmers run into coding issues that will require an understanding of mathematics or physics concepts like collision detection, 3D vectors, transformations, game theory, or basic calculus. This book provides a simple but thorough grounding in the mathematics and physics topics that programmers need to write these algorithms and programs, using a non-language-specific approach. Applications and examples from game programming are included throughout, and exercise sets follow each chapter for additional practice of the techniques. The CD-ROM provides simulations of the mathematical and physical principles discussed in the book along with the source code.

Key Features: • Presents commonly encountered mathematical and physics concepts such as vector motion, collision detection, angular physics, game theory, artificial intelligence, Bezier curves, etc. • Illustrates concepts through a non-language-specific approach, using pseudo-code, that makes the book equally valuable for anyone from C++ programmers to Macromedia™ Flash ActionScript coders • Includes a companion CD-ROM with demo examples of the mathematical and physical principles discussed in the book along with the source code • Create physical simulations, tile-based, and maze games using the concepts discussed in the book • Uses pedagogical devices such as: a glossary of terms, exercise sets, chapter outlines, and chapter summaries to help master the material ON THE CD-ROM The CD-ROM includes a large number of sample files that demonstrate techniques from the chapters • DEMOS: Contains the support files for the MPFP demo program, in a protected format • DOCS: Contains the text files, in html format, of the code samples • FIGURES: Contains all of the figures from the book, organized in folders by chapter • SOURCE: Contains the original Macromedia Director movies used to create the demos System Requirements: PC; Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4, 2000, XP; 266 MHz processor with a current hardware accelerated 3D graphics card; 32 MB or more of available RAM; 256-color monitor capable of 800 x 600 resolution; DirectX 5.0 or greater (recommended); Web browser installed; (To edit the demo files: Macromedia Director 8.5.1 or later installed).


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