Computers : Entertainment & Games

You can start game programming in a flash Here's how to create five different cool games - no experience necessary! Ever think you could come up with a better computer game? Then this book is for you! No boring programming theory here, just the stuff you need to know to actually make something happen, and all in plain English. more...

Price: $24.99

If you are new to game programming and want to learn how to create dynamic, robust, and fun 2D games, "Beginning Game Programming with Flash" is the book for you! Written for introductory game programming students and other enthusiasts, the book begins with an overview of the Flash graphical user interface (GUI), explaining the four main components of the Flash authoring environment: the stage, timeline, tools and panels, and symbols. Once you are comfortable working with the GUI, you’ll dive into using ActionScript, the language used to write code in Flash, which controls the graphics, sound files, and interactivity between the player and the game assets. As you work through the book you’ll discover how to create a storyboard for a game, add animation and visual effects, insert movie clips and sound files, apply math and physics concepts to make game objects move, and develop and test a Flash game. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions walk you through each step of the game-building process, and end-of-chapter exercises, tutorials, and games-based projects help you reinforce and apply the concepts you have learned. "Beginning Game Programming with Flash" covers all the essential elements of game programming, making it a comprehensive and fun guide for beginning game programmers. more...

Price: $29.99

Build several fully functional games as well as a game engine to use for programming cell phone and mobile games with Beginning Mobile Phone Game Programming ! The included CD provides the tool, code and graphics necessary to complete all exercises covered in the chapters. Beginning Cell Phone Game Programming demystifies wireless game programming by providing clear, practical lessons using the J2ME Game API. You will learn how to use the most popular mobile programming language, Java, to build compact games that can run on any Java-enabled device, including mobile phones, pagers and handheld computers. You will also learn to add a splash screen, create a demo mode, keep track of high scores, and test, debug, and deploy your games. Topics covered include: How to construct a game engine to drive mobile games.; How to use Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) and the Java Game API to get the most performance out of your mobile games.; How to implement sprite animation and control interactions among moving sprites.; How to play sound effects and music in mobile games.; How to take advantage of wireless networks to build mobile multiplayer games.; How to design and develop a variety of different games spanning several video games genres. more...

Price: $31.99

Beginning Scripting Through Game Creation teaches basic programming concepts using simple games as examples. The book is an introduction to scripting, focusing on logic, event handling, and application development using HTML and JavaScript, with some discussion of other programming languages. Functions, variables, objects, and events are introduced. The text also covers techniques that will help you become familiar with your audience and work iteratively to produce a finished program. Each chapter begins with an overview of the concepts that will be covered, followed by instructions on how to implement them, and finishing with a summary and review questions so you can practice your new skills. Simple games are used throughout the book to provide challenging but approachable examples that help you maximize your understanding of the concepts and skills being taught. You will learn essential skills that will enable you to build upon the book's projects and make them your own. Real-life examples and tips throughout the book help you think about and apply what you are learning. No prior programming or scripting experience is necessary, so you can get started right away with "Beginning Scripting Through Game Creation"! more...

Price: $29.99

Human behavior is never an exact science, making the design and programming of artificial intelligence that seeks to replicate human behavior difficult. Usually, the answers cannot be found in sterile algorithms that are often the focus of artificial intelligence programming. However, by analyzing why people behave the way we do, we can break down the process into increasingly smaller components. We can model many of those individual components in the language of logic and mathematics and then reassemble them into larger, more involved decision-making processes. Drawing from classical game theory, "Behavioral Mathematics for Game AI" covers both the psychological foundations of human decisions and the mathematical modeling techniques that AI designers and programmers can use to replicate them. With examples from both real life and game situations, you'll explore topics such as utility, the fallacy of rational behavior, and the inconsistencies and contradictions that human behavior often exhibits. You'll examine various ways of using statistics, formulas, and algorithms to create believable simulations and to model these dynamic, realistic, and interesting behaviors in video games. Finally, you'll be introduced to a number of tools you can use in conjunction with standard AI algorithms to make it easier to utilize the mathematical models. Review: Game developers often use little tricks to sprinkle magic decision-making abilities throughout their AI code, without necessarily understanding the fundamentals of how it works. Dave not only documents this process on paper, but he goes into the theoretical background behind these techniques. For anyone wishing to know more about the math behind common game behaviors, this is the ideal textbook on the subject. Alex J. Champandard Editor & consultant, AiGameDev.com more...

Price: $49.99