Advanced Lingo for Games [Paperback]

Gary Rosenzweig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 2000

Finally there is a games book for Director developers! Up until now, Lingo programmers have had to figure it out themselves while Java and C programmers have had dozens of games books to choose from. With Advanced Lingo for Games, the new book by Gary Rosenzweig, Lingo programmers can learn from an expert game developer who has created hundreds of games with Macromedia Director. The book contains more than 20 complete games including the source code. You can read about how each of these games was made, and use the source code to create your own games.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Finally there is a games book for Director developers! Up until now, Lingo programmers have had to figure it out themselves while Java and C programmers have had dozens of games books to choose from. With Advanced Lingo for Games, the new book by Gary Rosenzweig, Lingo programmers can learn from an expert game developer who has created hundreds of games with Macromedia Director. The book contains more than 20 complete games including the source code. You can read about how each of these games was made, and use the source code to create your own games.

About the Author

Gary Rosenzweig is a multimedia software developer, entrepreneur, and writer. His business, CleverMedia, does consulting, Internet publishing and creates games, applications, and utilities using Director. CleverMedia's web site contains the world's largest collection of Shockwave applets made by one company. Gary has a BS in Computer Science from Drexel University and a MA in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He now resides in Denver, Colorado. He has authored The Comprehensive Guide to Lingo and the Director 6 book for Ventana, and SE Using Director 7.

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: Hayden (March 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078972331X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789723314
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,405,414 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gary Rosenzweig is a programmer, Web site developer, Internet entrepreneur, podcaster and computer book writer. He is the host and publisher of the MacMost video podcast and Web site. He has also programmed more than 200 Web-based and iPhone games. He has written many books on Flash and Shockwave game development.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for Lingo programmers, April 1, 2000

By 

Steve Hutchins (Glendale, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Advanced Lingo for Games (Paperback)

What a great book! Intermediate and advanced Lingo programmers get ready to take your skill level up a few notches. Gary has been doing this for awhile and it shows. His code is some of the most concise and clearly written I have ever seen. A little code goes a long way in his examples.

He shows you how and why you should be using behaviors to organize your code into discreet, reusable and easy to understand elements that speed development. If you're not using behaviors now, you will after reading this book.

Beginners don't be put off by the `Advanced' in the title if you're interested in game development. I wouldn't want to learn Lingo with this book but you will have a great resource to guide you through proper style and organization of your Lingo scripts.

Although the book is about game programming, any Lingo programmer will benefit from it. If you want be become a better Lingo programmer, get this book!

Happy coding.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, April 24, 2000

By 

John R. Nyquist - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Advanced Lingo for Games (Paperback)

Having worked with Director for almost seven years, not many books on the subject impress me. As tech editor for "Advanced Lingo for Games", I had the honor of being the first Lingo programmer to work through Gary's code. More than once I had the feeling of discovering hidden treasure as I read through the text and source code. I've known Gary (and his code) for almost five years, the code in this book illustratrates he has reached a whole new level in understanding the nuances of Director, Lingo and game programming. I predict this will be one the most talked about Lingo books in 2000.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for beginner/intermediate/advanced programmers., March 29, 2000

By 

Rothgarr (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Advanced Lingo for Games (Paperback)

I was very excited to see this book on the market and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It has examples and full code of over 23 different games including Puzzle, Arcade, Card, Adventure, Strategy, and Multiplayer.

The Author does a good job of describing concepts. Much of the Lingo, however, is complex and should only be modified by Intermediate or Advanced programmers. It is also important to note that this is not a reference-type book like Director Demystified.

The coolest thing about the examples on the included CD-ROM is that they can be easily modified to fit your particular application. Once you get the hang of what's going on you can then apply the concepts to greater things. For example, included is a Director file for the classic game "Asteroids". In minutes I was able to replace the graphics and sounds with my own and even add a few features (I'd say I'm an Intermediate programmer). Using concepts described later in the book I hope to make a multiplayer version of the game.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn about game programming for the web or simply add some cool games to their site. Beginners will be able to easily modify graphics and sounds. Intermediate and advanced Lingo people will be able to take these games further by modifying the code.

Have fun!