Game Programming Gems 2 (Game Programming Gems (W/CD)) (Vol 2) [Hardcover]

Mark DeLoura (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001 | Series: Game Programming Gems (W/CD)

Blazing through the excitement generated by the first volume, Game Programming Gems II is here with an entirely new set of innovative ideas, techniques,and algorithms. Game developers of all levels will find insightful tips and tools from this unique collection.Written by game programming experts,each contribution provides a hands-on solution to a programming problem, or a creative method for reducing programming time and redundancy. Edited by Mark DeLoura,Editor-In-Chief of Game Developer magazine and a group of top-notch area editors,this collection covers the major topics needed to develop a state-of-the-art game engine and provides all new coverage of audio issues. From animation and artificial intelligence to Z-buffering, lighting calculations,weather effects, curved surfaces, audio tools,multiplayer Internet gaming, music and sound effects, all of the major techniques needed to develop a competitive game engine are covered. All of the source code for each algorithm is included and can be used by advanced programmers immediately.For aspiring game programmers,the text for each algorithm explains the algorithm in detail, gives suggestions for beneficial modifications and optimizations, and includes references to related material.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark DeLoura (San Francisco, CA) is the former editor-in-chief of Game Developer magazine, and a former software engineering lead at Nintendo of America, Inc. He has also worked independently as a game developer and has written for a number of industry publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 575 pages
• Publisher: Charles River Media; 1 edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584500549
• ISBN-13: 978-1584500544
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars definitely worth the money, November 21, 2001

By 

Dave Astle (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Game Programming Gems 2 (Game Programming Gems (W/CD)) (Vol 2) (Hardcover)

Like the first volume, Game Programming Gems 2 features an exceptional collection of articles written by a knowledgeable group of authors, most of whom are well-known and respected in the area they write about. This series (the third volume is already underway, as are related books focusing on AI and design) isn't intended to be a complete guide to all aspects of game development, but rather, a resource you turn to when you need help with a specific problem. As such, the series truly shines, and this volume is a worthy follow up to the first.

The articles, or gems, included in the book cover intermediate to advanced topics in the areas of general programming, mathematics, artificial intelligence, geometry management, graphics display, and audio programming, each edited by an expert in the field. Most of the gems assume that you have a fundamental knowledge of the issues related to the topic, and get to the point quickly. As a result, on average the gems are shorter than the previous volume. Both of these things could be viewed as either positives or negatives, depending on your experience level. Regardless, almost all of the gems are well written and relevant.

Most game programming books these days come with CDs packed full of demos, source code, and other information supplementing the book. Unfortunately, the CD that comes with this book isn't one of those. It does have source code from most of the chapters, but there are very few demos and no extras (unless you count GLUT and the DX8 SDK, which I don't since you can easily get those elsewhere). However, I'd count the CD as only a minor disappointment, since the book itself is so good.

If you're serious about game development, I'd highly recommend adding Gems 2 to your library. You'll definitely find things in it that you can use.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, just missing a few things..., August 8, 2001

By 

J. GOLDSHLAG (Lexington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Game Programming Gems 2 (Game Programming Gems (W/CD)) (Vol 2) (Hardcover)

I like this book a lot, though it isn't quite as good as the previous edition (partly because the first one was great)

This book didn't have any real networking tips, which in this day and age seems a bit odd. Hopefully there will be a gems 3 and that will include some net stuff.

It also had a few odd typos. Some of the gems were *very* short (1 or 2 pages), when it seemed like a slightly more detailed discussion would be nice.

Other than those small problems, I enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to any game programmers that want to pick up a few useful tips.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for games, December 8, 2003

By 

Mr T. Lambert (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Game Programming Gems 2 (Game Programming Gems (W/CD)) (Vol 2) (Hardcover)

You don't have to be programming a game to find the gems like the ones for rendering and geometry useful.

To get a feel for the quality of the gems I looked at the gem on "The Parallel Transport Frame". I'd encountered this problem myself when trying to get VRML extrusions to work properly. VRML extrusions use Frenet frames so fail when the curve has an inflection. I came up with the same solution as the one described in this gem, and I'm sure many others have reinvented this particular wheel. The gem accurately describes the problem and solution and if I'd had it while I was messing with VRML extrusions it would have saved me some trouble.

Recommended.