Customer Reviews

Simulation and Event Modeling for Game Developers

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This book provides an introduction to some of the basic concepts
involved in using simulation as a part of computer applications and
games. Its content is both conceptual and practical. Conceptually, it
provides extended discussions of some of the theory that might be involved
in simulation design. The theory in part relates to literary and
sociological approaches to cultural criticism, so if you do not do much
reading in this area, you will find the language fairly strange. The
vocabulary goes beyond anything you'll ever find in a standard book on
programming (iconic logic, hermeneutics, phenomenology, and so on). On
a practical level the book provides several MS Studio projects that put
the concepts to use. In most of the chapters it provides extended
discussions of C++ and DirectX, and in this respect it is helpful to
beginning programmers. The last chapter includes a C# project that can
be used for testing games. The testing theory is supported by software
included with SmartDraw.

One of the games included with the book is called Gold Finder. It is a
good start if you want to create a 3-D game. It is complete, so you
can play it and then start modifying it. It includes a 3-D model of a
man. You control the model as it walks around a world and searches for
gold. The book provides a 2-D simulation that shows how a big
retail store can wipe out local economies. If you do not like criticism
of the way corporations do this sort of thing, then you will probably
not like this chapter. The authors don't try to force anything on you,
however. The book also includes a 2-D simulation of a forest fire. The
best thing to do is start with these projects and remake them for
yourself. The authors try to discuss the software in both theoretical
and practical terms so that you can work with it to conceptualize what
you are doing while programming. There are software packages you can
buy to do this sort of thing, but through this approach, you get a chance
to build programs from scratch using Direct X , C++, and C#.

I like this seller, the book is quite good and deliver day is early than expected

Key words: Obscure, vague and unfocused.

Even simple ideas and concepts are presented in an unfocused, hand-waving style. The (vague) signal has a hard time penetrating the noise.

The few things the authors have to say has already been said before and better by other authors.