Essential Xna Game Studio 2 0 Programming

Essential XNA Game Studio 2.0 Programming provides both hobbyists and experienced programmers with the information they need to take advantage of Microsoft’s powerful XNA Framework and XNA Game Studio to produce professional-level games for both the PC and the Xbox 360. Beginners learn the fundamentals of 2D game development, creating a complete top-down shooter. Intermediate and advanced users can jump right into 3D game development and create a version of the 3D game that takes advantage of hardware acceleration using High-Level Shader Language (HLSL). Learn how to build an input system to receive events from devices; use the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) to integrate sounds and music into your game; design difficulty systems to tailor your game to players with different skill levels; create a multiplayer game using the networking features of the XNA Framework; implement an achievement system to provide incentive for continued play of your game.

RPG Programming Using XNA Game Studio 3.0 provides detailed information on role-playing games (RPGs) and how to create them using Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio 3.0. The book examines the history of the genre and takes a piece-by-piece approach to producing a 2D tile-based game, demonstrating how to create the various components that make up an RPG and implement them using C# and XNA Game Studio 3.0. By the end of the book, readers will have built a complete toolset that can be used to create data for their own RPGs. Learn how to: * Creating the characters and monsters that populate RPG worlds * Add stats and skills to allow game entities to perform actions * Populate the game world with items and treasures. Construct a conversation editor to add another degree of interaction * Create a multiple-step quest system to give players goals to research during gameplay * Creating a tile engine for displaying the world Populating the game world with items and treasure * Implementing a sound and music system * Adding multiplayer support

Professional game developer Nitschke shares his experience with the XNA Framework, and teaches readers how to use the free XNA Game Studio Express 2.0 to build cutting edge 2D and 3D games.

Maya’s Embedded Language is the heart and soul of Maya, the most powerful 3D application on the market today. MEL provides Maya with a versatility and adaptability unmatched in the CG industry. It is MEL that allows technical directors to customize Maya to fit each pipeline, to work around each limitation, and to write tools that expand Maya’s already impressive set of capabilities. Mastery of MEL is as essential to a TD as a scalpel is to a surgeon. This book shows you how MEL is being (ab)used in high-end visual effects production by picking apart scripts written in the production of recent feature films. The exhaustive and in-depth nature of this book makes it useful for a broad audience: from the MEL novice who wants to learn MEL to the advanced scripter interested in developing strategies for production problems. A good book covering difficult topics with gentle hand holding and good humour. -Gary Noden, 3D World Magazine

“Both burgeoning game designers and devoted gamers should consider [Game Design: Theory & Practice] an essential read.” — Computer Gaming World “Ultimately, in both theory and practice, Rouse’s Game Design bible gets the job done. Let us pray.” - Next Generation magazine In the second edition to the acclaimed Game Design: Theory & Practice, designer Richard Rouse III balances a discussion of the essential concepts behind game design with an explanation of how you can implement them in your current project. Detailed analysis of successful games is interwoven with concrete examples from Rouse’s own experience. This second edition thoroughly updates the popular original with new chapters and fully revised text.

Your hands-on introduction to computer programming with Microsoft Visual C#® 2005 and XNA Game Studio 3.0, the Xbox 360® development tool. Get entertaining, easy-to-follow instructions for customizing Xbox 360 games-and creating games of your own.

"Introduction to 3D Game Programming with Direct X 10 provides an introduction to programming interactive computer graphics, with an emphasis on game development, using DirectX 10. The book is divided into three main parts. Part I explores basic mathematical tools, Part II shows how to implement fundamental tasks in Direct3D, and Part III demonstrates a variety of techniques and special effects."--BOOK JACKET.

SQL for Microsoft Access (2nd Edition) provides a guide to getting the most out of Microsoft Access through the use of Structured Query Language. Step-by-step examples demonstrate how to use SQL script to create tables, add records to tables, and retrieve and manage records. Readers will also learn about calculated fields, Access projects, and the integration of SQL script in VBA and ASP code. Explore the relational database structure and the basics of SQL. Understand how table joins, unions, and subqueries are used to retrieve records from multiple tables simultaneously. Learn how to filter records and group data. Discover how to create parameter queries that prompt users for data. Test your knowledge and comprehension with the end-of-chapter quizzes and projects.