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Start Your Engines is the First Book on Developing Driving and Racing Games by game programming expert Jim Parker
"Start Your Engines: Developing Driving and Racing Games" -- written by game programming expert Jim Parker, shows readers how to design and develop fast-action driving and racing games. Although this genre of games is very popular--estimated to represent nearly 20% of all computer games sold today--very little information has been published on this topic until now.
In "Start Your Engines," the author takes readers through the entire process of creating driving and racing games, from exploring the design elements, game architecture, collision detection, intelligent opponents, and good audio techniques, to using cinematography, creating terrains, understanding the physics of racing games, using artificial intelligence, and simulating continuous time. The author first teaches readers how to create a 2D driving game, and then shows how to convert that project into a 3D racing game. In this unique book, readers will learn:
Keith Weiskamp, President and Publisher of Paraglyph Press says,
"This is the first book published on the art of designing and programming driving and racing games. Jim Parker expertly presents all of the critical techniques that game programmers need to master to create their own driving and racing games, and we're confident that all students of game programming will find this new book to be enormously useful."
Dr. Jim Parker (Alberta, Canada), an expert on driving and racing games, has been an educator, programmer, and game designer for many years. In 2000 he pioneered Canada's first curriculum to train and educate aspiring game developers at the University of Calgary, in conjunction with Radical Entertainment of Vancouver. His course in Computer Game Programming at the University of Calgary always contains a driving game as the project for the class. He is a firm believer in the democratization of game creation, and this book is but one step in that process -- teaching others that they, too, can make a game that someone will want to play. Dr. Parker lives with his family on a farm near Cochrane, Alberta.
Start Your Engines...the First Book on Developing Driving and Racing Games by game programming expert Jim Parker - U.S. $39.99 ... up to 30% off at Amazon.com
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Paraglyph Press, founded in 2002, is now celebrating its third year of record growth. Founded by highly successful publishing entrepreneurs Keith Weiskamp and Jeff Duntemann, along with publishing executives Steven Sayre and Cynthia Caldwell, Paraglyph publishes unique "must have" titles that help readers do more with the tools they have.
Paraglyph's library of game-related books includes: "Game Coding Complete," "A Theory of Fun for Game Design," "Monster Gaming," and "Game Design Complete." ... Event dates are subject to change. Some products, programs, or promotions are not available outside the U.S. Prices are estimated retail prices and are listed in U.S. dollars. Product specifications are subject to change. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Power Mac, Velocity Engine, FireWire, AirPort, Safari, Sherlock, QuickTime, iLife, iTunes, iChat, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iCal and Apple Store are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither a recommendation nor an endorsement.