Game Programming Gems 3 (Hardcover)

Book Description

Book Description This ALL NEW volume in the Game Programming Gems series is filled with ready-to-use expert techniques, ideas, and solutions for game developers. Innovative solutions that have been used successfully in commercial projects are provided, along with insightful tips and tools that reduce programming time and redundancy. Covering all the key areas of game development, this invaluable resource combines the ideas of over 70 professional developers. Each section is edited by an expert in the field to ensure that the ideas are original, accurate, and useful for a variety of game development projects. And in addition to covering Mathematics, Graphics, General Programming, Audio, and Artificial Intelligence, Game Programming Gems 3 also includes an all new section on Network and Multiplayer games. Ready-to-use source code is included for each algorithm and can be used immediately by advanced programmers. Aspiring game programmers will gain new insights into game programming through the detailed explanations of the algorithms and the helpful suggestions for modifications and optimizations. This is a must-have reference for every game developer! KEY FEATURES * An ALL NEW collection of original tools for game programmers! * Comprehensive coverage of all key development areas * New section covering Network and Multiplayer games * CD-ROM is packed with portable source code in C & C++. Most of the techniques will work in OpenGL and Linux, however, there are some techniques which will only work on Windows/Xbox/DirectX. About the Author Dante Treglia is the lead software engineer for Nintendo of America's Software Development Support Group where he supports the Nintendo GameCube development community. Mark Deloura, the found editor of the series, is the manager of developer relations for Sony Computer Entertainment America, focusin on the PlayStation 2 and future entertainment products.

Table of Contents

AI: Rectangle Navigation: A Highly Efficient Alternative to A*; Function Pointer-Based Embedded Finite State Machines; Terrain Analysis in an RTS; Character Virtualization; A Fast Approach to Navigation Meshes; A General Trigger System for AI Entities, Objects, and Quests; Optimized Machine Learning Techniques; Tactical Pathfinding Using A*; Audio: Obstruction Using Axes-Aligned Bounding Boxes; Compression and Effects Using Linear Predictive Coding; Using DSP to Create Dynamic Engine Sounds; Creating a Compelling 3D Audio Environment; Compressing Audio with Vector Quantization; Using the Biquad Resonant Filter; General: Developing Games for an International Market; A Platform Independent Function Binding Interface; Autolists: Allowing Trivial Listing of Object Instances; Handle-Based Smart Pointers; Programming a Game Design-Compliant Engine using UML; Graphics: A Compiler for Programmable Vertex Shading Hardware; Using Textures to Approximate a Mathematic Function; Computing Optimized Shadow Volumes for Complex Data Sets; Billboard Beams; Subdivision Surfaces for Character Animation; Mathematics: A Fast Approximation to the Slerp() Function; Clipping a Convex Polyhedron Against a Plane; A Naming Convention for Transformation Matrices; Base-2 Logarithm Utility Functions (C++); Constrained Inverse Kinematics; Quaternion Compression; Coping with Friction in Dynamical Simulations; Network and Multiplayer Games: A UDP Monitoring and Simulation Tool; (Algorithms for) Player Skill Estimates and Rating; Wireless Gaming with J2ME; Multiplayer Game Development Using Microsoft DirectPlay 8.1; Real-Time-Strategy Network Protocol; Template-Based Object Serialization; Reducing Latency in Real-time Strategy Games; Large-Scale Multiplayer Servers; Secure Sockets; A Flexible Simulation Architecture for Mass Multi-Player Games