Beginning iOS 3D Unreal Games Development covers using the Unreal UDK game creation system to create 3D games for the iOS platform, which includes the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. 

Specifically, this book covers:

• UnrealScript programming language, going beyond the limitations of the visual Kismet scripting language
• The Unreal UDK code framework, basic UDK tools and other UDK items needed to build a game
• Various author-created game frameworks are presented and are used to illustrate the UnrealScript programming language and user input methods specific to the iOS mobile platform

What you’ll learn

• What the UnrealScript programming language is and does
• The basic Unreal UDK base code framework
• What the basic Unreal tools used to make a game
• What the key parts of the Unreal engine such as the physics engine
• How to do the fundamentals of 3D games programming, including basic 3D math
• What are the the basic frameworks of many different types of games
• How to use the provided source code to build your own games using the frameworks as a reference

Who this book is for

Game programmers, both professional and hobbyists, interested in developing 3D games for the iOS platform using the Unreal UDK. Additionally, students using the Unreal UDK in their coursework. Finally, game designers who are not experienced programmers but are interested in learning enough about UnrealScript and the Unreal UDK to make small changes to game code created by contracted programmers (For example: changing code to increase the health of a player or change the message displayed when a player dies).

Mastering Unity is absolutely essential in an increasingly competitive games market where agility is expected, yet until now practical tutorials were nearly impossible to find.

Creating Games with Unity and Maya gives you with an end-to-end solution for Unity game development with Maya. Written by a twelve-year veteran of the 3D animation and games industry and professor of 3D animation, this book takes you step-by-step through the process of developing an entire game from scratch-including coding, art, production, and deployment.

This accessible guide provides a "non-programmer" entry point to the world of game creation. Aspiring developers with little or no coding experience will learn character development in Maya, scripts, GUI interface, and first- and third-person interactions.

--Unity is HOT! It's the #1 game engine out there, and it's taken the game world by storm. Documentation is hard to find. Focal to the rescue. Learn Unity from the ground up. Build a game with no previous scripting knowledge, and make a game that's fun.

--Authoritative - Author, Adam Watkins, is a 12 year veteran and author of several books and over 100 articles on 3D Animation. His students are the winners of multiple national and international animation awards and festivals. With this experience comes great insight into the best ways to learn 3D art and gaming concepts.

--Accessible to All Unity users (artists and programmers) - the author comes from an art background. He animated for many years before working in games. This provides a "non-programmer" entry point to the world of game creation.

--Complete - this volume provides instruction from game inception to completion and delivery. The 3D creation and export begins, but applied functionality and delivery complete the book.  In the course of the book, the reader will create effective and efficient 3D assets from scratch using Maya (including characters). Then, use these assets to create a functioning game complete with scripts, GUI interfaces, and first and third person interactions.

• The first part of the book explains the logic involved in game interaction, and soon has you creating game assets through simple examples that you can build upon and gradually expand.
• In the second part, you'll build the foundations of a point-and-click style first-person adventure game—including reusable state management scripts, load/save functionality, a robust inventory system, and a bonus feature: a dynamically configured maze and mini-map.
• With the help of the provided 2D and 3D content, you'll learn to evaluate and deal with challenges in bite-sized pieces as the project progresses, gaining valuable problem-solving skills in interactive design.

What you’ll learn

• How to build interactive games that work on a variety of platforms
• Take the tour around Unity user interface fundamentals, scripting and more
• Create a test environment and gain control over functionality, cursor control, action objects, state management, object metadata, message text and more
• What is inventory logic and how to manage it
• How to handle 3D object visibility, effects and other special cases
• How to handle variety of menus and levels in your games development
• How to handle characters, scrollers, and more
• How to create or integrate a story/walkthrough

Who this book is for

Students or artists familiar with tools such as 3ds Max or Maya who want to create games for mobile platforms, computers, or consoles, but with little or no experience in scripting or the logic behind games development.

Table of Contents

1. Exploring the Genre
2. Unity UI—Basics and Getting Started
3. Scripting—Getting your Feet Wet
4. Terrain Generation—Creating a Test Environment
5. Navigation and Introduction to Functionality
6. Cursor Control
7. Action Objects
8. Managing State
9. Object Metadata
10. Message Text
11. Inventory Logic
12. Managing the Inventory
13. Finishing the Basic Functionality
14. Getting Down to the Game
15. Maze and Final Sequence
16. Menus and Levels
17. Beyond the Basics
18. Appendix A: Shader Graphs
19. Appendix B: Keyboard Key Names
20. Appendix C: Final Sequence Outline

As a dynamic, graphically rich 3D game engine, Unity3D stands out from its competitors by working on nearly every desktop and mobile platform. This book is the first to offer professional-level programming of Unity using C#. You begin with learning how to install Unity3D and gradually move on to more advanced coding topics in C#. Each object is introduced, applied to the code, demonstrated through examples, and added to an example game that is built upon throughout the book.

By the end of the book, you will be encouraged to create a game and upload it to a site where other users can view and comment, cultivating the learning process through dialog and interaction.

• Explains how to maximize advanced capabilities of Unity3D for programming games
• Highlights techniques for creating shaders, which manipulate the way graphics are rendered by the game engine
• Extends the reach of the book by discussing how Unity3D is an ideal way to break into the social web market
• Demystifies Unity3D co-routines and the yield statement in a clear and concise manner

Whether you use this book as a tutorial or reference manual for working with Unity3D and C#, you will most certainly find it to be invaluable.]]> Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:37:42 +0000 1f31606e625f642c0ed46405aada38a5 http://www.gamedev.net/page/books/index.html/_/technical/apis-and-tools/game-programming-with-irrlicht-r1432 This book teaches game development and the use of Irrlicht, for readers that begin one or both of these subjects. It can serve as support for novice to intermediate programmers, providing code snippets and explanations about the problems discussed. The text also functions as a roadmap; it presents hints and introduces several techniques from fiels like A.I., that can be further studied and applied in games by the readers. A good knowledge of C and curiosity are the minimum requirements to read this book, based on the experience of many author´s students. The topics covered include: * common groundings: movement equations and basic vector math, collision of objects, animation loop and timing...; * using the engine: loading 3D models, animated models, textures, setting a camera, treating events, GUI overview; * sceneries: skyboxes, terrains, fog, shadows, particle systems; * techniques for NPC control and guidance; * examples of how to extend Irrlicht classes. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 14:32:50 +0000 9802a535bbdbcec203871db6d9595586 http://www.gamedev.net/page/books/index.html/_/technical/apis-and-tools/game-development-tools-r1431 This book brings the insights of game professionals, DCC creators, hardware vendors, and current researchers together into a collection that focuses on the most underrepresented and critical part of game production: tools development. The first gems-type book dedicated to game tools, this volume focuses on practical, implementable tools for game development professionals. Topics range from asset tracking to improving remote version control performance to robust and efficient IO. Technical artists, as well as game play, audio, and graphics programmers will find new tools to improve work flow and help build games faster.