Libgdx Cross-platform Game Development Cookbook: Harness LibGDX to create cross-platform 2D games with more than 75 practical recipes covering everything from AI to building LibGDX Bitmap fonts
If you want to make cross-platform games without the hassle and dangers of writing platform-specific code, or If you are a game programmer who may have some experience with Java and you want to learn everything you need to know about Libgdx to produce awesome work, this is the book for you. To take full advantage of the recipes in this book, you are expected to be familiar with java with good game programming knowledge.
What you will learn
Wield the power of the 2D graphics API; get to grips with textures, atlases, particles, fonts, and shaders
Manage input from different devices, including touch, keyboard, mouse, gamepad, and accelerometer
Increase player immersion with the Libgdx audio API
Quickly design maps with an editor and load them directly into your game
Exploit the 2D stage features to build great user interfaces
Create amazing physics simulations with Box2D
Master the deployment process and reach a wide audience
Awesome book! Sometimes a little challenging to understand but really helpful. I recommend a bit of experience with java, and maybe also a little knowledge with libgdx first, to get you going better!
Amazon Verified review
Richard PorteousJul 30, 2015
5
A very good book on libgdx. Starting to show its age very fast as all detailed programming books do. Had no difficulty getting this to work with Android studio and the latest version of libgdx. Minor corrections needed
Amazon Verified review
KrasimirDec 15, 2014
5
First I should mention that it took me a while to decide whether I should start using AndEngine or Libgdx. After serious research my conclusions were that Libgdx is the better option. The reasons are that it’s still being updated and code testing is much faster. At this point the learning resources for Libgdx are basically two – the tutorials on their website and this book. Currently there is only one book more which is said to be outdated. As a beginner I decided to start learning from the book first because books tend to have some structure. And I must say that the book is indeed very well structured and there are a lot of useful details. At first I was expecting to have some problems with comprehending the material but the authors did a very good job in explaining with layman’s terms. If I have to be honest - you can actually feel the amount of work spent on this book. While going through this book, I learned how to work with Libgdx’s 2D API and create complex 2D effects such as particles, shaders, etc. Now I also know how to set up nice background music in my game and how to create a good looking text. There is a lot of material covered on the topic of optimisation which is crucial for smooth running on phones. I think that the tip of the iceberg is the chapter about third-party libraries and extras. It is very useful because it covers the most popular “goodies” used with Libgdx. This includes – multilingual support, skeleton animation, lighting and software architecture. This book is truly a “game development cookbook” because it explains everything needed to build a professionally looking game. I would like to thank the whole team and especially the authors for their amazing work. I recommend this book.
Amazon Verified review
SquidNov 05, 2016
5
Great book. I have 2 apps in the play store with this book's help. HOWEVER as of writing it is a tad dated. There are new ways to setup the library. Some framework has changed. ESPECIALLY Since RoboVM has died (which allows you to port to iPhone - all the alternatives are workarounds I found them cumbersome). If you are pushing for Android/Desktop this book is great. I would recommend Cocos2Dx or SDL or Cordova if you want to do fully cross-platform development.
A subscription provides you with full access to view all Packt and licnesed content online, this includes exclusive access to Early Access titles. Depending on the tier chosen you can also earn credits and discounts to use for owning content
How can I cancel my subscription?
To cancel your subscription with us simply go to the account page - found in the top right of the page or at https://subscription.packtpub.com/my-account/subscription - From here you will see the ‘cancel subscription’ button in the grey box with your subscription information in.
What are credits?
Credits can be earned from reading 40 section of any title within the payment cycle - a month starting from the day of subscription payment. You also earn a Credit every month if you subscribe to our annual or 18 month plans. Credits can be used to buy books DRM free, the same way that you would pay for a book. Your credits can be found in the subscription homepage - subscription.packtpub.com - clicking on ‘the my’ library dropdown and selecting ‘credits’.
What happens if an Early Access Course is cancelled?
Projects are rarely cancelled, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If an Early Access course is cancelled or excessively delayed, you can exchange your purchase for another course. For further details, please contact us here.
Where can I send feedback about an Early Access title?
If you have any feedback about the product you're reading, or Early Access in general, then please fill out a contact form here and we'll make sure the feedback gets to the right team.
Can I download the code files for Early Access titles?
We try to ensure that all books in Early Access have code available to use, download, and fork on GitHub. This helps us be more agile in the development of the book, and helps keep the often changing code base of new versions and new technologies as up to date as possible. Unfortunately, however, there will be rare cases when it is not possible for us to have downloadable code samples available until publication.
When we publish the book, the code files will also be available to download from the Packt website.
How accurate is the publication date?
The publication date is as accurate as we can be at any point in the project. Unfortunately, delays can happen. Often those delays are out of our control, such as changes to the technology code base or delays in the tech release. We do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the publication date at any given time, and as more chapters are delivered, the more accurate the delivery date will become.
How will I know when new chapters are ready?
We'll let you know every time there has been an update to a course that you've bought in Early Access. You'll get an email to let you know there has been a new chapter, or a change to a previous chapter. The new chapters are automatically added to your account, so you can also check back there any time you're ready and download or read them online.
I am a Packt subscriber, do I get Early Access?
Yes, all Early Access content is fully available through your subscription. You will need to have a paid for or active trial subscription in order to access all titles.
How is Early Access delivered?
Early Access is currently only available as a PDF or through our online reader. As we make changes or add new chapters, the files in your Packt account will be updated so you can download them again or view them online immediately.
How do I buy Early Access content?
Early Access is a way of us getting our content to you quicker, but the method of buying the Early Access course is still the same. Just find the course you want to buy, go through the check-out steps, and you’ll get a confirmation email from us with information and a link to the relevant Early Access courses.
What is Early Access?
Keeping up to date with the latest technology is difficult; new versions, new frameworks, new techniques. This feature gives you a head-start to our content, as it's being created. With Early Access you'll receive each chapter as it's written, and get regular updates throughout the product's development, as well as the final course as soon as it's ready.We created Early Access as a means of giving you the information you need, as soon as it's available. As we go through the process of developing a course, 99% of it can be ready but we can't publish until that last 1% falls in to place. Early Access helps to unlock the potential of our content early, to help you start your learning when you need it most. You not only get access to every chapter as it's delivered, edited, and updated, but you'll also get the finalized, DRM-free product to download in any format you want when it's published. As a member of Packt, you'll also be eligible for our exclusive offers, including a free course every day, and discounts on new and popular titles.