Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbook: This book goes further than the basic manuals to help you exploit Microsoft XNA to create fantastic virtual worlds and effects in your 2D or 3D games. Includes 35 essential recipes for game developers.

Luke Drumm

€41.99

5 (1 Ratings)

Paperback Jun 2012 356 pages 1st Edition

Luke Drumm

€41.99

5 (1 Ratings)

Paperback Jun 2012 356 pages 1st Edition

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Key benefits

Accelerate your XNA learning with a myriad of tips and tricks to solve your everyday problems
Get to grips with adding special effects, virtual atmospheres and computer controlled characters with this book and e-book
A fast-paced cookbook packed with screenshots to illustrate each advanced step by step task
Apply the techniques learned for wiring games for PC, Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7

Description

Microsoft XNA attempts to free game developers from writing "repetitive boilerplate code", allowing them to focus on producing enjoyable gameplay rather than tedious and complicated setup. The Framework has reduced the once steep learning curve for game development, transforming it into something more attainable, and this cookbook will help you to take full advantage of XNA to bring reality into your virtual worlds. "Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbook" is the perfect resource for propelling your game development capabilities from the simple 2D demo towards engaging and exciting, professional looking games. With a diverse selection of game-related topics covered, discover how to create rich 2D and 3D worlds filled with interesting characters, detailed scenery and dynamic special effects applicable to PC, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone 7 game play. There is no shortage of introductory texts available for XNA, a number of which are fantastic for getting started with simple 2D games, but "Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbook"ù will help you take the steps to start producing games that have deeper gameplay, compelling graphics and that little bit of extra polish! The book's recipes will get you up and going quickly with the next level of game features such as 3D graphics, AI, and network play. With this practical cookbook to hand, even the more experienced developer will be better equipped to achieve high level tasks with XNA in a quick and efficient manner.

Who is this book for?

If you are an XNA developer who has already successfully mastered simple 2D and 3D XNA tasks, dive into "Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbook"ù for something more challenging. You should be comfortable with the basics of the XNA framework, and have experience with C#.

What you will learn

Dive straight in to creating Special Effects like shadows, smoke and explosions
Get up to speed with creating both 2D and 3D terrain, including height maps and block worlds
Create more natural character animation with shortcuts like motion capture through Kinect and Rag Doll physics
Create 3D objects like spheres, tori and trees with code instead of modeling software
Add atmosphere to your world with virtual water, sky and clouds
Understand how to set the foundation for multiplayer gaming with networking

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What do you get with Print?

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Paperback book shipped to your preferred address

Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats

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DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want

Frequently bought together

XNA 4.0 Game Development by Example: Beginner's Guide

€37.99

€41.99

XNA 4 3D Game Development by Example: Beginner's Guide

€41.99

Total € 121.97

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Shipping Details

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Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

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Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

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Caleb Sep 27, 2012

If you are considering purchasing Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbook by Luke Drumm, I would highly recommend it with one caveat: this is not for the absolute beginner. You should have a decent basis in 2D programming and some experience in 3D. I feel Mr. Drumm has propelled me from being an advanced beginner to an intermediate game programmer as I now understand much more of the logic that goes into game creation. Buy the book, work the solutions and study the logic that went into creating these recipes, then experiment! Mr. Drumm will help you take your games to another level both visually and interactively as you work through fascinating recipes and design stunning effects, create interactive AI, and implement physics. To understand my review, you need to understand my background a little. I am a fairly new to the world of programming (accountant by trade). I started off with very basic stuff 3 years ago in Microsoft Excel and have really advanced into making small business applications, but I was bored with that (accounting is boring work, especially programming for accountants). I began learning C# and the XNA framework 1 year ago (I took 8 months off to take the CPA exam), and have been grasping at straws trying to advance. I have a basic understanding from tons of research and a couple of books that I have read, but was looking to take my skills further and begin developing in 3D. That is when I found Luke Drumm's book. Upon obtaining this book, I felt overwhelmed. After trying for a few hours and failing, I figured out that the book, while very written well, should be reorganized just a bit to eliminate the same confusion I had. To all new readers of this book, start with Chapter 3! After my initial confusion and not understanding this stuff, I was able plug through it and find out just how amazing these recipes are. I particularly like the sections where Mr. Drumm explains how it works. For myself personally, I found it easier (to understand why I was doing something and results it makes) to read the "how it works" part of each section before generating the code. I definitely see the benefit of incorporating many of these recipes into my games as you do not have to deal with the frustration of model imports and it can be extremely easy to randomly generate customized and/or random objects on your screen with the code designed elements developed here. These recipes create some very aesthetically pleasing elements. The special effects are ones that I will use in conjunction with one another on a regular basis. They are realistic looking and add a whole new dimension to my games. Between solar flare, explosions, and smoke, I can create many mainstream effects now with minimal effort. Up to this point, I was only ever able to create extremely simple 3D operations, but with the addition of some of these cookbook items, it really doesn't look like a novice created them. Some of the AI pieces involved here seem pretty complex, but they form the basis for enemies and interactive pieces within the game structure. This book has proven immensely helpful to me in this area. The section on decentralized behavior was quite interesting and I found the concept to be quite challenging. I look forward to developing my first full 3D game and implementing networking and multiplayer capabilities. I am now jumping head first into the exciting (and frustrating) world of game development. Now, I just wish I could do this full time! I can tell, after just one read through, that I will be using this book and referencing it for quite some time to come. It has definitely propelled me from beginner 2D programming into the fascinating world of 3D game design! This book will be used as my XNA bible until I master all of the techniques that are relevant to my designs. I still can't believe how professional my games now look!Things I would like to see in the second version:This book could actually be way longer or broken down into two books. I would like to see more on model manipulation, working with physics engines, and animation. Also, since I do not come from a programming background, it would be nice to have more robust explanations on why we are doing what we are doing, and possibly mix that in with the coding. Another thing that I would like to see is the book organized in a way that develops a complete (albeit very simple) game that incorporates the techniques used so I could see it action.Thank you, Luke Drumm, for helping me take my game designs to new heights.Sincerely, Caleb Hunyadi, CPA, MBA

Amazon Verified review

Microsoft XNA 4.0 Game Development Cookbook: This book goes further than the basic manuals to help you exploit Microsoft XNA to create fantastic virtual worlds and effects in your 2D or 3D games. Includes 35 essential recipes for game developers.

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