Game Development books

Explore modern game development and programming techniques to build games using Python and its popular libraries such as Pygame and PyOpenGL Key Features Learn game development and Python through a practical, example-driven approach Discover a variety of game development techniques to build games that gradually increase in complexity Leverage popular Python gaming libraries such as Pygame, PyOpenGL, Pymunk, and Pyglet Book Description A fun and interactive way to get started with the Python language and its libraries is by getting hands-on with game development. Learning Python by Building Games brings you the best of both worlds. The book will first introduce you to Python fundamentals, which you will then use to develop a basic game. You'll gradually explore the different Python libraries best suited for game development such as Pygame, Pyglet, and PyOpenGL. From building game characters through to using 3D animation techniques, you'll discover how to create an aesthetic game environment. In addition to this, you'll focus on game physics to give your effects a realistic feel, complete with movements and collisions. The book will also cover how you can use particle systems to simulate phenomena such as an explosion or smoke. In later chapters, you will gain insights into object-oriented programming by modifying a snake game, along with exploring GUI programming to build a user interface with Python's turtle module. By the end of this book, you'll be well-versed with Python programming concepts and popular libraries, and have the confidence to build your own games What you will learn Explore core Python concepts by understanding Python libraries Build your first 2D game using Python scripting Understand concepts such as decorators and properties in the Python ecosystem Create animations and movements by building a Flappy Bird-like game Design game objects and characters using Pygame, PyOpenGL, and Pymunk Add intelligence to your gameplay by incorporating game artificial intelligence (AI) techniques using Python Who this book is for If you are completely new to Python or game programming and want to develop your programming skills, then this book is for you. The book also acts as a refresher for those who already have experience of using Python and want to learn how to build exciting games.

A comprehensive guide with coverage on AudioFX, Particle system, shaders, sequencers, and the latest features of Unreal 4.19 that will take your game development skills to the next level Key Features Create a high-performance Combat game using the essential features of Unreal Engine 4.18+. Master the complex competitive features needed in modern games such as Volumetric Lightmaps and Precomputed Lighting on Volumetric Fog, and build an impressive UI. Experience not only VR support for your game but also the inbuilt support of Apple's ARKit and Google's ARCore with UE4's newly released support for these platforms. Book Description To make a basic combat game from scratch, you will quickly override existing UE4 classes, and add and implement simple C++ functions while running and building them. These are all discussed as a short summary for new developers and as a quick refresher for experienced developers. Next, you will build a combat player character with expanded controls, create logic for a character, swap weapons, attack and move, bridge over scene changes and transitions, retain data between scenes, and manage the scene-change process. You will then build an intelligent enemy AI and add physics based particles for weapon impacts. You will also get acquainted with cutting-edge features such as Volumetric Lightmaps for precomputed lighting, and Atmospheric and Volumetric Fog, to build advanced visuals in our ongoing GitHub project. Moving on, you will explore the tools required to build an in-game cut-scene for a more professional gameplay experience and story direction. Along the way, you will implement a solid game UI, including writing a full in-game load and save system that will enable players to resume their game from any point. You will also prepare, build, and work on VR and AR taking them from editor to real-world, building two new projects one in each of these brand new areas of UE4 and integrate classes from the main project into AR! By the end of the book, you will have mastered all major UE features and will be able to bring self-imagined games to life through Unreal Engine 4.18+. What you will learn The fundamentals of a combat-based game that will let you build and work all other systems from the core gameplay: the input, inventory, A.I. enemies, U.I., and audio Manage performance tools and branching shaders based on platform capabilities in the Material Editor Explore scene or level transitions and management strategies Improve visuals using UE4 systems such as Volumetric Lightmaps, Precomputed Lighting, and Cutscenes Implement audio-to-animation timelines and trigger them from visual FX Integrate Augmented Reality into a game with UE4's brand new ARKit and ARCore support Perform almost any game logic needed via Blueprint Visual Scripting, and know when to implement it in Blueprint as opposed to C++ Who this book is for This book is for game developers who want to build high-performance games with amazing UIs. Experience with C++ is required and some knowledge of working with Unreal Engine 4 would be an advantage.

Embrace the mobile gaming revolution by creating popular iOS games with Swift 4.2 Key Features Learn to create games for iPhone and iPad with the latest Swift Programming language Understand the fundamental concepts of game development like game physics, camera action, sprites, controls, among others Build Augmented reality games using ARKit for true performance Book Description Swift is the perfect choice for game development. Developers are intrigued by Swift and want to make use of new features to develop their best games yet. Packed with best practices and easy-to-use examples, this book leads you step by step through the development of your first Swift game. The book starts by introducing Swift's best features – including its new ones for game development. Using SpriteKit, you will learn how to animate sprites and textures. Along the way, you will master physics, animations, and collision effects and how to build the UI aspects of a game. You will then work on creating a 3D game using the SceneKit framework. Further, we will look at how to add monetization and integrate Game Center. With iOS 12, we see the introduction of ARKit 2.0. This new version allows us to integrate shared experiences such as multiplayer augmented reality and persistent AR that is tied to a specific location so that the same information can be replicated on all connected devices. In the next section, we will dive into creating Augmented Reality games using SpriteKit and SceneKit. Then, finally, we will see how to create a Multipeer AR project to connect two devices, and send and receive data back and forth between those devices in real time. By the end of this book, you will be able to create your own iOS games using Swift and publish them on the iOS App Store. What you will learn Deliver powerful graphics, physics, and sound in your game by using SpriteKit and SceneKit Set up a scene using the new capabilities of the scene editor and custom classes Maximize gameplay with little-known tips and strategies for fun, repeatable action Make use of animations, graphics, and particles to polish your game Understand the current mobile monetization landscape Integrate your game with Game Center Develop 2D and 3D Augmented Reality games using Apple's new ARKit framework Publish your game to the App Store Who this book is for If you wish to create and publish iOS games using Swift, then this book is for you. No prior game development or experience with Apple ecosystem is needed.

Learn how to use Unreal Engine 4 by building 3D and multiplayer games using Blueprints Key Features Learn the fundamentals of Unreal Engine such as project templates, Blueprints, and C++ Learn to design games; use UMG to create menus and HUDs, and replication to create multiplayer games Build dynamic game elements using Animation Blueprints and Behavior Trees Book Description Unreal Engine is a popular game engine for developers to build high-end 2D and 3D games. This book is a practical guide, starting off by quickly introducing you to the Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) ecosystem. You will learn how to create Blueprints and C++ code to define your game's functionality. You will be familiarized with the core systems of UE4 such as UMG, Animation Blueprints, and Behavior Trees. You will also learn how to use replication to create multiplayer games. By the end of this book, you will have a broad, solid knowledge base to expand upon on your journey with UE4. What you will learn Use project templates to give your game a head start Create custom Blueprints and C++ classes and extend from Epic's base classes Use UMG to create menus and HUDs for your game Create more dynamic characters using Animation Blueprints Learn how to create complex AI with Behavior Trees Use replication to create multiplayer games Optimize, test, and deploy a UE4 project Who this book is for Readers who already have some game development experience and Unity users who would like to try UE4 will all benefit from this book. Knowledge of basic Object-Oriented Programming topics such as variables, functions, and classes is assumed.

Build optimized, efficient, and real-time applications that are production-ready using Unreal Engine's Material Editor Key Features Create stunning visual effects for 3D games and high-quality graphics Design efficient Shaders for mobile platforms without sacrificing their realism Discover what goes into the structure of Shaders and why lighting works the way it does Book Description Unreal Engine 4 is a powerful game engine, one which has seen a recent boost in widespread adoption thanks to its ease of use and the powerful rendering pipeline that it packs. Seeing as how it's relatively easy to create stunning presentations and visuals, Unreal has quickly become a strong contender in industries where this kind of software had been previously denied entry. With that in mind, this book aims to help you get the most out of Unreal Engine 4 - from creating awe-inspiring graphics to delivering optimized experiences to your users. This is possible thanks to a mixture of hands-on experience with real materials and the theory behind them. You will immediately know how to create that material that you want to display, and you'll also end up with the knowledge that will let you know how to control it. All of this will be done without losing sight of two key components of any real-time application - optimization, and efficiency. The materials that you create will be light and efficient, and they will vary depending on your target platform. You'll know which techniques can be used in any kind of device and which ones should be kept to high-end machines, giving you the confidence to tackle any material-related task that you can imagine. Hop onboard and discover how! What you will learn Master Unreal Engine's rendering pipeline for developing real-time graphics Use physically based rendering (PBR) for building materials and lighting solutions Build optimized materials for games targeting multiple platforms Understand Unreal Engine's node and functions for creating desirable effects Design and build production-ready shaders Explore Unreal Engine's Material Editor for building complex materials and textures Who this book is for This book is for developers who want to create their first Shaders in Unreal Engine 4 or wish to take their game to a whole new level by adding professional post-processing effects. A solid understanding of Unreal is required to get the most from this book.

Write efficient, reusable scripts to build custom characters, game environments, and control enemy AI Key Features Build captivating multiplayer games using Unreal Engine and C++ Incorporate existing C++ libraries into your game to add extra functionality such as hardware integration Practical solutions for memory management, error handling, inputs, and collision for your game codebase Book Description Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) is a popular and award-winning game engine that powers some of the most popular games. A truly powerful tool for game development, there has never been a better time to use it for both commercial and independent projects. With more than 100 recipes, this book shows how to unleash the power of C++ while developing games with Unreal Engine. This book takes you on a journey to jumpstart your C++ and UE4 development skills. You will start off by setting up UE4 for C++ development and learn how to work with Visual Studio, a popular code editor. You will learn how to create C++ classes and structs the Unreal way. This will be followed by exploring memory management, smart pointers, and debugging your code. You will then learn how to make your own Actors and Components through code and how to handle input and collision events. You will also get exposure to many elements of game development including creating user interfaces, artificial intelligence, and writing code with networked play in mind. You will also learn how to add on to the Unreal Editor itself. With a range of task-oriented recipes, this book provides actionable information about writing code for games with UE4 using C++. By the end of the book, you will be empowered to become a top-notch developer with UE4 using C++ as your scripting language! What you will learn Create C++ classes and structs that integrate well with UE4 and the Blueprints editor Discover how to work with various APIs that Unreal Engine already contains Utilize advanced concepts such as events, delegates, and interfaces in your UE4 projects Build user interfaces using Canvas and UMG through C++ Extend the Unreal Editor by creating custom windows and editors Implement AI tasks and services using C++, Blackboard, and Behavior Trees Write C++ code with networking in mind and replicate properties and functions Who this book is for If you are really passionate game developer looking for solutions to common scripting problems, then this is the book for you. Understanding of the fundamentals of game design and C++ is expected to get the most from this book.

Design and Develop feature-rich professional 3D games using Visual Scripting System in Unreal Engine 4 Key Features Create exhilarating and interactive 3D games with Unreal Engine 4 Blueprints Take your game designs from inspiration to a fully playable game without writing a single line of code Learn to use visual scripting to develop gameplay mechanics, UI, visual effects, AI, and more Book Description The Blueprints Visual Scripting system helps you to create gameplay elements from within Unreal Engine. This book will provide you with the essential foundation to learn how to build complex game mechanics quickly and easily without writing any code. Starting off with the basic setup of fundamental game components, you will gradually move on to build your first minimalistic 3D platformer game that will introduce creating basic movement along with a simple quest system. You will create a survival maze game and learn all about adding additional features to the game, such as audio, special effects, and AI, using Blueprints. Finally, you will learn how to build a multiplayer game that is playable over a network with other players. By the end of this book, you will have completed three awesome projects and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to create complex games with AI, amazing interfaces, immersive environments, and exciting multiplayer experiences. What you will learn Set up Unreal Engine and all of its foundational components Add basic movement to game objects and create collision mechanism Design and implement interfaces to extend player interaction Create a dynamically filling inventory system along with a UI to interact with it Add audio effects based on triggered events to various parts of the game environment Use analytic information to tune their game values Create complex enemy AI that can sense the world around it in a multiplayer game Deploy your game to multiple platforms and share it with the world Who this book is for If you are new to game development or just staring out with Unreal Engine 4's Blueprint Visual Scripting system, then this book is for you. No prior game design or development experience is required. Basic knowledge of the Unreal Engine is preferred but not essential.