Blazing through the excitement generated by the first volume, Game Programming Gems II is here with an entirely new set of innovative ideas, techniques,and algorithms. Game developers of all levels will find insightful tips and tools from this unique collection.Written by game programming experts,each contribution provides a hands-on solution to a programming problem, or a creative method for reducing programming time and redundancy.

Edited by Mark DeLoura,Editor-In-Chief of Game Developer magazine and a group of top-notch area editors,this collection covers the major topics needed to develop a state-of-the-art game engine and provides all new coverage of audio issues. From animation and artificial intelligence to Z-buffering, lighting calculations,weather effects, curved surfaces, audio tools,multiplayer Internet gaming, music and sound effects, all of the major techniques needed to develop a competitive game engine are covered.

All of the source code for each algorithm is included and can be used by advanced programmers immediately.For aspiring game programmers,the text for each algorithm explains the algorithm in detail, gives suggestions for beneficial modifications and optimizations, and includes references to related material.

Features

• An all new collection of original tools for game programmers!
• New section on Audio tools and techniques
• 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.

Table of Contents

MATHEMATICS: Algebraic Techniques,Trigonometry and Geometry,Linear Algebra,Matrix and Vector Operations,Advanced Mathematics,Ray/ Polygon/Polyhedra Instersection Algorithms,Handling Large Amounts of Polygonal Data,Triangle Stripification and Fanning Algorithms,Using 2D and 3D Billboards,LIGHTING: Multi-texturing to Achieve Lighting Effects,Shadow Algorithms,Using Simple Radiosity,Projected Texture Lights, TEXTURING: Using Texture Matrices,Bump Mapping,Cubic Environment Mapping,Procedural Textural Mapping,DYNAMIC POLYGON CONTROL: Parametric Curves and Surfaces,Subdivision Surfaces,Multi-resolution Meshes,Spatial Partitioning Schemes,Camera Techniques/ Movement Techniques GRAPHIC EFFECTS: How to do Lens Flares,Weather Techniques,Sky Domes,Effective Clouds and Fog,Aliasing Effects (Anti-Aliasing,Motion Blur,Depth-of-Field),Teleport Portals,Particle Systems ANIMATION: Inverse Kinematics,Blending Keyframed Animations, Solid Skinning vs.Hierarchical Skeletons,Using Motion Capture Data ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Finite State Machines,Heuristic Tree Searches, Flocking and Crowding Behavior,Path Planning and the A*Algorithm,MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS: Blending Phrases in Interactive Music, Dynamic Audio Generation,Simulating a 3D Sound-Effect Environment,Using Music Cues to Initiate Game Events NETWORKED PLAY:Minimizing Latency in the Network Pipeline,Dead Reckoning Algorithms,Client/Server Design,Encryption Techniques.

Mark DeLoura is the editor-in-chief of Game Developer magazine and the former software engineering lead at Nintendo of America, Inc.He has also worked independently as a game developer and has written for a number of industry publications.