User Interface Programming for Games


Book Description

The user interface is the bridge between players and the game universe, it is the bidirectional flow of information from realtime simulation systems to the player's mind. As games have evolved, so has the need to develop intuitive, responsive and visually stunning ways for the player to interact with the game universe. User Interface Programming for Games aims to give programmers the core knowledge behind modern user interface development, provide useful techniques and recipes for well known user interface elements and insights into many of the different areas in which user interface programmers ultimately venture in the development cycle of a game. The best tool programmers can have at their disposal is a solid understanding of the mathematics and graphics programming concepts that are the foundation under any user interface system, this book explains it in a way that is relevant to user interface and game programmers alike.




User Interface Design for Programmers


Book Description

Most programmers' fear of user interface (UI) programming comes from their fear of doing UI design. They think that UI design is like graphic design—the mysterious process by which creative, latte-drinking, all-black-wearing people produce cool-looking, artistic pieces. Most programmers see themselves as analytic, logical thinkers instead—strong at reasoning, weak on artistic judgment, and incapable of doing UI design. In this brilliantly readable book, author Joel Spolsky proposes simple, logical rules that can be applied without any artistic talent to improve any user interface, from traditional GUI applications to websites to consumer electronics. Spolsky's primary axiom, the importance of bringing the program model in line with the user model, is both rational and simple. In a fun and entertaining way, Spolky makes user interface design easy for programmers to grasp. After reading User Interface Design for Programmers, you'll know how to design interfaces with the user in mind. You'll learn the important principles that underlie all good UI design, and you'll learn how to perform usability testing that works.




Game Interface Design


Book Description

"Game Interface Design" reveals design principles and techniques that enable the reader to create aesthetic and easy to use, front-end menus and in-game interfaces. The reader learns how to blend smooth functionality with stunning visuals. Standards and goals for measuring the success of an interface are presented and explained. A clear understanding of what makes a good interface can help game designers in their quest for the ultimate interface design. This book discusses principles and ideas that help the reader to design elegant interfaces. Many visual examples are provided to clearly illustrate these principles. Real world tutorials are provided to show how these principles can be applied in an actual video game interface




Game Programming Patterns


Book Description

The biggest challenge facing many game programmers is completing their game. Most game projects fizzle out, overwhelmed by the complexity of their own code. Game Programming Patterns tackles that exact problem. Based on years of experience in shipped AAA titles, this book collects proven patterns to untangle and optimize your game, organized as independent recipes so you can pick just the patterns you need. You will learn how to write a robust game loop, how to organize your entities using components, and take advantage of the CPUs cache to improve your performance. You'll dive deep into how scripting engines encode behavior, how quadtrees and other spatial partitions optimize your engine, and how other classic design patterns can be used in games.




DirectX 9 User Interfaces


Book Description

Companion CD included with Paint Shop Pro 8 evaluation edition!Interfaces strongly affect how an application or game is received by a user, no matter which cutting-edge features it may boast. This unique book presents a comprehensive solution for creating good interfaces using the latest version of DirectX. This involves building an interface library from the ground up. Divided into three sections, the book discusses the foundations of interface design, the construction of a feature-rich interface library, and the creation of a fully functional media player in DirectShow.







Game Programming in C++


Book Description

Program 3D Games in C++: The #1 Language at Top Game Studios Worldwide C++ remains the key language at many leading game development studios. Since it’s used throughout their enormous code bases, studios use it to maintain and improve their games, and look for it constantly when hiring new developers. Game Programming in C++ is a practical, hands-on approach to programming 3D video games in C++. Modeled on Sanjay Madhav’s game programming courses at USC, it’s fun, easy, practical, hands-on, and complete. Step by step, you’ll learn to use C++ in all facets of real-world game programming, including 2D and 3D graphics, physics, AI, audio, user interfaces, and much more. You’ll hone real-world skills through practical exercises, and deepen your expertise through start-to-finish projects that grow in complexity as you build your skills. Throughout, Madhav pays special attention to demystifying the math that all professional game developers need to know. Set up your C++ development tools quickly, and get started Implement basic 2D graphics, game updates, vectors, and game physics Build more intelligent games with widely used AI algorithms Implement 3D graphics with OpenGL, shaders, matrices, and transformations Integrate and mix audio, including 3D positional audio Detect collisions of objects in a 3D environment Efficiently respond to player input Build user interfaces, including Head-Up Displays (HUDs) Improve graphics quality with anisotropic filtering and deferred shading Load and save levels and binary game data Whether you’re a working developer or a student with prior knowledge of C++ and data structures, Game Programming in C++ will prepare you to solve real problems with C++ in roles throughout the game development lifecycle. You’ll master the language that top studios are hiring for—and that’s a proven route to success.




Mastering UI Development with Unity


Book Description

Master Game UI system by creating captivating user interface components with Unity 5 through Unity 2018 and C#. Learn about UI texts, images, world space UI, mobile-specific UI and much more. Key Features Develop a game UI with both technical and aesthetic considerations Use all the UI elements provided by Unity's UI system Step-by-step examples of creating user interface components in the top game genres Book Description A functional UI is an important component for player interaction in every type of video game. Along with imparting crucial statistical information to the player, the UI is also the window through which the player engages with the world established by the game. Unity's tools give you the opportunity to create complex and attractive UIs to make your game stand out. This book helps you realize the full potential of Unity's powerful tools to create the best UI for your games by walking you through the creation of myriad user interface components. Learn how to create visually engaging heads-up-displays, pause menus, health bars, circular progress bars, animated menus, and more. This book not only teaches how to lay out visual elements, but also how to program these features and implement them across multiple games of varying genres. While working through the examples provided, you will learn how to develop a UI that scales to multiple screen resolutions, so your game can be released on multiple platforms with minimal changes. What you will learn Design principles and patterns for laying out elements in your UI Techniques that allow your UI to scale appropriately in different resolutions How to use automatic layouts to streamline your UI building process Properties of the Event System and how to appropriately hook events to your UI elements Access the components and properties of UI elements via code Implement all of Unity's built-in UI elements as well as those provided by TextMeshPro Develop key UI components that are popularly used in multiple game genres Add visual flare to user interfaces with the use of animation and particle effects Create a UI that displays in the Screen Space as well as World Space Who this book is for This book is for anyone keen to improve their games via a great user interface with Unity's UI system. If you're looking for a book that explains how to develop specific user interfaces or that thoroughly explains how each of the individual Unity components work, this book is for you.




Programming the Windows 95 User Interface


Book Description

A practical insider's guide to coding the new UI features. Coverage includes implementing the new common controls, shell extensions, new environment features called shortcuts, and changes to the common dialog boxes. The disk provides all the source code and a complete application that combines a broad assortment of the new interface elements.




Beginning Game Programming with Flash


Book Description

If you are new to game programming and want to learn how to create dynamic, robust, and fun 2D games, "Beginning Game Programming with Flash" is the book for you! Written for introductory game programming students and other enthusiasts, the book begins with an overview of the Flash graphical user interface (GUI), explaining the four main components of the Flash authoring environment: the stage, timeline, tools and panels, and symbols. Once you are comfortable working with the GUI, you'll dive into using ActionScript, the language used to write code in Flash, which controls the graphics, sound files, and interactivity between the player and the game assets. As you work through the book you'll discover how to create a storyboard for a game, add animation and visual effects, insert movie clips and sound files, apply math and physics concepts to make game objects move, and develop and test a Flash game. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions walk you through each step of the game-building process, and end-of-chapter exercises, tutorials, and games-based projects help you reinforce and apply the concepts you have learned. "Beginning Game Programming with Flash" covers all the essential elements of game programming, making it a comprehensive and fun guide for beginning game programmers.