Do you like video games? Do you buy video games for your children, or maybe for yourself? Do wonder why it is that these games cost so much when you go to your favorite "big box" store? Do you wish there was a cheaper way to get these games? If so, this book, "How to Get Video Games Cheaply," is for you. A video game fan for many years of his life, author Paul J. Blom Jr. breaks down the leg work for you, and explains why getting games at the "big box" retailers is the worst possible thing you can do. No endless pages to read, no endless amount of details. This book cuts straight to the chase and explains how getting games on the Internet will save you a fistful dollars, regardless of what device you own, whether it is old, new, or brand new. "How to Get Video Games Cheaply," available both in paperback and on Kindle.

A step-by-step guide that paves the way for developing fantastic games with Unreal Engine 4 About This Book * Learn about game development and the building blocks that go into creating a game * A simple tutorial for beginners to get acquainted with the Unreal Engine architecture * Learn about the features and functionalities of Unreal Engine 4 and how to use them to create your own games Who This Book Is For If you are new to game development and want to learn how games are created using Unreal Engine 4, this book is the right choice for you. You do not need prior game development experience, but it is expected that you have played games before. Knowledge of C++ would prove to be useful. What You Will Learn * Learn what a game engine is, the history of Unreal Engine, and how game studios create games * Explore the Unreal Engine 4 editor controls and learn how to use the editor to create a room in a game level * Understand the basic structures of objects in a game, such as the differences between BSP and static meshes * Make objects interactive using level blueprints * Learn more about computer graphics rendering; how materials and light are rendered in your game * Get acquainted with the Material Editor to create materials and use different types of lights in the game levels * Utilize the various editors, tools, and features such as UI, the particle system, audio, terrain manipulation, and cinematics in Unreal Engine 4 to create game levels In Detail Unreal Engine 4 is a powerful game development engine that provides rich functionalities to create 2D and 3D games across multiple platforms. Many people know what a game is and they play games every day, but how many of them know how to create a game? Unreal Engine technology powers hundreds of games, and thousands of individuals have built careers and companies around skills developed using this engine. Learning Unreal Engine 4 Game Development starts with small, simple game ideas and playable projects that you can actually finish. The book first teaches you the basics of using Unreal Engine to create a simple game level. Then, you'll learn how to add details such as actors, animation, effects, and so on to the game. The complexity will increase over the chapters and the examples chosen will help you learn a wide variety of game development techniques. This book aims to equip you with the confidence and skills to design and build your own games using Unreal Engine 4. By the end of this book, you'll have learnt about the entire Unreal suite and know how to successfully create fun, simple games. Style and approach This book explains in detail what goes into the development of a game, provides hands-on examples that you can follow to create the different components of a game, and provides sufficient background/theory to equip you with a solid foundation for creating your own games.

Get to know techniques and approaches to procedurally generate game content in C++ using Simple and Fast Multimedia Library About This Book * This book contains a bespoke Simple and Fast Multimedia Library (SFML) game engine with complete online documentation * Through this book, you'll create games that are non-predictable and dynamic and have a high replayability factor * Get a breakdown of the key techniques and approaches applied to a real game. Who This Book Is For If you are a game developer who is familiar with C++ and is looking to create bigger and more dynamic games, then this book is for you. The book assumes some prior experience with C++, but any intermediate concepts are clarified in detail. No prior experience with SFML is required. What You Will Learn * Discover the systems and ideology that lie at the heart of procedural systems * Use Random number generation (RNG) with C++ data types to create random but controlled results * Build levels procedurally with randomly located items and events * Create dynamic game objects at runtime * Construct games using a component-based approach * Assemble non-predictable game events and scenarios * Operate procedural generation to create dynamic content fast and easily * Generate game environments for endless replayability In Detail Procedural generation is a growing trend in game development. It allows developers to create games that are bigger and more dynamic, giving the games a higher level of replayability. Procedural generation isn't just one technique, it's a collection of techniques and approaches that are used together to create dynamic systems and objects. C++ is the industry-standard programming language to write computer games. It's at the heart of most engines, and is incredibly powerful. SFML is an easy-to-use, cross-platform, and open-source multimedia library. Access to computer hardware is broken into succinct modules, making it a great choice if you want to develop cross-platform games with ease. Using C++ and SFML technologies, this book will guide you through the techniques and approaches used to generate content procedurally within game development. Throughout the course of this book, we'll look at examples of these technologies, starting with setting up a roguelike project using the C++ template. We'll then move on to using RNG with C++ data types and randomly scattering objects within a game map. We will create simple console examples to implement in a real game by creating unique and randomised game items, dynamic sprites, and effects, and procedurally generating game events. Then we will walk you through generating random game maps. At the end, we will have a retrospective look at the project. By the end of the book, not only will you have a solid understanding of procedural generation, but you'll also have a working roguelike game that you will have extended using the examples provided. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide where each topic is explained clearly and thoroughly through the use of a bespoke example, then implemented in a real game project.

A humorous look at what happens when a normal, happy person sinks into the dark world of mobile apps and tablets.

Create 'AAA' quality game audio with new features and tools built for Unity About This Book * Explore the basics of audio development in Unity to create spatial sound, mixing, effects, composition, adaptive audio and more. * Leverage the Audio Mixer of Unity 5.x to create blockbuster sound and music for your game. * Learn about developing professional audio for games with FMOD Studio and composing original music with Reaper. * Build amazing audio synchronized graphic visualizations with Unity. * Understand how real-time character lip syncing can be implemented. Who This Book Is For The ideal target audience for this book will be game developers, both Indie as well as semi pro. No prior knowledge of Unity and audio development is assumed, What You Will Learn * Develop game audio and other audio effects with Unity * Getting familiar with the new Audio Mixer introduced in Unity 5 * Implement dynamic and adaptive audio using various tools and strategies * Explore interesting ways to incorporate audio into a game with sound visualization * Use 3rd party professional audio development tools like FMOD * Compose original music and record vocals * Understand and troubleshoot audio performance issues In Detail Game Audio is one of the key components in making a game successful and it is quite popular in the gaming industry. So if you are a game developer with an eye on capturing the gamer market then this book is the right solution for you. In this book, we will take you through a step by step journey which will teach you to implement original and engaging soundtracks and SFX with Unity 5.x. You will be firstly introduced to the basics of game audio and sound development in Unity. After going through the core topics of audio development: audio sources, spatial sound, mixing, effects, and more; you will then have the option of delving deeper into more advanced topics like dynamic and adaptive audio. You will also learn to develop dynamic and adaptive audio using the Unity Audio Mixer. Further, you will learn how professional third party tools like FMOD are used for audio development in Unity. You will then go through the creation of sound visualization techniques and creating your own original music using the simple yet powerful audio workstation Reaper. Lastly, you will go through tips, techniques and strategies to help you optimize game audio performance or troubleshoot issues. At the end of the book, you'll have gained the skills to implement professional sound and music. Along with a good base knowledge audio and music principles you can apply across a range of other game development tools. Style and approach This book will have a step by step practical approach where downloadable free games will be given with the book and readers will be free to work with them.

Master the advanced concepts of game development for iOS to build impressive games About This Book * Create a complete game with advanced techniques through the course of the book using in-depth, hands-on instructions * Learn how to multi-task and improve performance optimization in your game playing experience * The author, Miguel, has 11 years of iOS game development using xcode and has released over 10 games to the Apple AppStoreMaster player movement using touch controls as well as discuss motion controls Who This Book Is For This book is for those who have created an iOS game already and want to hone their skills. A reasonable level of knowledge and an understanding of the core elements and applications would be helpful. What You Will Learn * Blast off and start developing fun games * Optimize the assets for the best performance in the game app * Master player movement using touch controls as well as discuss motion controls * Perform bug Squashing by testing and debugging * Design interesting various characters and enemies for your game * Test your game on both, the simulator on the computer and on real devices * Tweak and fine tune the code and graphics before the release of your app * Uncover some awesome new gameplay by adding in multiplayer elements, to get more people playing together In Detail iOS is an operating system for Apple manufactured phones and tablets. Mobile gaming is one of the fastest-growing industries, and compatibility with iOS is now becoming the norm for game developers. SpriteKit is part of the native SDK from Apple, and enables developers to make simple entry into game development without unnecessary overhead and a long learning process. SpriteKit also provides other functionality that is useful for games, including basic sound playback support and physics simulation. In addition, Xcode provides built-in support for SpriteKit so that you can create complex special effects and texture atlases directly in Xcode. This combination of framework and tools makes SpriteKit a good choice for games and other apps that require similar kinds of animation. Become a master in iOS game development through this fast and fun guide! In the beginning, we'll tell you everything you need to plan and design your game. You'll then start developing your game through step-by-step instructions using the various built-in technologies of Xcode. From there on, we discuss how to deploy your game to the iOS App Store, as well as monetizing it to make more revenue. You will also learn advanced techniques to improve your game playing experience, including better multi-tasking, improved performance optimization, battery management, and more. To end the book off, we'll show you how to update your game with different features, then port the update to the App Store. Style and approach This book provides an easy-to-understand and fun approach to game development, with step-by-step instructions and detailed explanation of each block of code. The topics covered range from easy to advanced, so buckle up for a fast-paced ride!

Design, build, and publish an iOS game from scratch using the stunning features of iOS 9 About This Book * Create storyboards in Xcode from concept to code and design * Chalk out your game's overall navigation and structure * Work with 2D and 3D game development tools Who This Book Is For This book is intended for game developers who wish to develop 2D and 3D games for iPhone and iPad. If you are a developer from another platform, or game engine such as Android or Unity, a current iOS developer wishing to learn more about Swift and the latest features of iOS 9, or even if you are new to game development, then this book is for you. Some prior programming knowledge is recommended, but not required. What You Will Learn * Familiarise yourself with both basic and advanced Swift game development code * Understand the structure and flow of a typical iOS app * Work with the SpriteKit framework to make 2D games, sprites, and overlays * Discover 3D game development with SceneKit * Visually design levels and game assets with XCode 7's latest features * Explore the concept of component-based structuring with iOS 9's Gameplaykit * Beta test and publish your game with iTunes Connect In Detail Game development has always been a combination of programming and art, and mobile game development is no exception to this rule. The iOS platform has been both a staple in the ever-growing mobile game market, as well as a launching point for many game developers (hobby and career-wise). The features and frameworks available in iOS 9 continue to cater to the synergy of design and computer engineering, using tools that allow developers to take a game idea from concept to application in record time. Whether you are new to iOS and game development as a whole, or are an experienced programmer wanting to learn the latest features of the platform, iOS 9 Game Development Essentials will provide you with crucial insight into this widely used platform. Starting with the Swift programming language, this book gets the ball rolling with code concepts and game-centric code samples right from the get-go, giving you get a solid understanding of Apple's cutting-edge programming language. The book takes you through iOS game development concepts and introduces the various frameworks that allow you to develop robust, reusable, and intelligent game components in both 2D and 3D game environments. Style and approach This book is a step-by-step guide into the code and concepts of iOS apps. Each chapter contains diagrams that showcase the features of the platform, along with code samples from Apple and code samples exclusive to this book.

Combine the powerful UE4 with Blender to create visually appealing and comprehensive game environments About This Book * The only resource that shows how you can incorporate Blender into your Unreal Engine 4 Game environment * Create amazing 3D game environments by leveraging the power of Blender and Unreal Engine 4 * Practical step-by-step approach with plenty of illustrative examples to get you started immediately Who This Book Is For This book would be ideal for 3D artists and game designers who want to create amazing 3D game environments and leverage the power of Blender with Unreal Engine 4. 3D design basics would be necessary to get the most out of this book. Some previous experience with Blender would be helpful but not essential What You Will Learn * Create a fully functioning game level of your own design using Blender and Unreal Engine 4 * Customize your level with detailed 3D assets created with Blender * Import assets into Unreal Engine 4 to create an amazing finished product * Build a detailed dynamic environment with goals and an ending * Explore Blender's incredible animation tools to animate elements of your game * Create great environments using sound effects, particle effects, and class blueprints In Detail Unreal Engine 4 now has support for Blender, which was not available in earlier versions. This has opened up new possibilities and that is where this book comes in. This is the first book in the market combining these two powerful game and graphic engines. Readers will build an amazing high-level game environment with UE4 and will show them how to use the power of Blender 3D to create stunning animations and 3D effects for their game. This book will start with creating levels, 3D assets for the game, game progression, light and environment control, animation, and so on. Then it will teach readers to add amazing visual effects to their game by applying rendering, lighting, rigging, and compositing techniques in Blender. Finally, readers will learn how to smoothly transfer blender files to UE4 and animate the game assets. Each chapter will add complexities to the game environment. Style and approach This will have a clear, step-by-step approach to creating game assets in Blender and then importing them to UE4 to create stunning game environments. All asset creation techniques are explained in detail along with tips on how to use them to create your own game environments. The book offers end-to-end coverage of how to design a game level from scratch.