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Books > Computing & IT > Computer software packages
Taking as its point of departure the fundamental observation that games are both technical and symbolic, this collection investigates the multiple intersections between the study of computer games and the discipline of technical and professional writing. Divided into five parts, Computer Games and Technical Communication engages with questions related to workplace communities and gamic simulations; industry documentation; manuals, gameplay, and ethics; training, testing, and number crunching; and the work of games and gamifying work. In that computer games rely on a complex combination of written, verbal, visual, algorithmic, audio, and kinesthetic means to convey information, technical and professional writing scholars are uniquely poised to investigate the intersection between the technical and symbolic aspects of the computer game complex. The contributors to this volume bring to bear the analytic tools of the field to interpret the roles of communication, production, and consumption in this increasingly ubiquitous technical and symbolic medium.
Marquee Series: Microsoft Word 2010 offers a highly visual, hands-on approach to learning Microsoft Word. Ideal for 1 or 2 credit courses, this text facilitates self-paced, accelerated, and traditional learning formats. Quick success with step-by-step, project-based instruction in two- and four-page activities. Four progressive levels of case-based assessment, including the popular Marquee Challenge, ensure software mastery at the introductory level. NEW! Includes activities on preparing MLA research papers. NEW! Individual Challenge connects students' lives and interests to project goals.
Benchmark Series: Microsoft Access 2010 Level 2 builds students' intermediate-to-advanced skills in Access 2010, and helps develop critical thinking and decision-making skills. Case study assessments at chapter and unit levels test students' abilities to solve problems independently Projects-based approach creates a realistic context for learning practical skills
Have you ever seen a promising project get abandoned right when it seemed like it was getting ready to launch, or a project that always seemed like it was going to launch "next month," but took many months or even years before it actually launched? Scrum may be the solution to such woes. It is a project management methodology that, when applied faithfully, will increase the rate at which your project is completed, the enjoyment your team has while working on it, and its commercial success. Converting to scrum can be a challenge for any team, but it is particularly painful for part time, virtual, and student teams. Successful Scrumbutt helps teams quickly learn scrum project management and adapt it to their unique situations. Author Noah Dyer illustrates key techniques for maintaining a team's productivity and enthusiasm for a project across its lifetime in fun, engaging, and slightly irreverent ways. Key Features Learn key techniques for maintaining enthusiasm for your project across its lifetime and have the confidence that every hour spent on your project is having maximum benefit. Includes instructions for using Assembla and other popular and free Scrum software. This will save people time identifying and learning a software package to help implement Scrum principles. Activities to introduce people to Scrum and practice Scrum principles. These are fun ways to learn Scrum in a low pressure atmosphere where delivery and execution are not paramount. Soft Skills Sections help readers understand not only the action to be taken and the principle, but how to effectively communicate with others regarding Scrum practices, particularly problem solving. Excel templates, activities for implementing Scrum in a low tech environment and planning cards that make Scrum planning activities easier and feel more official are included for download and easy printing. Do It Now: Tips for integrating the principle in a chapter right away, even if full Scrum is not yet fully understood and achievable.
Statistical and machine learning methods have many applications in the environmental sciences, including prediction and data analysis in meteorology, hydrology and oceanography, pattern recognition for satellite images from remote sensing, management of agriculture and forests, assessment of climate change, and much more. With rapid advances in machine learning in the last decade, this book provides an urgently needed, comprehensive guide to machine learning and statistics for students and researchers interested in environmental data science. It includes intuitive explanations covering the relevant background mathematics, with examples drawn from the environmental sciences. A broad range of topics are covered, including correlation, regression, classification, clustering, neural networks, random forests, boosting, kernel methods, evolutionary algorithms, and deep learning, as well as the recent merging of machine learning and physics. End-of-chapter exercises allow readers to develop their problem-solving skills and online data sets allow readers to practise analysis of real data.
Turn your Mac into a productivity powerhouse with Office 2021! Long gone are the days when Microsoft's powerful office suite was just for Windows users. Mac enthusiasts are also able to pop open ubiquitous apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on their preferred desktop or laptop! But if you're new to Microsoft Office on the Mac--or you just need a hand with some of its latest features--you should check out Office 2021 For Macs For Dummies. This handy guide will show you how to conquer the essentials of all the key apps that make Office 2021 such a productivity booster. You'll also discover: Brand-new features, like an improved dark mode and better accessibility capabilities How to share documents directly in a collaborative setting How Microsoft's Text Predictions work in various apps in Office 2021 Ideal for Mac-lovers who can't escape the lure of Microsoft's iconic office software, Office 2021 For Macs For Dummies is a can't-miss resource that will help you successfully blend the reliable computing power of your Mac or MacBook with the productivity power of Microsoft Office.
OpenGL ES is the standard graphics API used for mobile and embedded systems. Despite its widespread use, there is a lack of material that addresses the balance of both theory and practice in OpenGL ES. JungHyun Han's Introduction to Computer Graphics with OpenGL ES achieves this perfect balance. Han's depiction of theory and practice illustrates how 3D graphics fundamentals are implemented. Theoretical or mathematical details around real-time graphics are also presented in a way that allows readers to quickly move on to practical programming. Additionally, this book presents OpenGL ES and shader code on many topics. Industry professionals, as well as, students in Computer Graphics and Game Programming courses will find this book of importance. Key Features: Presents key graphics algorithms that are commonly employed by state-of-the-art game engines and 3D user interfaces Provides a hands-on look at real-time graphics by illustrating OpenGL ES and shader code on various topics Depicts troublesome concepts using elaborate 3D illustrations so that they can be easily absorbed Includes problem sets, solutions manual, and lecture notes for those wishing to use this book as a course text.
This volume integrates multimodal theoretical frameworks with those from graphic communication and information design and applies this critical synthesis to the examination of the changes and relationships that occur when multimodal documents are distributed across various means and channels of consumption. Drawing on examples from popular newspapers and store catalogs, the book's specific focus is on documents as sets, here defined as the collective of all the assorted forms of a document published across multiple mediums and modes. This approach affords a multi-layered analysis of multimodal documents more broadly, in addition to engaging in questions about the very definition of a document and the terminology we use in relation to documents, including genres, mediums, and modes. As both a critical examination of the theoretical frameworks employed in literature on documents and a way forward for new approaches to analyzing multimodal texts, this volume is key reading for students and scholars in multimodality, graphic communication, design, media studies, and information science.
This book is designed primarily for upper level undergraduate and graduate level students taking a course in multilevel modelling and/or statistical modelling with a large multilevel modelling component. The focus is on presenting the theory and practice of major multilevel modelling techniques in a variety of contexts, using Mplus as the software tool, and demonstrating the various functions available for these analyses in Mplus, which is widely used by researchers in various fields, including most of the social sciences. In particular, Mplus offers users a wide array of tools for latent variable modelling, including for multilevel data.
Paradigm's Signature Series: Advanced Microsoft Word 2010: Desktop Publishing text offers comprehensive instruction and practice with illustrated, step-by-step instructions in advanced Word 2010 techniques. This text provides opportunities for students to use critical thinking, decision making, creativity, and collaborative learning as they plan, design, and evaluate a variety of business and personal publication formats. Comprehensive exercises with illustrated, step-by-step instructions allow students to grasp techniques easily. Full-size reproductions of the completed documents for in-chapter exercises help students visualize the expected results. Design concepts such as focus, balance, directional flow, contrast, proportion, and consistency are reinforced throughout. Interdisciplinary unit assessment activities reinforce writing and problem-solving skills within the context of Word documents. Group projects promote collaborative problem-solving. Bonus instruction on creating web pages, PowerPoint presentations, and Publisher documents included. NEW - document created for even planners and virtual office assistants NEW - enriched explanations of picture compression, grouping/ungrouping, and cropping
Benchmark Series: Microsoft Word Level 2 builds students' intermediate-to-advanced skills in Word 2010, and helps develop critical thinking and decision-making skills. Case study assessments at chapter and unit levels test students' abilities to solve problems independently Project-based approach creates a realistic context for learning practical skills.
Benchmark Series: Microsoft Excel Level 2 builds students' intermediate-to-advanced skills in Excel 2010, and helps develop critical thinking and decision-making skills. Case study assessments at chapter and unit levels test students' abilities to solve problems independently Project-based approach creates a realistic context for learning practical skills.
This second edition of C# Game Programming Cookbook for Unity 3D expounds upon the first with more details and techniques. With a fresh array of chapters, updated C# code and examples, Jeff W. Murray's book will help the reader understand structured game development in Unity unlike ever before. New to this edition is a step-by-step tutorial for building a 2D infinite runner game from the framework and scripts included in the book. The book contains a flexible and reusable framework in C# suitable for all game types. From game state handling to audio mixers to asynchronous scene loading, the focus of this book is building a reusable structure to take care of many of the most used systems. Improve your game's sound in a dedicated audio chapter covering topics such as audio mixers, fading, and audio ducking effects, or dissect a fully featured racing game with car physics, lap counting, artificial intelligence steering behaviors, and game management. Use this book to guide your way through all the required code and framework to build a multi-level arena blaster game. Features Focuses on programming, structure, and an industry-level, C#-based framework Extensive breakdowns of all the important classes Example projects illustrate and break down common and important Unity C# programming concepts, such as coroutines, singletons, static variables, inheritance, and scriptable objects. Three fully playable example games with source code: a 2D infinite runner, an arena blaster, and an isometric racing game The script library includes a base Game Manager, timed and proximity spawning, save profile manager, weapons control, artificial intelligence controllers (path following, target chasing and line-of-sight patrolling behaviors), user interface Canvas management and fading, car physics controllers, and more. Code and screenshots have been updated with the latest versions of Unity. These updates will help illustrate how to create 2D games and 3D games based on the most up-to-date methods and techniques. Experienced C# programmers will discover ways to structure Unity projects for reusability and scalability. The concepts offered within the book are instrumental to mastering C# and Unity. In his game career spanning more than 20 years, Jeff W. Murray has worked with some of the world's largest brands as a Game Designer, Programmer, and Director. A Unity user for over 14 years, he now works as a consultant and freelancer between developing his own VR games and experiments with Unity.
The book helps readers develop fundamental skills in the field of biomedical illustrations with a training approach based on step-by-step tutorials with a practical approach. Medical/scientific illustration mainly belongs to professionals in the art field or scientists trying to create artistic visualization. There is not a merging between the two, even if the demand is high. This leads to accurate scientific images with no appeal (or trivial mistakes), or appealing CSI-like images with huge scientific mistakes. This gives the fundamentals to the scientist so they can apply CG techniques that give a more scientific approach creating mistake-free images. Key Features This book provides a reference where none exist. Without overwhelming the reader with software details it teaches basic principles to give readers to fundamentals to create. Demonstrates professional artistic tools used by scientists to create better images for their work. Coverage of lighting and rendering geared specifically for scientific work that is toturoal based with a practical approach. Included are chapter tutorials, key terms and end of chapter references for Art and Scientific References for each chapter.
Marquee Series: Microsoft Access 2010 offers a highly visual, hands-on approach to learning Microsoft Access. Ideal for 1 or 2 credit courses, this text facilitates self-paced, accelerated, and traditional learning formats. Quick success with step-by-step, project-based instruction in two- and four-page activities. Four progressive levels of case-based assessment, including the popular Marquee Challenge, ensure software mastery at the introductory level. NEW! Includes activities on preparing MLA research papers. NEW! Individual Challenge connects students' lives and interests to project goals.
New to Paradigm's array of Microsoft Office texts is Guidelines for Microsoft Office 2010. Its inviting, open design gives students a guided, step-by-step approach to learning the essentials of Office 2010 with clear, easy-to-follow instructions. Two- and four-page skill activities list the steps on one page and large visuals on the other - reading is minimal. Images of the completed skills projects show students the goal for each skill. Guided end-of-chapter exercises measure achievement of learning outcomes. Creative end-of-module projects evaluate problem-solving in new situations. Includes a CD with Skills Videos demonstrating every skill plus data files and a searchable glossary.
With Paradigm's new Benchmark Series: Microsoft Access 2010 Levels 1 and 2, students build mastery skills in the Access 2010 application. Its project-based approach creates a realistic context for learning practical skills. Teaches key skills for using Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8. Mentoring instructional style guides students step-by-step in planning, creating, and managing databases to report and analyze information. Case study assessments at chapter and unit levels test students' abilities to solve problems independently. This text aligns to the Microsoft Office Specialist objectives.
The bestselling beginner's guide to Microsoft Word Whether you've used older versions of this popular program or have never processed a single word, this hands-on guide gets you going with the latest version of Microsoft Word. In no time, you'll begin editing, formatting, proofing, and dressing up your Word documents like a pro. In this leading book about the world's number one word processing application, Dan Gookin talks about using Microsoft Word in friendly, easy-to-follow terms. Focusing on the needs of the beginning Word user, it provides everything you need to know about Word--without any painful jargon. Covers the new and improved features found in the latest version of Word Create your own templates Explains why you can't always trust the spell checker Offers little-known keyboard shortcuts If you're new to Word and want to spend more time on your actual work rather than figuring out how to make it work for you, this new edition of Word X For Dummies has you covered.
- Highly accessible and code-free introduction to game audio, suitable for a wide range of undergraduate courses, such as music production, sound design and composition - Accompanied by eresources, including downloadable projects for each chapter - A great addition to our growing catalogue of game audio titles
Multivariate Survival Analysis and Competing Risks introduces univariate survival analysis and extends it to the multivariate case. It covers competing risks and counting processes and provides many real-world examples, exercises, and R code. The text discusses survival data, survival distributions, frailty models, parametric methods, multivariate data and distributions, copulas, continuous failure, parametric likelihood inference, and non- and semi-parametric methods. There are many books covering survival analysis, but very few that cover the multivariate case in any depth. Written for a graduate-level audience in statistics/biostatistics, this book includes practical exercises and R code for the examples. The author is renowned for his clear writing style, and this book continues that trend. It is an excellent reference for graduate students and researchers looking for grounding in this burgeoning field of research.
This second edition of C# Game Programming Cookbook for Unity 3D expounds upon the first with more details and techniques. With a fresh array of chapters, updated C# code and examples, Jeff W. Murray's book will help the reader understand structured game development in Unity unlike ever before. New to this edition is a step-by-step tutorial for building a 2D infinite runner game from the framework and scripts included in the book. The book contains a flexible and reusable framework in C# suitable for all game types. From game state handling to audio mixers to asynchronous scene loading, the focus of this book is building a reusable structure to take care of many of the most used systems. Improve your game's sound in a dedicated audio chapter covering topics such as audio mixers, fading, and audio ducking effects, or dissect a fully featured racing game with car physics, lap counting, artificial intelligence steering behaviors, and game management. Use this book to guide your way through all the required code and framework to build a multi-level arena blaster game. Features Focuses on programming, structure, and an industry-level, C#-based framework Extensive breakdowns of all the important classes Example projects illustrate and break down common and important Unity C# programming concepts, such as coroutines, singletons, static variables, inheritance, and scriptable objects. Three fully playable example games with source code: a 2D infinite runner, an arena blaster, and an isometric racing game The script library includes a base Game Manager, timed and proximity spawning, save profile manager, weapons control, artificial intelligence controllers (path following, target chasing and line-of-sight patrolling behaviors), user interface Canvas management and fading, car physics controllers, and more. Code and screenshots have been updated with the latest versions of Unity. These updates will help illustrate how to create 2D games and 3D games based on the most up-to-date methods and techniques. Experienced C# programmers will discover ways to structure Unity projects for reusability and scalability. The concepts offered within the book are instrumental to mastering C# and Unity. In his game career spanning more than 20 years, Jeff W. Murray has worked with some of the world's largest brands as a Game Designer, Programmer, and Director. A Unity user for over 14 years, he now works as a consultant and freelancer between developing his own VR games and experiments with Unity.
Learn All the Design & Development Skills You Need to Make Great Games with Unity, the World's Most Popular Professional Game Engine If you want to design and develop games, there is no substitute for strong, hands-on experience with modern techniques and tools. That is exactly what this book provides. Leading instructor and indie game developer Jeremy Gibson Bond covers all three disciplines that you need to succeed: game design theory, rapid iterative prototyping, and practical programming. Building on two previous best-sellers, this Third Edition contains hundreds of improvements across more than 400 new pages, all designed to make it even easier to understand and more useful in modern game development. The five game tutorials have been thoroughly revised and expanded to cover even more best practices for prototyping and development, and all examples now use Unity 2020.3 LTS (Long Term Support), a stable and feature-rich standard for years to come. The new content includes greatly enhanced tutorials, a chapter on Unity's high-performance Data-Oriented Tech Stack (DOTS), new Coding Challenges to help you transition to making your own games from scratch, and tips on next steps after you have finished the book. The revamped website includes playable versions of all example games, plus an exciting new tool that provides immediate feedback on potential errors in your own code. Part I: Game Design and Paper Prototyping Use the Layered Tetrad to understand and design powerful interactive experiences. Explore the core game design practices of paper prototyping, testing, and iteration. Learn effective strategies for staying on track and on schedule. Get tips for finding a rewarding job in today's industry. Part II: Programming C# in Unity Learn C# from the basics through class inheritance, object-oriented programming, and data-oriented design. Part III: Game Prototype Tutorials Implement games across five genres: arcade, casual physics, space shooter, solitaire card game, and top-down adventure game. Each game is designed to be easily extensible into your own projects.Take three games from prototype to "first playable" through new extended tutorial chapters that refi ne the games further than in previous editions of the book. NEW! Part IV: Next Steps Tackle the new, growing library of Coding Challenges, a proven method for transitioning from tutorials to creating your own projects from scratch.Get ideas and resources for new projects to tackle on your own.
Welcome to Game Audio Programming: Principles and Practices! This book is the first of its kind: an entire book dedicated to the art of game audio programming. With over fifteen chapters written by some of the top game audio programmers and sound designers in the industry, this book contains more knowledge and wisdom about game audio programming than any other volume in history. One of the goals of this book is to raise the general level of game audio programming expertise, so it is written in a manner that is accessible to beginners, while still providing valuable content for more advanced game audio programmers. Each chapter contains techniques that the authors have used in shipping games, with plenty of code examples and diagrams. There are chapters on the fundamentals of audio representation and perception; advanced usage of several different audio middleware platforms (Audiokinetic Wwise, CRI ADX2, and FMOD Studio); advanced topics including Open Sound Control, Vector-Based Amplitude Panning, and Dynamic Game Data; and more! Whether you're an audio programmer looking for new techniques, an up-and-coming game developer looking for an area to focus on, or just the one who got saddled with the audio code, this book has something for you. Cutting-edge advanced game audio programming concepts, with examples from real games and audio engines Includes perspectives of both audio programmers and sound designers on working and communicating together Coverage not just on game audio engine design, but also on implementing audio tools and working with sound designers providing a comprehensive perspective on being an audio programmer
The best of the best in gaming from a single decade: 19881998! As most gamers know, this ten-year period is incredibly crucial. It was during this time that the NES reached its zenith with such titles as Contra and Super Mario Bros. 3, the Sega Genesis blew everyone away with Sonic the Hedgehog, the Super Nintendo released to critical acclaim, the Sony PlayStation took video games to the next level, and the Nintendo 64 broke new ground with 3-D Mario and Zelda. Amazing! This book covers the era in great detail, with each game getting an in-depth essay that includes history, development info, nostalgic stories, and much more. The author wrote more than a dozen of the essays, with other writers and industry notables contributing essays on their favorite games as well. Finally, the follow-up to The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 19771987 is here! |
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