Build Better Business Software by Telling and Visualizing Stories "From a story to working software--this book helps you to get to the essence of what to build. Highly recommended!" --Oliver Drotbohm Storytelling is at the heart of human communication--why not use it to overcome costly misunderstandings when designing software? By telling and visualizing stories, domain experts and team members make business processes and domain knowledge tangible. Domain Storytelling enables everyone to understand the relevant people, activities, and work items. With this guide, the method's inventors explain how domain experts and teams can work together to capture insights with simple pictographs, show their work, solicit feedback, and get everyone on the same page. Stefan Hofer and Henning Schwentner introduce the method's easy pictographic language, scenario-based modeling techniques, workshop format, and relationship to other modeling methods. Using step-by-step case studies, they guide you through solving many common problems: Fully align all project participants and stakeholders, both technical and business-focused Master a simple set of symbols and rules for modeling any process or workflow Use workshop-based collaborative modeling to find better solutions faster Draw clear boundaries to organize your domain, software, and teams Transform domain knowledge into requirements, embedded naturally into an agile process Move your models from diagrams and sticky notes to code Gain better visibility into your IT landscape so you can consolidate or optimize it This guide is for everyone who wants more effective software--from developers, architects, and team leads to the domain experts, product owners, and executives who rely on it every day. Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.

This book investigates the narrativity of some of the most popular survival horror video games and the gender politics implicit in their storyworlds. In a thorough analysis of the genre that draws upon detailed comparisons with the mainstream action genre, Andrei Nae places his analysis firmly within a political and social context. In comparing survival horror games to the dominant game design norms of the action genre, the author differentiates between classical and postclassical survival horror games to show how the former reject the norms of the action genre and deliver a critique of the conservative gender politics of action games, while the latter are more heterogeneous in terms of their game design and, implicitly, gender politics. This book will appeal not only to scholars working in game studies, but also to scholars of horror, gender studies, popular culture, visual arts, genre studies and narratology.

a collection of interviews from renowned author, David L. Craddock

Game Dev Stories: Interviews About Game Development and Culture Volumes 1 and 2 are a collection of interviews from renowned author David L. Craddock as he explores all corners of the video game industry. Collected from the author's archives, Game Dev Stories gathers conversations with individuals from all corners of the industry: Who they are, the paths they paved, and their contributions to this multibillion-dollar industry. This text offers viewpoints from well-known individuals like John Romero, Tom Hall, and Matt Householder. From artists and writers to programmers and designers, Game Dev Stories offers amazing insights and understanding to what occurs behind the screens of your favorite games and may help inspire future game developers in pursuing their dreams. Author Bio David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of over a dozen nonfiction books about video game development and culture, including the bestselling Stay Awhile and Listen series, Arcade Perfect: How Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, and Other Coin-Op Classics Invaded the Living Room, and fiction for young adults, including The Dumpster Club and Heritage: Book One of the Gairden Chronicles. Find him online @davidlcraddock on Twitter.

Prepare yourself to take on new and exciting Java programming challenges with this one-stop resource Job Ready Java delivers a comprehensive and foundational approach to Java that is immediately applicable to real-world environments. Based on the highly regarded and effective Software Guild Java Bootcamp: Object Oriented Programming course, this book teaches you the basic and advanced Java concepts you will need at any entry-level Java position. With the "Pulling It Together" sections, you'll combine and integrate the concepts and lessons taught by the book, while also benefiting from: A thorough introduction to getting set up with Java, including how to write, compile, and run Java programs with or without a Java IDE Practical discussions of the basics of the Java language, including syntax, program flow, and code organization A walk through the fundamentals of Object-Oriented Programming including Classes, Objects, Interfaces, and Inheritance, and how to leverage OOP in Java to create elegant code. Explorations of intermediate and advanced Java concepts, including Maven, unit testing, Lambdas, Streams, and the Spring Framework Perfect for Java novices seeking to make a career transition, Job Ready Java will also earn a place in the libraries of Java developers wanting to brush up on the fundamentals of their craft with an accessible and up-to-date resource.

Within the field of game design, game balance can best be described as a black art. It is the process by which game designers make a game simultaneously fair for players while providing them just the right amount of difficulty to be both exciting and challenging without making the game entirely predictable. This involves a combination of mathematics, psychology, and occasionally other fields such as economics and game theory. Game Balance offers readers a dynamic look into game design and player theory. Throughout the book, relevant topics on the use of spreadsheet programs will be included in each chapter. This book therefore doubles as a useful reference on Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheets, and other spreadsheet programs and their uses for game designers. FEATURES The first and only book to explore game balance as a topic in depth Topics range from intermediate to advanced, while written in an accessible style that demystifies even the most challenging mathematical concepts to the point where a novice student of game design can understand and apply them Contains powerful spreadsheet techniques which have been tested with all major spreadsheet programs and battle-tested with real-world game design tasks Provides short-form exercises at the end of each chapter to allow for practice of the techniques discussed therein along with three long-term projects divided into parts throughout the book that involve their creation Written by award-winning designers with decades of experience in the field Ian Schreiber has been in the industry since 2000, first as a programmer and then as a game designer. He has worked on eight published game titles, training/simulation games for three Fortune 500 companies, and has advised countless student projects. He is the co-founder of Global Game Jam, the largest in-person game jam event in the world. Ian has taught game design and development courses at a variety of colleges and universities since 2006. Brenda Romero is a BAFTA award-winning game director, entrepreneur, artist, and Fulbright award recipient and is presently game director and creator of the Empire of Sin franchise. As a game director, she has worked on 50 games and contributed to many seminal titles, including the Wizardry and Jagged Alliance series and titles in the Ghost Recon, Dungeons & Dragons, and Def Jam franchises.

Field-Programmable Custom Computing Technology: Architectures, Tools, and Applications brings together in one place important contributions and up-to-date research results in this fast-moving area. In seven selected chapters, the book describes the latest advances in architectures, design methods, and applications of field-programmable devices for high-performance reconfigurable systems. The contributors to this work were selected from the leading researchers and practitioners in the field. It will be valuable to anyone working or researching in the field of custom computing technology. It serves as an excellent reference, providing insight into some of the most challenging issues being examined today.

Have you ever thought of creating beautiful, blazing-fast native apps for iOS and Android from a single codebase? Have you dreamt of taking your native apps to the web and desktop without it costing a fortune? If so, Pragmatic Flutter: Building Cross-Platform Mobile Apps for Android, iOS, Web & Desktop is the right place to start your journey to developing cross-platform apps. Google's Flutter is the brand-new way for developing beautiful, fluid, and blazing-fast cross-platform apps for Android, iOS, web, and desktops (macOS, Linux, Windows). Google's new Fuchsia OS user interface (UI) is implemented using Flutter as well. Learning to develop mobile apps with Flutter opens the door to multiple devices, form-factors, and platforms using a single codebase. You don't need any prior experience using Dart to follow along in this book; however, it's recommended that readers have some familiarity with writing code using one of the object-oriented programming languages. Your journey starts with learning to structure and organize the Flutter project to develop apps for multiple platforms. Next, you will explore the fundamentals of Flutter widgets. The journey continues with Flutter's layout widgets while also learning to build responsive layouts. You will get an understanding of organizing and applying themes and styles, handling user input, and gestures. Then you will move on to advanced concepts, such as fetching data over the network and integrating and consuming REST API in your app. You will get hands-on experience on design patterns, data modeling, routing, and navigation for multi-screen apps. When you are finished, you will have a solid foundational knowledge of Flutter that will help you move on to building great and successful mobile apps that can be deployed to Android, iOS, web, and desktop (macOS, Linux, Windows) platforms from a single codebase.

In 1980, computers were instruments of science and mathematics, military secrets and academia. Stern administrators lorded over sterile university laboratories and stressed one point to the wide-eyed students privileged enough to set foot within them: Computers were not toys. Defying authority, hackers seized control of monolithic mainframes to create a new breed of computer game: the roguelike, cryptic and tough-as-nails adventures drawn from text-based symbols instead of state-of-the-art 3D graphics. Despite their visual simplicity, roguelike games captivate thousands of players around the world. From the author of the bestselling Stay Awhile and Listen series, Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games introduces you to the visionaries behind some of the most popular roguelikes of all time and shows how their creations paved the way for the blockbuster videogames of today-and beyond.

In 1980, computers were instruments of science and mathematics, military secrets and academia. Stern administrators lorded over sterile university laboratories and stressed one point to the wide-eyed students privileged enough to set foot within them: Computers were not toys. Defying authority, hackers seized control of monolithic mainframes to create a new breed of computer game: the roguelike, cryptic and tough-as-nails adventures drawn from text-based symbols instead of state-of-the-art 3D graphics. Despite their visual simplicity, roguelike games captivate thousands of players around the world. From the author of the bestselling Stay Awhile and Listen series, Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games introduces you to the visionaries behind some of the most popular roguelikes of all time and shows how their creations paved the way for the blockbuster videogames of today-and beyond.

Feminist War Games? explores the critical intersections and collisions between feminist values and perceptions of war, by asking whether feminist values can be asserted as interventional approaches to the design, play, and analysis of games that focus on armed conflict and economies of violence. Focusing on the ways that games, both digital and table-top, can function as narratives, arguments, methods, and instruments of research, the volume demonstrates the impact of computing technologies on our perceptions, ideologies, and actions. Exploring the compatibility between feminist values and systems of war through games is a unique way to pose destabilizing questions, solutions, and approaches; to prototype alternative narratives; and to challenge current idealizations and assumptions. Positing that feminist values can be asserted as a critical method of design, as an ideological design influence, and as a lens that determines how designers and players interact with and within arenas of war, the book addresses the persistence and brutality of war and issues surrounding violence in games, whilst also considering the place and purpose of video games in our cultural moment. Feminist War Games? is a timely volume that questions the often-toxic nature of online and gaming cultures. As such, the book will appeal to a broad variety of disciplinary interests, including sociology, education, psychology, literature, history, politics, game studies, digital humanities, media and cultural studies, and gender studies, as well as those interested in playing, or designing, socially engaged games.

Little known to many, R works just as well with JavaScript-this book delves into the various ways both languages can work together. The ultimate aim of this work is to put the reader at ease with inviting JavaScript in their data science workflow. In that respect the book is not teaching one JavaScript but rather we show how little JavaScript can greatly support and enhance R code. Therefore, the focus is on integrating external JavaScript libraries and no prior knowledge of JavaScript is required. Key Features: Easy to pick up. An entry way to learning JavaScript for R. Covers topics not covered anywhere else. Easy to follow along.

Little known to many, R works just as well with JavaScript-this book delves into the various ways both languages can work together. The ultimate aim of this work is to put the reader at ease with inviting JavaScript in their data science workflow. In that respect the book is not teaching one JavaScript but rather we show how little JavaScript can greatly support and enhance R code. Therefore, the focus is on integrating external JavaScript libraries and no prior knowledge of JavaScript is required. Key Features: Easy to pick up. An entry way to learning JavaScript for R. Covers topics not covered anywhere else. Easy to follow along.

Data Stewardship for Open Science: Implementing FAIR Principles has been written with the intention of making scientists, funders, and innovators in all disciplines and stages of their professional activities broadly aware of the need, complexity, and challenges associated with open science, modern science communication, and data stewardship. The FAIR principles are used as a guide throughout the text, and this book should leave experimentalists consciously incompetent about data stewardship and motivated to respect data stewards as representatives of a new profession, while possibly motivating others to consider a career in the field. The ebook, avalable for no additional cost when you buy the paperback, will be updated every 6 months on average (providing that significant updates are needed or avaialble). Readers will have the opportunity to contribute material towards these updates, and to develop their own data management plans, via the free Data Stewardship Wizard.

The systems engineering method proposed in this book, which is based on Abstract State Machines (ASMs), guides the development of software and embedded hardware-software systems seamlessly from requirements capture to actual implementation and documentation. The method bridges the gap between the human understanding and formulation of real-world problems and the deployment of their algorithmic solutions by code-executing machines. Within a single conceptual framework it covers design, verification by reasoning techniques, and validation by simulation and testing. ASMs improve current industrial practice by using accurate high-level modeling and by linking the descriptions at the successive stages of system development in an organic and efficiently maintainable chain of rigorous and coherent system models at stepwise-refined abstraction levels. In several industrial projects the ASM method has proven its superiority compared to the popular UML methodology when designing complex parallel or dynamic systems. This book combines the features of a textbook and a handbook: the reader will find detailed explanations, proofs, and exercises as well as numerous examples and real-world case studies. Researchers will find here the most comprehensive description of ASMs available today and professionals will use it as a "modeling handbook for the working software engineer." As a textbook it supports self-study or it can form the basis of a lecture course. The book is complemented by a CD containing the whole book text, additional course material, solutions to exercises, and additional examples. Even more information can be found on the related website maintained by the authors: http://www.di.unipi.it/AsmBook/

Programmers run into parsing problems all the time. Whether it's a data format like JSON, a network protocol like SMTP, a server configuration file for Apache, a PostScript/PDF file, or a simple spreadsheet macro language--ANTLR v4 and this book will demystify the process. ANTLR v4 has been rewritten from scratch to make it easier than ever to build parsers and the language applications built on top. This completely rewritten new edition of the bestselling Definitive ANTLR Reference shows you how to take advantage of these new features. Build your own languages with ANTLR v4, using ANTLR's new advanced parsing technology. In this book, you'll learn how ANTLR automatically builds a data structure representing the input (parse tree) and generates code that can walk the tree (visitor). You can use that combination to implement data readers, language interpreters, and translators. You'll start by learning how to identify grammar patterns in language reference manuals and then slowly start building increasingly complex grammars. Next, you'll build applications based upon those grammars by walking the automatically generated parse trees. Then you'll tackle some nasty language problems by parsing files containing more than one language (such as XML, Java, and Javadoc). You'll also see how to take absolute control over parsing by embedding Java actions into the grammar. You'll learn directly from well-known parsing expert Terence Parr, the ANTLR creator and project lead. You'll master ANTLR grammar construction and learn how to build language tools using the built-in parse tree visitor mechanism. The book teaches using real-world examples and shows you how to use ANTLR to build such things as a data file reader, a JSON to XML translator, an R parser, and a Java class->interface extractor. This book is your ticket to becoming a parsing guru! What You Need: ANTLR 4.0 and above. Java development tools. Ant build system optional (needed for building ANTLR from source)

Leading with Sound is the must-have companion guide to working on video game projects. Focused on the creative, collaborative, philosophical and organizational skills behind game sound and eschewing the technical, this book celebrates the subjects most essential to leading with sound in video game development at any level. Refuting the traditional optics of sound as a service in favour of sound as a pro-active visionary department, , this book examines each of the four food-groups of dialogue, sound design, music and mix, not through the usual technical and production lenses of 'how' and 'when', but the essential lens of 'why' that enables leadership with sound. Leading with Sound is essential reading for aspiring sound designers, inside and outside of the classroom, as well as experienced professionals in the game industry.

Game Anim teaches the technical and artistic fundamentals of video game animation and goes further to provide practical advice and industry insights to help you become a rounded and successful game animator. Covering every stage of game production from the animator's perspective, it is packed with the lessons learned from working on a variety of game types in both in-game and cinematic roles in animator, lead, and director positions. These have been successful across multiple studios regardless of team, size and culture. The 2nd edition includes a new chapter on 2D and Pixel Art Animation, an enhanced mocap chapter covering the latest developments in Motion Matching, and even more interviews with top professionals in the field. Game Anim provides essential guidance to those looking to break into the industry and successful animators wishing to take the next step in their career. Key Features * 20 Years of Insight: Accumulated knowledge from 2 decades of experience in all areas of game animation. * The 5 Fundamentals: Reinterprets the classic 12 animation principles and sets out 5 new fundamentals for great game animation. * Animator Interviews: Notable game animators offer behind-the-scenes stories, tips, and advice. * Free Animation Rig: Free "AZRI" maya rig, tutorials and other resources on the accompanying website: www.gameanim.com/book

This book teaches anyone with a basic understanding of Java how to develop Android apps at a professional level. To start, it shows how to use the Eclipse IDE to code, test, and debug a Tip Calculator app for a smartphone or tablet. Then, it expands upon this app to show must-have Android skills such as working with layouts, widgets, events, themes, styles, menus, preferences, and fragments. Next, this book presents two more apps that illustrate Android skills you'll use every day, such as working with threads, files, adapters, intents, services, notifications, broadcast receivers, SQLite databases, content providers, and app widgets. Finally, this book presents an app that uses the Google Maps API and shows you how to submit your finished apps to the Google Play store. The real-world apps let you see how the skills you're learning work together, and they illustrate how and when you'd use each skill. And all the content is presented in Murach distinctive "paired-pages" style that developers find so clear and time-saving for both training and reference.

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 book presents the Android plug-in technology used in Android development. This technology is widely used by a majority of Chinese internet companies, and is becoming more widely used worldwide. The book fully describes the history of Android plug-in technology, the installation and startup process, and new features of the Android plug-in technology. It also explores plug-in solutions for peripheral technologies. The book is designed to help Android app developers better understand the underlying technology of the Android system. Features Introduces Android system knowledge, including the communication between AMS and four components Describes the Hook technique by Proxy.newProxyInstance and reflection, to modify Android system behavior, for example, to launch an activity not declared in the AndroidManifest. Shows how to use the Hook apk packaging process in Gradle Covers how to merge the resources in the plugin app and the host app, and how to merge dex of the host app and all the plugin apps Presents the SO technique and how to launch SO files dynamically

Every major enterprise has a significant installed base of existing software systems that reflect the tangled IT architectures that result from decades of patches and failed replacements. Most of these systems were designed to support business architectures that have changed dramatically. At best, these systems hinder agility and competitiveness and, at worst, can bring critical business functions to a halt.

Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM) restores the value of entrenched systems by capturing and retooling various aspects of existing application environments, allowing old infrastructures to deliver renewed value and align effectively with enterprise strategies and business architectures.

This book provides a practical guide to organizations seeking ways to understand and leverage existing systems as part of their information management strategies. It includes an introduction to ADM disciplines, tools, and standards as well as a series of scenarios outlining how ADM is applied to various initiatives. Drawing upon lessons learned from real modernization projects, it distills the theory and explains principles, processes, and best practices for every industry.
* Acts as a one-stop shopping reference and complete guide for implementing various modernization models in myriad industries and departments.
* Every concept is illustrated with real-life examples from various modernization projects, allowing you to immediately apply tested solutions and see results.
* Authored by the Co-chair of the Object Management Group (OMG) Architecture-Driven Modernization (ADM) Task Force, which sets definitive systems modernization standards for the entire IT industry.
* A web site supports the book with up to date coverage of evolving ADM Specifications, Tutorials, and Whitepapers, allowing you to remain up to date on modernization topics as they develop.

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.

Nowadays, Web applications are almost omnipresent. The Web has become a platform not only for information delivery, but also for eCommerce systems, social networks, mobile services, and distributed learning environments. Engineering Web applications involves many intrinsic challenges due to their distributed nature, content orientation, and the requirement to make them available to a wide spectrum of users who are unknown in advance. The authors discuss these challenges in the context of well-established engineering processes, covering the whole product lifecycle from requirements engineering through design and implementation to deployment and maintenance. They stress the importance of models in Web application development, and they compare well-known Web-specific development processes like WebML, WSDM and OOHDM to traditional software development approaches like the waterfall model and the spiral model. .