Top 5 books for IT-Students: Game Development
Students who are studying IT sometimes need to learn more about the different branches of the industry. So we would like to mention the top five, which will help a novice developer to master the necessary skills.
Developing Games in Unity 2018 in 24 Hours (Exmo, 2020) Author: Mike Geig
A great tutorial for those who know nothing about Unity. The content is broken down into 24 lessons, in which you can get a lot of useful information about the popular game engine, and more specifically its 2018 version. The material is served in ascending order, from simple to complex, each next lesson is based on the previous ones. Visual examples help you quickly understand the complexities of game physics, animation, and application deployment on mobile devices. Tests allow you to check yourself and revisit topics you haven’t learned well enough. By the way, is you’re studying programming, you may need python homework help to save your time on what is really interest you.
The book covers in detail how to:
- Work with Unity’s Graphics Resource Pipeline.
- Master the tools to create a gaming landscape.
- Solve the challenges of collecting input data and building complex behavior.
- Engage built-in and customizable character controllers.
- Implement physical collisions and triggers.
- Use Unity Animation and the system
Pros:
- The book gives a good foundation for making 3D games from scratch.
- Considered for those taking their first steps in Unity.
Cons:
- Not all points are described in detail, you will have to sort them out on your own or consult other sources.
- You will not be able to master the material without knowing the basics of C# and the ability to work in Visual Studio.
Developing games with Unreal Engine 4 in 24 hours (Eksmo, 2019) Authors: Aram Cookson, Ryan Dowlingsocka, Clinton Kramer
The book covers in detail the features of Unreal Engine 4, describing the interface, workflows, powerful editors, and other tools. It is unlikely that you will become a super-professional in 24 hours, but it is possible to get basic knowledge and insight into writing scenarios, creating effects, and implementing game physics. The book touches on topics such as:
- Unreal units and control systems.
- 3D models and the static mesh editor.
- Creating landscapes.
- Working with characters using Persona Editor.
- Particle effects and physics modeling.
- Blueprint Visual Scenario System.
- Menu development with Unreal UMG UI Designer.
Pros:
- Material laid out in an accessible language.
- Ideal for beginners mastering Unreal Engine 4.
Cons:
- The engine update has made some of the examples in the text irrelevant.
- A large number of typos interfere with the normal perception.
Unity in Action. Multi-platform development in C# (Peter, 2019)Author: Joseph Hawking
The main topic of this work is the interaction between the Unity platform and the C# programming language. The author talks about the basic tools for game development and the concept of game creation in general. Individual features of Unity are illustrated with concrete examples. The reader who reads this manual will gain skills in creating 2D and 3D projects.
The book describes how to:
- Work with a character, including its dynamics and animation.
- Build code architecture.
- Connect the game to the Internet.
- Adapt applications for different platforms.
- Develop Unity 5 covers.
Pros:
- The author managed to lay out some pretty difficult issues in simple words.
- Good clean code.
- The book is optimal for getting to know the basic concepts of Unity.
Cons:
- Not enough focus on 2D development.
- Would have liked to see more practical examples.
- Absolute beginners in development will have a hard time understanding the material.
Unity and C#. GameDev from Idea to Implementation (Peter, 2020) Author: Jeremy Gibson Bond
The creator of this book has spent more than a decade of his life teaching game design and game creation. Beginning developers will learn a lot of useful things from it, especially since it is written simply and clearly. The manual covers the topics of rapid iterative prototyping and practical programming. Also from this book, the reader will get an idea about:
- The Layered Tetrad structure: a synthesis of game design theory.
- Methods and tools for managing game projects and small teams.
- Processes that simplify game testing and feedback.
- Digital prototyping techniques with Unity and C#.
- Methods for understanding and debugging the most common code problems.
Pros:
- Ideal for beginners.
- Every line of code is explained in detail.
- Every other page has screenshots of related topics.
Cons:
- Certain sections of code do not work with the current version of the engine, as Unity was updated after the manual was written.
Game Design (Alpina Publisher, 2019) Author: Jesse Schell
This work details the design process and explains the fundamentals of game design, with issues covered from a variety of perspectives. In the course of the application, the reader will have to address more than 100 relevant questions.
The book covers topics such as:
- Nuances of game plot development.
- Character creation.
- Game balance.
- Game mechanics.
- Interaction between specialists within the development team.
Pros:
- Game designers can get a lot of ideas from the book.
- The book will be an excellent guide to the world of game design for novice developers.
Disadvantages:
- The font is too small.
Cover Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash
About the Author
Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.
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