Start Your Engines
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Start Your Engines

Developing Racing and Driving Games (First edition)

About the Book

This was the first hands-on programming guide that shows you how to build and customize driving and racing games. It features graphics, physics, AI, user interface, collision detection and 3D techniques needed to create this popular genre of computer game.  You'll learn how to set up different types of  road conditions, create opponents, set up road hazards, generate weather conditions, manage collisions, design unique terrains, and much more.

Presented in a unique step-by-step  construction kit approach, this book will show you how to build games that you can play for hours of enjoyment. It walks you through the design and construction of a dune buggy race on the surface of Mars.

Start Your Engines was originally published in 2005, but the publisher quickly went out of business. Not because of this book, to be sure.

About the Author

Jim Parker
Jim Parker

Dr. Jim Parker is an expert on driving and racing games, and has been a programmer and game designer for many years, In 200 he pioneered Canada's first curriculum to train and educate aspiring game developers at a Canadain University (Calgary) in conjunction with Radical Entertainment of Vancouver BC. Jim has spend many years working in related areas, including graphics, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and audio. 

He is a professor at the University of Calgary and has written seven books so far.

Table of Contents

Part I Essentials of Developing Racing and Driving Games

Chapter 1          Starting Your Engines – Basic Design Elements                                  3

Chapter 2          Game Architecture for Racing and Driving Games                             22

Chapter 3          Basic Graphics for Racing and Driving Games                                  47

Chapter 4          Building a Basic 3D Driving Game                                                  82

Part II Building More Realistic Simulations

            Chapter 5          Game AI and Collision Detection                                                   99

            Chapter 6          Incorporating Intelligent Components                                          123

Chapter 7          Audio for Racing and Driving Games                                            152

Chapter 8          Using Ambient Traffic                                                                173

Chapter 9          Physics for Racing and Driving Games                                         190

Chapter 10        Simulating Continuous Time                                                      213

Part III   Advanced Techniques

Chapter 11        Cinematography for Racing and Driving Games                           243

Chapter 12        Creating Terrains                                                                     259

Chapter 13        Designing the Manic Mars Racer Game                                       288

Chapter 14        Coding the Manic Mars Racer Game                                           305

Appendix A       High-Concept Design Document for Gopher-it                                       326

            Appendix B       Math Tutorial for Developing Driving and Racing Games                     330

 

 

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