5 comments about 3D Game Programming All in One, Second Edition.

1. A COMPLAINT.
   
   The book is a treasure of information about the subject matter. However, the included CD if faulty. It doesn't install. T tried to install it on two different machine in vain. I emailed Thomson Course Technology about this matter and I received no response.
   
   THE PREDICAMENT OF OVERSEAS BUYERS.
   
   Althaugh overseas buyers pay the full amount including postage, they are oftern ignored when it comes to faulty products.
   
   AMAZON Authority should consider overseas buyers' helplessness in this situation.
   
   I need the CD badly and I am willing to pay any amount for a sound one.
   
   Thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter.
   
   Regards,
   
   Fawzy Youssef.



2. This book is actually a text book for my school. I saw a lot of complaints from other people on how much it talks about the Torque engine. Personally I think that is a good thing at 150 the Torque engine is something that most people who want to get into creating games could afford. The unreal engine costs thousands so it would be bad if it went into that or another engine like that, because most of us could not afford to get the engine and use what the book is teaching.



3. I am ready to give up on this book. I have the second edition, and can't imagine how others are making it work. The code sample for the very first project doesn't work. I eliminated typing errors by using the code provided on the CD, and it still doesn't work.
   There does not appear to be an errata website.
   Many items seem glossed over without any explanation given as to what they do.
   
   Given the price I paid ($65), and the name of the book, I would have expected more breadth, rather than a straight shot at building a FPS game. Running the final version of the end product, it is bad enough that I am now questioning the $150 that I spent on TGE. The physics of the vehicle are so poor, that it frequently gets into oscillation or total rollover on the smallest of obstacles, for example.
   
   I can't imagine using this tome to attempt to learn TGE. I hope that TGE is better than what is portrayed in this book. At least I didn't blow the $300 for TGEA!



4. Pros:
   Well written in an informal and easy to follow manner.
   
   Provides a good overview of the game development process with a focus on indies.
   
   Great intro. to the Torque game engine. Far superior to the online documentation from Torque.
   
   Cons:
   The title "3D Game Programming All in One" is terriblly inappropriate. This book is packed with 1000+ pages of good information but it should have been called something along the line of Introduction to Torque scripting, emphasis on the Intro part.
   
   Many detailed pages are spent on agonizingly basic tasks while more difficult subjects get glossed over, with the reader left spending a few hours inventing a step B cause the author magically went from A to C.
   
   More then once you'll be following one of his cookbook lessons and you are presented with an options menu with something like 50 options with unintuitive names and he tells you to just accept the defaults then moves on and never looks back. Maybe some tables explaining what those options do would be nice. This is "...All in One" right?
   
   Many many hours will be spent coping code from the book and then executing it in the torque game engine. However, the author has left dozens and dozens of errors in the book code, some of which are grossly inexcusable. Did the author not try his code after he typed it? Come on guy, cut and paste, I know you didn't crank out this tome using a pen.
   
   My biggest issue is that a lot of software, files and code comes with the book. But half the software does not match versions used in the book and many of the game files aren't what they are supposed to be. Code does not say what the book says it does, some image files are none existent and some of the animations are clearly works-in-progress just dumped onto the CD. The animation for an ogre dieing is actually an ogre being bounced across the screen and then dragged under the floor.
   
   I gave the book 3 stars because despite its many flaws I learned a lot and was able to resolve most issues at the expense of a few hours frustration. This book needs editing and lots of it. Also, I'll most likely buy his advanced version.



5. Our teacher told us this book was to be used in some of our other classes so saving $$ a plus.

5 comments about The Making of Second Life: Notes from the New World.

1. I have been a resident of Second Life for about nine months and I enjoyed reading about its history and provenance and Mister Au does a fine job of recounting it. But Second Life, like the Web in general, is changing all the time. What may have been accurate a year ago is not very accurate today. It has become a varied, sophisticated, living community. I suppose that it is unreasonable to expect up-to-the-minute accuracy in book of this type. After all from inception to publication, there is a lengthy lag in book production. But, all in all, this is a competent introduction to Second Life. Read the book, join the community.



2. Not only is this book a good introduction to and history of Second Life, the popular 3-D online community and "virtual world," it's a solid cultural anthropology. Au's outlining of themes such as bebop reality, mirrored flourishing, and impression society are thoughtful, as well as thought provoking. This book has changed how I think about the virtual world, which has had more impact on the world and people's lives than I realized. Now I just need to spend more time there.



3. Wagner James Au, as both journalist and end-user, is privy to two intertwining histories: that of the California startup Linden Lab and the rapidly expanding online virtual world of Second Life. His "The Making of Second Life: Notes from the New World" is a largely anecdotal account of these two histories. Whether by eye witness or a careful, thorough reading of Second Life's periphery blogosphere, Au does a nice job of synopsizing key moments in the evolution of Linden Lab and Second Life. He also qualifies his reporting by theorizing characteristics of human behavior in avatar form, i.e. his concept of Mirrored Flourishing where the user improves his or her physical world standing through interaction with virtual worlds. "The Making of Second Life" would benefit from closer reliance on empirical social science statistics and surveys---rather than largely anecdotal observations---for drawing conclusions about behavior in virtual world. However, despite this aside, Au's work is rife with rich, colorful accounts of the larger-than-life personalities and events in Second Life. It is an invaluable primer for anyone interested in Second Life history from an author who has been there since its inception.



4. It can be hard to justify buying a book about a place as fluid and temporal as Second Life. In a world with a constantly-shifting, user-created landscape, what could one write that will be of any use in the next few years?
   
   Given this challenge, Wagner James Au crafts an excellent book about the history and nature of Second Life. Leveraging his status as a former employee and virtual embedded journalist, Au shares with the reader his well-researched subjective viewpoint into a world of fluid forms and fluid personalities. Touching on such topics as the economy, socialization, politics, the nature of self, and the interaction between the real world and the artificial one, the book weaves a narrative that is one part company history, one part personal experience, and one part industry commentary.
   
   While the book overall is an interesting read, I found myself having to swallow some significant typos and informational errors. This is a pet peeve of mine, and I feel the book really could have used a second editorial pass and some fact-checking (for instance, the 3D embedded content viewer inDuality ([...]) is made by Pelican Crossing, not Penguin Crossing). Print is not the web, and sadly, once one publishes an edition of a book with this many errors, it's published forever.
   
   But if you have a tolerance for typos and a willingness to do your own fact-checking (which will be necessary anyway, given the changeable nature of the subject matter), this book is a good read and can serve as a starting point for further forays into the field of 3D interactive worlds, and Second Life specifically.



5. The Making of Second Life is THE book you want to read before any other book about Second Life. Whether you are a 'Second Lifer' or just a curious review reader without any Second Life experience- this book is a must read for anyone even remotely interested in simulated 3d experiences of any kind or even ways of transcending the human embodiment into flesh. It will give you a great insight into what Second Life is (do NOT assume upon the name!), and how Second Life became what it is today. From the conception of the idea, formation of Linden Lab, first residents experiences, romance, protests, war...a fantastic and upbeat read that doesn't ever stray away into 'too much geek talk' or leave you with questions unanswered. Wagner James Au (virtually responsive to the name Hamlet Au) has made a great contribution to the history of human virtuality by writing this book. Thank you.

5 comments about Game Programming Gems (Game Programming Gems Series).

1. I've found this book to be very useful in game programming. The variety of articles an concepts covered is very vast. In fact, that is probably the cause for its only (in my opinion) shortcomming - that many of the articles aren't long or complete enough. An excellent book if you're looking for an introduction to many different concepts.



2. I swear, this series is like programming crack. Succinct, no extra "learning how to program" garbage, no extra commentary. Code. That works. Well. Quickly.



3. I have been reading this series since this first book. I am about to purchase Game Programming Gems 5 because each book has given me so much incite to the many elements of game programming. You could easily take every one of these tips and gems and implement them not only in games but many systems that require optimization, graphics or sound programming.
   
   Hands down this series is the best format I have seen with regards to engineering books. The many authors contributing are industry experts and the hands on people who are doing the work. Even if you do not program games this is some great information for all software developers.



4. I have been trying to get into game development for a while, and finding books that are truly helpful has been difficult. Within the first hour of ownership I actually began to 'feel good' about game development.
   
   The format of the book is very unorthodox - it reads more like a very detailed "quick tip guide" than a book on programming - which was very refreshing. And the sections I have read have all been very personable, cut-and-dry suggestions:
   
   1. This is what you should do...
   2. This is why you should do it...
   
   I am a bit short of cash at the moment, but I guarantee I will be purchasing more of the series.



5. The book is very useful not just for game developers, but also for programmers that are looking to some C++ optimization. I have to admit, that most of ideas are somewhat new to me (and I'm a C++ programmer for several years now). Looking forward to read next part of GPG.

5 comments about Moon of the Spider (Diablo, Book 1).

1. Read through it in less than a day. Storyline is always on track, and good characters as well(wb Zayl & Humbart).



2. This has to be one of the most suspenseful and exciting books in the series (thus far). The necromance Zayl and his animated friend Humbart return in this book and fight against an even greater evil than in their last adventure (see Kingdom of Shadow).
   
   In this book, a powerful lord looks to unleash a demon back into the mortal world. Zayl is drawn to this evil and encounters a lovely noblewoman who somehow ties into all of this, but unbeknownst to him, one of his own is masterminding the sinister plot and find out the connection that the noblewoman has to the evil demon Astrogha before all of Westmarch is engulfed by the evil.
   
   Totally awesome book, and the end will make you hunger for more.
   
   This is definetly a 10/10.



3. This novel is the spiritual sequel to the last Diablo series novel written by Knaak. The story continues the comedic adventures of the necromancer Zayle and his talking skull Humbart. Although not as good as some of his previous work, Knaak thoroughly entertains. His desciptions are superb, allowing his reader to easily visualize any sort of described locale or monstrosity. Despite the fact that the reader can easily guess who the villan might be and how it might end, the story is still worth reading, and the comedy value of a talking head in a sack alone is worth it.



4. Zayl and Humbart are back in another tale of mystery and intrigue involving the resurrection of an ancient evil that threatens to overrun all of Westmarch. Zayl and Humbart both made their debut in Knaak's previous Diablo novel, Kingdom of Shadow and serve as entertaining leads in Moon of the Spider. The supporting cast is full of memorable characters, but the antagonists really shine. Zayl's adversary is cunning and Knaak's descriptions of the monsters that are sent after Zayl and friends are chilling and horrifying. The adventure is deep and fun and definitely worth a read, especially if you enjoyed the previous Diablo novels.



5. Clearly better then the previous three books, especially as long as we can see some interconnection between 3d and this one. (1st and 2d did not seem to be connected at all). Darker. Violent. Epic. Just what it should be.

5 comments about Official Nintendo Animal Crossing: Wild World Player's Guide.

1. I normally don't buy guides for the games that I play, because for me, part of the fun is figuring out what to do. I enjoy the surprise of what comes next, and knowing what lies around the corner just spoils it for me. However, there are a few games that I don't think guides can ruin, and one of those games is Animal Crossing (Wild World or the Gamecube version).
   
   While I still maintain that it's better to figure out things on your own, this guide does a good job of keeping many things secret. It intentionally leaves out some of the different items you can get in the game, and only shows you roughly 75 to 80% of them. It also doesn't show you how to get specific haircuts, instead showing you a small gallery of potential haircuts you can receive.
   
   I liked this guide, but I wanted to like it even more. It does a good job on the content it has, but ultimately falls short of it's full potential. I like the fact that it encourages you to find things out on your own, as I know far too many children that can't even play some games unless they have a guide for it. This guide is made for them.
   
   Unfortunately, I'm a 25 year-old Adult, and I bought this guide hoping to get complete lists of everything obtainable in the game, and I didn't get that. It has some nice pictures for what it does have, but as for me, I was able to get all the information I needed on the Internet.



2. Great guide, shows all the furniture pieces, bugs, fossils, fish and gyroids. Helpful hints too!!



3. Very valuable for the avid Animal Crossing fan!! Four of us in the family play the game and the guide is very helpful. A must have ;o)



4. My daughter had this guide and found it indespensible. Two of her friends were so excited about it when they saw it, that I bought two more copies to give to these freinds as birthday gifts. One gal read it cover to cover. The other two use it for reference. I was thanked over and over for getting it by one of the friends.



5. This was a very helpful book when I played Animal Crossing like non-stop. I found myself sitting down and reading it over and over again, I couldn't look at it enough! And I also knew what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it on the game thanks to this book! It was much help...a must have if you love Animal Crossing!

5 comments about Chrono Cross Official Strategy Guide.

1. Normally on my RPG games I like to play them through without the help of guides, but Chrono Cross is so non-linear and has such a wide base of characters there is no real way you could find many of the cool stuff in the game without this guide.

   Simply put, it's well laid out, as bright and colourful as the game itself, details where all the items are located, and gives advice on how to beat the more difficult bosses.

   Yes, you can complete the game without this, but you would most certainly miss out on a lot of awesome subquests, groovy characters, and very helpful items, you woulnd't want to do that now, would you?




2. ok this book is great help. It tells you how to get each charater and illstrates each one also. It's worth getting.



3. First of all, the game's layout is just beautiful. Lots of artwork, screenshots to help you out, and full-colour maps.

   The walkthrough is rather good, (even though you keep having to flip to the back for the maps) The boss tips are right on, and all the items you can find are listed as well as enemy info and pictures. Info on New Game+ is also included (though i did notice a few things missing..) Also, all the characters, the specials, and info on how to recruit them is listed flawlessly.

   This game isn't difficult (and a guide isn't needed to beat the game) but if you're a completist, and want to get everything there is to get in Chrono Cross, this guide has everything you need.




4. ~The guide is sufficient as it includes all the basics taht a guide should have. ... The guides also does not includes many important side quest things such as a list of monsters that can be mimicked. The guide also does a poor job of explaining some of the consequances of the choices you make. The maps in the guides are also annoying as they are located in the rear so you'll have to flip back and forth.~~ However this guide gives fairly good illustrations as well as complete list of charachters, their quests, items, elements, boss strategies and such. A def. buy if you really like the game and Def. superior to other bradygames guides (such as FFIX)~



5. You need to play it through at least once on your own. This book really ruined the game for me. I used it the first time through and all I did was look ahead to see what items were around, the bosses, and who I could get on my team. There was no mystery left in the game. By the time I finished I had gotten all the genies, weapons, and characters, so why play again? I think that you should play the game first without out it. Games are fun because you don't know what is going to happen. That is what creates the adventure.

5 comments about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Strategy Guides).

1. I don't like the game, and this didn't help me at all! Grade: D-



2. Talk about everything revealed. Not only does this guide have terrible descriptions, misleading maps, and other things, it doesn't tell you where everything is. This is frustrating when you try to get 100 skulltulas and it gives you 56! I don't care how much you love bradygames, you've never used a guide by this author. Do not be fooled by those other reviews. Trust me, they haven't ever looked at the guide. JUST DON'T GET THIS GUIDE!!!



3. First off, I'm going to give everyone a disclaimer and say that I haveN'T beat the whole game yet, and I've looked at no more than half the guide.

   It seems >complete enough<. For a color guide with a MSRP of only ten dollars, with listings of all the equipment, gold skulltulas, and heart pieces, as well as what they do/what they're used for, what mode equipment you need, and what you need to be in (adult/young Link) It's at the very least a decent bargain.

   Unfortunately, Not all of the stuff is listed in the correct place. The skulltulas are but the only shining example I can think of to illustrate this. The chart that lists the skulltulas, equipment requirements, and mode only list 57 of the 100 of them. However, all of them listed are outside the dungeons. You'll still find the rest if you read the dungeon walkthroughs. Would've been nice to have them included in that handy chart list as well, as what's the point of having everything in one handy location if you still need to flip through other parts of the book to find them?

   My final gripe with this guide is that for portions of the walkthroughs and descriptions, you have black colored font on brown/dark grayish backgrounds. Sure, the backgrounds look neat, but it always makes it harder (not impossible goodness forbid) to read the words and distinguish bold type from regular type. Flip thorugh the pages yourself to judge this. Amazon let's you preview the first 10 pages or so. A guide should be as easy as possobile to follow, and those choice of colors just don't help out.

   My main reason that this guide got 3 stars and NOT 2 was mainly b/c this guide is about 5 to 10 dollars cheaper than most of the competition, so I can kind of forgive missing some info here and there. My two gripes above will be my "ten dollar lesson" for next time to flip through as much of a guide as possible, compare the layout and material to other guides, THEN take price into consideration.




4. Well I can't get further on the trail up to the volcano!
   I don't know how to get past the boulders.If.....I had the guide, it would do a lot of help.I rememberd that I had a dream a long time ago that was just like princess Zelda had.



5. As in the title, the book does not reveal everything. The Ice Arrows require a small quest and it isn't covered at all. The Ice Arrows are useless in this game but everything is not revealed.
   
   It is hard to read without a very bright light source.
   
   Overall though, it does get you through the game with a minimum of problems so I give it a 3. 1 point off for false advertising and 1 point off for being hard to read.

5 comments about Steve Jackson Games Munchkin 3 Clerical Errors.

1. This expansion set is an example of the rules of synergy in action. It isn't very many game systems that can get better and better as more and more product is added.

   Munchkin, with both expansions, measures in at nearly 400 cards. Despite being almost eight times the size of the standard card deck, it is a very playable game that has gotten better with each addition. The new cards make the game less "fixed" in that you can no longer really anticipate any particular card coming into play during the course of a game. My group has abandoned the equally good, but not supported with expansions, Star Munchkin, to play Munchkin +2+3 exclusively when the evening involves card gaming.




2. This 112 card expansion to the Munchkins game add an additional race and class to the game, as well as more loot and even more monsters and curses.
   
   The Gnome is a powerful race which can stand on it's own and the Bard class is provided a variety of cards which increase it's power over time.
   
   The new cards build on the core in a very good way and really flesh out the original Munchkins game. Additionally, these cards easily fit in the original box.
   
   I highly recommend this expansion both because it adds to an already great game, but because it's relatively cheap.



3. A set of additional cards to the Munchkin set, it can also be played without the basic set. New classess and races, unforunately, aren't balanced, thus being an Orc, a Gnome or a Bard is much better than any other race or class. Nevertheless, the monsters are charming



4. Muchkin is a fun game for lots of personality types. The game states it will be about 45 minutes. But plan on an hour or more for your first game with people not knowing the rules and having to read the card for what to do. This is a fun game to play with a group of friends with good a good sense of humor who have a certain, nerd flair. : ) I highly recommend this game.



5. Inside you can find gnome (race) and bard (class) and so many new monsters and item cards. 112 cards to improve your fun rating :)

No comments about Spore: The Evolution (Prima Official Game Guides).

5 comments about Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories - The Official Strategy Guide.

1. Disagea 2 is a great game in many respects. It uses the old school boxes on a map , turn based system (which I happen to love) with a concept similar to games like Super Robot Wars or Final Fantasy tactics but with a twist. The characters are outrageous and there is no limit to how "powerful" you want to make your characters.. this can make for some crazy attacks with abnormous amounts of HP and crazy damage done if you choose to spend a of time with the game. All in all it's a fun game; one worth playing, with a high replay value.



2. I am blown away with every Doublejump guide I buy. The amount of detail they cram into these guides is insane. You can tell the writers at Doublejump have a passion for the games they create guides for, and a deep understanding of those games as well.
   
   The presentation of this guide is excellent, as is every Doublejump guide. The paper feels thick, and the pages are colorful and easy to read. One thing I really appreciate is how they invert a section of the guide called "Spoilers" so you can be sure you won't flip a page and find out something you wish you hadn't!
   
   As another reviewer has already said, I now consider buying games if they have a Doublejump guide. The extra price is well worth it, if only all guides could be this complete and well written!



3. No really, they rock. Best strategy guides in the industry. Did I mention they rock?



4. This is a really, REALLY detailed guide - perfect for such a deep and addictive strategy game. It has just about everything you could need to really blast the game apart. Only niggling issue is - some of the print is quite small (the book is paperback size) and hard to read especially late at night when my eyes aren't at their best! Heartily recommended if you like the game and want to really get into it - I bought it from Australia and had to pay an extra $20 for freight, but it is still worth every penny at that price.



5. I read many guides before and they rarely tell me something I don't know, but this Gide for Disgaea 2 is not one of them. The guide is about as big as your average paper back, but it packs more then 600 pages, and two thirds of the book is tips, tables, facts and stats. The last third is a second walkthrough section but with spoilers and secrets, and it is also inverted (pages bound upside down) to lessen the chance of you ruining any surprises by opening up to the wrong page.
   
   I feel this is a worthy guide for anyone needing help or and extra edge in dominating the game.