5 comments about SimCity Societies: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. This kind of games are interesting because let you use you imagination with no limits.



2. This game didn't invite me in like previous titles. I bought the help book to see if I was missing clues or ideas to help with game play. It is fun - but other games have pushed SimCity Societies to the background.



3. This book is the best. It tells you and shows you how to do anything you want in the game. I love it



4. Well, I bought the game as well as the guide but the game refuses to load on my computer so the guide is no use to me, whatsoever! I've handed the game over to someone else to see if the problem is the disk or my computer. sigh. I suppose it might be helpful if you actually had the game running.



5. This is horrible, waaay not worth what I paid for it. I wouldn't suggest this to anyone that likes SimCity 4!

No comments about Mega Man Star Force 2: Wave Command Card Kit: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

5 comments about Shaders for Game Programmers and Artists (Premier Press Game Development).

1. As an artists I am amazed that nobody had yet considered writing a book on real-time shaders that could appeal to artists. Although somewhat technical (hard not to get technical when dealing with per-pixel lighting), this book does a great job at going through a multitude of techniques in an easy to understand way. Plus, the use of RenderMonkey as an edit tool makes the task so much easier!
   
   A must for all technical artists!



2. Breaking into the world of shader technologies can be a daunting task and a constructing a library of accurate knowledge is essential. "Shaders for Game Progammers and Artist" is one of the most focused books I have ever purchased. It only covers 'shaders' and does not attempt to present the surrounding technologies of DirectX or OpenGL programming. At fist this tight focus disturbed me, as I did not have a secondary support book like "Programming Vertex and Pixel Shaders". Put these two books together and constantly cross-reference the code and you have the solution to understanding the core of building good shaders. (One other note:) You might want to add "3d Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development".



3. I'm a 3D Artist/Animator not a programmer, heck I couldn't program my way out of a wet paper bag. I've been trying to teach myself how to write shaders for awhile. I've had some success playing around, but didn't really understand what I was doing, and have been looking for a good book on the subject for awhile. Most books are very technical and aimed at only programmers, and while I have nothing but respect for my programmer friends I think artists should be more involved in writing shaders, after all they're the ones that have to create all the art assests the shaders will be used on.
   
   This book is very artist friendly, it does require a slight amount of technical and mathematic ability, but it doesn't drown you in the technical jargon, complicated math tables and diagrams, but rather has you jump onto ATI's RenderMonkey and learn by getting your hands dirty. It does a great job of breaking down HLSL and explaining how a shader is put together.
   
   While it starts out very simple, it still manages to cover some more advanced techniques... render to texture shaders, high dynamic range lighting, spherical harmonics, advanced real-time shadows, parallax mapping, and displacement mapping.
   
   My only complaint with the book is some small typos, and some of the examples have some small errors. Nothing major, but the lack of any errata on the publisher or author's website to correct them is very frustrating.
   
   If you're already an established shader programmer looking for some new tricks and techniques... this book probably isn't for you; but if you're from a more of an artist background, not the best programmer, or just starting to learn shader programming, I highly recommend checking this one out.



4. This book is fantastic for artists or programmers looking to get started with shader programming. Anyone with a little C++ experience (or similar) ought to be able to get a good grip on the material in this book. Lots of practical techniques are introduced at a introductory level. The other great thing about this book is that it covers the use of ATi's Rendermonkey software for the creation and visualization of shaders. This is a great boon, as some similar books like The Cg Tutorial presume you already have a working real-time 3D engine you can write shaders for, and are already experienced with DirectX or OpenGL programming. Providing and explaining the use of a user-friendly API like Rendermonkey makes this book well-suited for entry-level programmers.
   
   I would have rated this book 5 stars based on these qualities, but much to my chagrin the book is weighed down by an inexcusable amount of typos and errors. The overall effect is that the author never even tested his own code, as MULTIPLE shaders presented in the book simply do not work as described by the author. Furthermore, in some of these cases (two major examples including the motion blur shader and the depth of field depth-impostor shader) the sample/reference code included on the CD does not work either, so the reader is left high and dry, wondering what the problem is. The author's website only includes errata for one error (which is neither of the above cited examples.) I have not yet completed this book, in fact, I'm only a third of the way through; but I can only assume the path ahead will be similarly rocky.
   
   These problems are particularly egregious as the book is ostensibly targeted towards beginners, who will be poorly equipped to solve the author's errors. While it could be said that this is an effective way of learning the language (i.e. learning by doing research and correcting the author,) it sometimes makes the process very discouraging and slow-going. Beyond these errors, the book is a fantastic introduction to learning real-time shaders and is accessible to artists even if they have little programming experience. A second edition of this book, rectifying the many errors in the book, would be a must-have for anyone interested in learning shader programming. Until then, however, the reader will have to be patient and willing to meet the book half-way on a lot of occasions.



5. this book is very good book
   it's full book
   notice : you have to know some algebra to be a full usefull book

No comments about Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Signature Series Guide (Bradygames Signature Series) (Bradygames Signature Series) (Bradygames Signature Series).

2 comments about Neopets: The Ultimate Field Guide: Discover Neopia! (Neopets).

1. Neopets has been a fantastic on-line site for kids (and adults too) where you'll find a Uni or perhaps even a Cybunny! Now there is a guide to help you navigate the Neopets world.
   
   The guide is well presented, fun, and a must have for all Neopians!



2. Although I am an adult reader/player, I enjoyed this introduction to the world of Neopia. I have had my account for 10 months, but still found new tidbits that will have me entering Searches for quite some time! Page 11 shows b&w pictures of all 54 Neopet species. Aside from the humor the author infuses into her tour guide character, this is a perfect beginner's reference. Just enter each new name or word in the site's Search feature, or ask the question on the Help chat board. It has 5 lined pages for you to make your own notes as you explore the online world; very handy for keeping track of shops/locations and helpful petpage guides. I hope to see many new releases of the story books. Maybe even a print-version Neopedia!

No comments about The Second Life Herald: The Virtual Tabloid that Witnessed the Dawn of the Metaverse.

5 comments about Resident Evil Zero Official Strategy Guide.

1. I found that Prima`s Guide are more detailed.I stink at games,so I needed a edge and I bought this one.I would not buy another one from them.



2. This is the first Resident Evil game that i've ever owned and so i needed help with the game. I've played all the games but never owned one till now. Anyway, i get the game and have to buy a guide. I buy one and i start playing. I find some of the stuff they asked me to do near impossible for a first time person. I found myself doing parts over again 3 or 4 times before even getting anywhere close to compleating them. In other words, the guide was almost no help at all with some parts. If u can find another guide, buy that one first.



3. Before he was Dan Birlew, writer for Brady Games, Dan Birlew was known on the web as President Evil. There is a reason for this. Birlew has been writing game walkthroughs, plot guides and more for horror games for years, and he knows his stuff. He is not a mere serial writer for a corporation, he is, was, and ever shall be a gamer. He knows his stuff, and he explains it well.

   This game guide is well-written, concise, and mananges to navigate you through the trickier parts of the game with ease, without ruining any of the shocks and surprises. This is a difficult thing to do, but Birlew is a past master at it. He can not teach you how to be a skilled gamer, if you are not already. He tells you how enemies can be outmanuevered and defeated, how to get through the game in the shortest possible time, and how to survive the tricky bits. It is a Strategy Guide, not a cheat guide, and as a strategy guide it is the best you could ask for. Buy it.




4. This guide is a concise and thorough guide. I have to give credit to the author because doing some of the feats in this game the way he did seemed nearly impossible at first but using Dan Birlew's strategies I managed to survive everything this game threw at me with no problems.

   The walkthrough is much better written than their RE1 guide was. Not as many typos and they don't result to the Kill everything strategy that was previously used. Puzzles are easily described and while the guide has points where it is difficult to read...you have to remember that Dan Birlew is an RE veteran so you can trust what he's trying to tell you in this guide.

   What I like about this guide is that it is simply that, a guide. No spoilers, but rather right to the point in helping you get the best from your gaming, in helping you get through an area in the best way possible. They recomend what items you should drop (like that Knife that is only there to taunt you), and what room to drop it in.

   They also have a very nice way of helping you adapt to the game, something I don't usually get out of strategy guides anymore. Most guides wouldn't go into so much detail on the aspects of the game and helping you prepare to master it first. Most other guide would much rather jump into the walkthrough right away.

   This guide is a companion when you go thorugh RE0, and not a guide that completely holds your hand. Helpful hints and easy puzzle solutions as well as easy to see boss call outs. In other words, a nice organized walkthrough. I couldn't ask for anything more. This is the best RE guide I've seen from BradyGAMES since their N64 RE2 guide. Great Guide, if you need help on RE0 you should definitely pick this up.




5. I totally needed this book in order to further progress in the game. This book was unavailble locally and it was reasonably priced plus it was wrapped and in mint condition.
   
   Thank you Amazon.

5 comments about The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Official Strategy Guide for GameCube.

1. The game is great. Another Legend of Zelda has hit top grade and flew over the disappointing Majora's Mask. The game is quite easy, but having a guide for an adventure game isn't much so of an adventure. I love the game. I also appreciate that they made this guide, but i don't think too much of it.



2. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is not an easy game to write a strategy guide for, considering how very many tangents and extra features there are in the game. But this book succeeds pretty admirably, walking you throught the tough parts step-by-step. The charts that cover such things as where to find Heart Pieces and Treasure Maps are especially helpful. The only problem with the book is that in a few places, it directs you to use more difficult methods than necessary to accomplish tasks - for example, it might tell you to use water jars to cool off lava to make a footpath (hard to do and usually gets you burned a few times) when you can simply use your grappling hook to swing across the lava with no problem. But overall, this book is pretty much a must for anyone with a Zelda: Wind Waker game.



3. this guide has everything you need in it to complete the game fully exept that it has one mistake in it. in the list of all the heart pieces there is one listed twice and one missing. heart piece 43 should be at rock spire island and to get it you need to defeat the boats in the area and haul up the treasure they leave. one of them is a heart piece.
   other then this it is a very good guide.



4. this guide is really helpfull it tells you many extra things where to go everything! if you have the game you need this to in order to beat it or want the extra things i have everything in this game because i beated it twice you get to have three names and of course you start off at 3 hearts but with this guide you can get more when ever you beat a major beast in the game you get a heart and you also find peices of hearts to earn a full one it takes 4 peices of hearts to get a full one you get tresures and empty bottles to carry things hookshot fire errows ice light and the regular you get the graboling hook a camera a tingle tuner this item is when ever you need help you hook up your game boy advance to be connected with tingle and he could help you out i cant tell you everything because there is so much things and it might ruin the fun of the game but anyways this guide would really help so if you have the game and dont have this guide then you should get it now!



5. Great strategy guide. It also includes a strategy guide for Ocarina of Time, which is the main reason I bought it. I could find no other Ocarina of Time strategy guide for the Gamecube game.

3 comments about Mercenaries (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. The strategies are well put together, but the collectibles section have some errors with the locations. Also, the pages don't stick to the spine of the book well. Overall, it seems like an OK book.



2. Very awesome merchandise. Amazon is very awesome to do business with, and i will certainly be doing business again with amazon.



3. AN EXCELLENT STRATEGY GUIDE FOR AN EXCELLENT GAME.TELLS YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AND WELL WORTH PURCHASING FOR HELP WITH THIS EXCELLENT GAME.

3 comments about Advanced 3D Game Programming with DirectX 10.0 (Wordware Game and Graphics Library).

1. So, the title of this book is "Advanced 3D Game Programming With DirectX 10.0", which seems to imply that the text is designed for intermediate/experienced programmers who want to up their skills to the next level. This book isn't really "advanced" at all -- it's an introductory DirectX/game programming book. So, keep that in mind if you're looking to buy this.
   
   However, if you're an experienced C++ programmer, but you're a newbie to DirectX game programming, then this book is absolutely perfect. It covers DirectInput -- teaching you the fundamentals for programming input in your game in a very straightforward non-pretentious manner. Direct3D, typically daunting to newbies, is given a very lucid, clear, and succinct treatment. Walsh also covers more advanced topics like scene management (in truth, he glosses over it, so you'll need to do additional reading elsewhere, but it's a good start...), pixel/vertex shaders, and several cool graphics techniques (pre-computed radiosity was especially cool).
   Walsh also covers the rudiments of network and sound programming, so your game will be "complete".
   
   I guess what I like most about this book is that while it's not too in-depth with regard to any topic, it goes over the basics of all necessary game programming topics, so that you can start writing basic games immediately (full games, mind you...not just a flyby through a room of cubes). It's a great fundamentals book that, if you read and understand fully, will allow you to transition relatively painlessly to more advanced books/techniques.
   
   While I was tempted to give this book 4 stars for the misleading title, I simply cannot find it within myself to give a book that is so good at what it does lesser than a 5.
   
   Oh, and for those of you wondering, "where do I go next after this book?", here's a list of what I'm using as a hobbyist graphics/game programmer...I hope it helps:
   
   - The ShaderX series (advanced real-time graphics topics)
   - GPU Gems series (more advanced, scientific real-time graphics topics)
   - "3D Game Engine Design" by David Eberly (great book that teaches you how to design a professional quality game engine)
   - Real-Time Rendering, 2nd edition (all the real-time graphics considerations and algorithmic fundamentals are here)
   - Game Programming Gems (these are like the ShaderX/GPU Gems, only for general game programming, including math, sound, input, graphics, scene management, etc.)
   
   I hope this review helps anybody interested in becoming a game programmer!



2. I have read Peter Walsh's other book about Direct X 9.0 called "The Zen of Direct X Programming" (or something like that) Anyway, that was way better. Actually the previous book mentioned was awesome, that is why I bought the "Advanced version" except the "Advanced version" is by a different publisher who probably said to Peter... "Don't be funny in your book, be boring, don't explain things, anything you do explain, explain it poorly and don't give any good examples." And that is the book for you.



3. This book explains every part of directX10 and even helps you make a small game engine. Great code encapsulation using classes and catching errors.
   One needs to know pretty well C++ to understand all the things explained and used.