Mark H. Overmars – författare

In numerous computer applications there is a need of storing large sets of objects in such a way that some questions about those objects can be answered efficiently. Data structures that store such sets of objects can be either static (built for a fixed set of objects) or dynamic (insertions of new objects and deletions of existing objects can be performed). Especially for more complex searching problems as they arise in such fields as computational geometry, database design and computer graphics, only static data structures are available. This book aims at remedying this lack of flexibility by providing a number of general techniques for turning static data structures for searching problems into dynamic structures. Although the approach is basically theoretical, the techniques offered are often practically applicable. The book is written in such a way that it is readable for those who have some elementary knowledge of data structures and algorithms. Although this monograph was first published in 1983, it is still unique as a general treatment of methods for constructing dynamic data structures.

Developing computer games is a perfect way to learn how to program in modern programming languages. This book teaches how to program in C# through the creation of computer games – and without requiring any previous programming experience.

Contrary to most programming books, Egges, Fokker and Overmars do not organize the presentation according to programming language constructs, but instead use the structure and elements of computer games as a framework. For instance, there are chapters on dealing with player input, game objects, game worlds, game states, levels, animation, physics, and intelligence. The reader will be guided through the development of four games showing the various aspects of game development. Starting with a simple shooting game, the authors move on to puzzle games consisting of multiple levels, and conclude the book by developing a full-fledged platform game with animation, game physics, and intelligent enemies. They show a number of commonly used techniques in games, such as drawing layers of sprites, rotating, scaling and animating sprites, showing a heads-up display, dealing with physics, handling interaction between game objects, and creating pleasing visual effects such as snow or glitter. At the same time, they provide a thorough introduction to C# and object-oriented programming, introducing step by step important aspects of programming in general, including many  programming constructs and idioms, syntax diagrams, collections, and exception handling.

The book is also designed to be used as a basis for a game-oriented programming course. For each part, there are concluding exercises and challenges, which are generally more complex programming endeavors. Lots of supplementary materials for organizing such a course are available on the accompanying web site http://www.csharpprogramminggames.com, including installation instructions, solutions to the exercises, software installation instructions, game sprites and sounds.