Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design

Book Description

Let your imagination run wild in the world of Unreal Technology. Mastering Unreal Technology: The Art of Level Design knows no boundaries as it shows you how to build custom mods, maps and levels with the Unreal engine. Its tutorial format will give you immediate results through the tips and demos provided from the industry's top level designers. Learn to create your own characters, weapons and gaming environments, as well as how to go beyond the Unreal environment and export custom elements from 3D modeling applications. A CD that contains the Unreal Engine, graphics, examples and code is also included, giving you everything you need to create custom levels in Unreal or build your own games and virtual environments. Mastering Unreal Technology will help put you on the cutting-edge of gaming technology.

Customer Reviews:

A Very Helpful Book.......2007-09-21

I am a Game Art Development student, and this book has been indespensible in aiding in my understanding of the Unreal Editor. Without this book, I'm sure that it would've taken me waaaaayyy longer to get things done than the limited time that I had. Even though the book is more expensive than the game itself, it is a must have for any aspiring modder or game creator.

Haven't Used it just yet..........2007-08-04

I just bought this book, and although It seems like it's going to be great, my major problem is finding either Maya PLE 5.0's registration number, or Maya 7.0 PLE and its registration number.
the Autodesk site only has Maya PLE 8.5 to download and there are only plug-ins for Unreal for Maya 5.0 PLE and Maya 7.0 PLE (note: there is no version for the regular Maya)
So it kind of leaves you stuck with nothing to use. There is also nothing on the net about it either.

If you want to know how to make a MOD or GAME... Get This..........2007-05-12

Wow, it Big, It heavy and yes my Friends it is a red Brick, But it well worth ever cent and every page. Packed full of Useful Information and Helpful Tutorials it writen with the Lamen in mind. and take you into the Skills needed to make almost a full game. The one thing it lacks is the swcripting language section. But this is forgivable as it would make the book way bigger and much more complex to read if you a new guy trying to make a few little Deathmatch levels.

Very good book.......2007-04-10

This book is very complete and very easy to follow. Get the videos from 3dbuzz and the planetunreal tutorials and you'll be making great levels in no time.
Also great is the coverage static meshes and character production in maya and export to unrealed.

Top Notch Book!.......2007-03-09

Anyone who wants to learn how to use the Unreal Engine should buy this bible, yes it is a bible, because without this book you would be lost, the second cd to the Unreal game which is all videos really isn't enough, this book will cover everything about the Unreal!

Definitely a good buy!

The Art and Science of Digital Compositing (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics)

Average customer rating:

A must
An essentrial for all CG artist
Great Book but Where's the CD?
A math mad must for Comps
Must Have for compositors and digital artists

The Art and Science of Digital Compositing (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Graphics)
Ron Brinkmann
Manufacturer: Morgan Kaufmann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0121339602
Release Date: 1999-05-01

Amazon.com

Digital compositing, defined here as "the digitally manipulated combination of at least two source images to produce an integrated result," is a huge field incorporating 2-D and 3-D still and animated artwork. The Art and Science of Digital Compositing homes in on a specific area--visual effects in film, multimedia, and commercials--and expands on it in a highly precise and technical fashion. The author, Ron Brinkmann, has applied his expertise to many projects, including such feature films as James and the Giant Peach and Die Hard.

Here he teaches aspiring film, video, and multimedia artists how to create mattes; manipulate time; track, view, and analyze images; work with various film and video formats; and understand the issues of quality versus efficiency. Brinkmann concentrates on improving what you've put together by manipulating color, brightness, perspective, lighting, cameras, and more. You can apply much of the introductory information--resolution, bit depth, compression, color, and geometric manipulations--to simple image-compositing projects. But then you're off into Hollywood territory, though the tone is one of serious insight, not whimsical observation. This is essentially a textbook for people who are looking for an in-depth discussion of technology for advanced animation production. As such, it does an excellent job. --Kathleen Caster

Book Description

Computer-generated visual effects are now used extensively in feature films, commercials, music videos, and multimedia. The backbone of this process, the final and most important step, is known as digital compositing. The Art and Science of Digital Compositing is a comprehensive reference that provides a complete overview of the technical and the artistic nature of this process. This book covers a wide range of topics from basic image creation, representation, and manipulation, to a look at the visual cues that are necessary to create a believable composite. Designed as both an introduction to the field as well as a valuable technical reference, this book should be of interest to both novices and professionals alike.

Written by a working professional in the visual effects industry, the book provides over 250 different images and illustrations (including a 40-page color insert) as well as a complete glossary of compositing and visual-effects terminology. Also included are in-depth case studies from well-known films such as Speed, Independence Day, and Titanic.

Balances fundamental "hard science" topics with the more qualitative/artistic challenges which face anyone involved in a digital composition project
Provides examples and illustrations from motion picture work
CD-ROM contains additional composition examples, illustrations, and development software
Includes 32 pages of colour

Customer Reviews:

A must.......2007-06-13

Even if I'm not working in vfx, so I haven't a great experience, I think this book should be in every comps shelf: very simple, well written, it deals with the math under every (even the simplest) operation you can do in your compositing package (it's quite software-indipendent). It explains several wonderful tricks too.
Globally, very useful in my opinion.

An essentrial for all CG artist.......2007-02-24

Ron goes over the very concepts of compositing that are essential to know in the computer graphics feild. I have bought several copies of this book as the disappear from my desk (no longer kept in public view)

Great Book but Where's the CD?.......2007-01-23

This book is exceptional and a must for anyone pursuing this area of interest. The only disappointment I had in purchasing this item is that it is supposed to come with a CD, and the CD was never shipped to me. What's up, Amazon?

A math mad must for Comps.......2007-01-05

That can I say about Mr Brinkman. Well he's one of the God's of compositing and VFX. Mad about the math behind Node based compositing software, which incidentally is a good thing. This is not meant to be a 'Shake' bible as it is supposed to be non software specific. However it uses 'Shake' language and node naming. This is not a criticism as 'Shake' is the meccano kit of compositing. Understand the mode and the math behind it and you can do anything. I would also assume that this will still be relevant when shake is 'reborn'.

This is also essential for other composing software where the math is hidden. If you've ever considered what happens inside that 'magic button' after you've clicked.

I also think that Steve Wright's 'Digital Compositing for Film and Video, Second Edition' is a must too. Another great book from a great man of VFX.

Having not been personally taught by Mr. Brinkman and Mr Wright these books prove to be the next best thing.

Must Have for compositors and digital artists.......2006-07-02

This book is a in depth study of the techniques and technologies involved in the art of compositing. Not sooo technical that no one will understand it, but technical enough that it even explains in detail the algorithms and math used for antialiasing, blurs, the transfer operators like multiply, screen overlay., etc... I am a professional cg artist and highly recommend this book.

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

Average customer rating:

Amazing Insight
A Must for Baseball Fans
Amazing book for every level of baseball fan
Legendary
Baseball management made rational!

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
Michael Lewis
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393324818

Amazon.com

Billy Beane, general manager of MLB's Oakland A's and protagonist of Michael Lewis's Moneyball, had a problem: how to win in the Major Leagues with a budget that's smaller than that of nearly every other team. Conventional wisdom long held that big name, highly athletic hitters and young pitchers with rocket arms were the ticket to success. But Beane and his staff, buoyed by massive amounts of carefully interpreted statistical data, believed that wins could be had by more affordable methods such as hitters with high on-base percentage and pitchers who get lots of ground outs. Given this information and a tight budget, Beane defied tradition and his own scouting department to build winning teams of young affordable players and inexpensive castoff veterans.

Lewis was in the room with the A's top management as they spent the summer of 2002 adding and subtracting players and he provides outstanding play-by-play. In the June player draft, Beane acquired nearly every prospect he coveted (few of whom were coveted by other teams) and at the July trading deadline he engaged in a tense battle of nerves to acquire a lefty reliever. Besides being one of the most insider accounts ever written about baseball, Moneyball is populated with fascinating characters. We meet Jeremy Brown, an overweight college catcher who most teams project to be a 15th round draft pick (Beane takes him in the first). Sidearm pitcher Chad Bradford is plucked from the White Sox triple-A club to be a key set-up man and catcher Scott Hatteberg is rebuilt as a first baseman. But the most interesting character is Beane himself. A speedy athletic can't-miss prospect who somehow missed, Beane reinvents himself as a front-office guru, relying on players completely unlike, say, Billy Beane. Lewis, one of the top nonfiction writers of his era (Liar's Poker, The New New Thing), offers highly accessible explanations of baseball stats and his roadmap of Beane's economic approach makes Moneyball an appealing reading experience for business people and sports fans alike. --John Moe

Book Description

"One of the best baseball—and management—books out....Deserves a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame."—Forbes

Moneyball is a quest for the secret of success in baseball. Following the low-budget Oakland Athletics, their larger-than-life general manger, Billy Beane, and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts, Michael Lewis has written not only "the single most influential baseball book ever" (Rob Neyer, Slate) but also what "may be the best book ever written on business" (Weekly Standard).

I wrote this book because I fell in love with a story. The story concerned a small group of undervalued professional baseball players and executives, many of whom had been rejected as unfit for the big leagues, who had turned themselves into one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. But the idea for the book came well before I had good reason to write it—before I had a story to fall in love with. It began, really, with an innocent question: how did one of the poorest teams in baseball, the Oakland Athletics, win so many games?

With these words Michael Lewis launches us into the funniest, smartest, and most contrarian book since, well, since Liar's Poker. Moneyball is a quest for something as elusive as the Holy Grail, something that money apparently can't buy: the secret of success in baseball. The logical places to look would be the front offices of major league teams, and the dugouts, perhaps even in the minds of the players themselves. Lewis mines all these possibilities—his intimate and original portraits of big league ballplayers are alone worth the price of admission—but the real jackpot is a cache of numbers—numbers!—collected over the years by a strange brotherhood of amateur baseball enthusiasts: software engineers, statisticians, Wall Street analysts, lawyers and physics professors.

What these geek numbers show—no, prove—is that the traditional yardsticks of success for players and teams are fatally flawed. Even the box score misleads us by ignoring the crucial importance of the humble base-on-balls. This information has been around for years, and nobody inside Major League Baseball paid it any mind. And then came Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics.

Billy paid attention to those numbers —with the second lowest payroll in baseball at his disposal he had to—and this book records his astonishing experiment in finding and fielding a team that nobody else wanted. Moneyball is a roller coaster ride: before the 2002 season opens, Oakland must relinquish its three most prominent (and expensive) players, is written off by just about everyone, and then comes roaring back to challenge the American League record for consecutive wins.

In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis shows us how and why the new baseball knowledge works. He also sets up a sly and hilarious morality tale: Big Money, like Goliath, is always supposed to win...how can we not cheer for David?

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Insight.......2007-10-03

Provides intriguing insight into the real skills that are required by a major leaguer and those coaching decisions that do and don't make sense.

A Must for Baseball Fans.......2007-09-28

Anyone who considers themselves a die-hard baseball fan must read this book.... but you knew that already.

Amazing book for every level of baseball fan.......2007-09-27

First off, this is not a book by Billy Beane, or anyone in the Oakland Athletics organization. This is a look at the use of Sabermetrics in baseball, originally thought up by Bill James, and how it can be used to help evaluate talent, and give you an edge in an unfair game, as the title states.

Reading this book, whether you are a casual or avid baseball fan, gives you a whole new look at the game of baseball, the way it is played, and the way teams are run. It breaks away from the norm, and shows that it is not the size of the payroll you have on your team, but how you use the money you have. Also, it is set a few years back, and it mentions some of the players that were scouted and drafted by Beane and his staff. It is nice now to read it, and see how these players have panned out.

Again, great book, flows very well, and I would recommend that if you are even a little interested, you pick this book up in a second.

Legendary.......2007-09-17

Moneyball changed the face of professional baseball and pro sports in general. It is a very compelling portrait of A's general manager Billy Beane and how he explits market inefficiencies to create a winning baseball team, despite having a small payroll. Highly recommended to all readers.

Baseball management made rational!.......2007-09-17

Michael Lewis's "Moneyball" tells the incredible story of how rationality was brought to bear on the management of a Major League Baseball team, the Oakland A's. By rationality I mean that the A's made staffing decisions based not on the gut feelings of their scouts, but on objective evidence that allowed them to predict how much each potential player could be expected to contribute to a winning season. You'd think every team in MLB would be run that way, but there you'd be very wrong.

At it's heart, "Moneyball" is the story of the clash within MLB between the insiders (the coaches, scouts, and managers that use traditional "soft" measures to evaluate players) and the sabermetricians (those who base players' worth solely on hard statistics that correlate with their ability to win baseball games). The A's general manager, Billy Beane, and his assistant, Paul DePodesta, were the first MLB insiders to adopt sabermetrics, a scientific approach to baseball invented by Bill James in the late 1970's. What sets the A's front office apart is that they saw the value of sabermetrics, adopted it as their sole criterion for picking players, and somehow managed to force it on the rest of their organization. Lewis shows how this approach allowed the A's to sign players that all the other teams were uninterested in at incredibly low prices. Yet despite their low payroll, the A's achieved win/loss records comparable to teams spending three or more times as much.

Based on the book's afterward and some of the other reviews I've read here, I think a lot of people have missed the book's main point. It's not that Billy Beane and his assistants invented sabermetrics, that they have found a guaranteed way to win, or even that all the players they picked should be expected to become stars. Rather, "Moneyball" makes a compelling argument that their approach allows them to exploit the inefficiencies of the market to staff a team that has the highest likelihood of winning given the relatively limited dollars available for players' salaries. Baseball is a game of odds. Beane and company have simply found a way to maximize the expected wins-per-dollar ratio.

I'm no baseball fan, but I found "Moneyball" engrossing. I learned a lot from this book -- not only about baseball, but also about the often irrational ways people assign value to things. Perhaps due to his own Wall Street background (see Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street), Lewis draws illuminating analogies between financial markets and the market for baseball players.

This is the book that should have changed Major League Baseball, but instead the baseball establishment reacted with outrage and derision. How irrational.

Introducing Character Animation with Blender

Average customer rating:

Excellent!
Great Blender Intro and Character Design
Animation Motivated Novices
excellent deal
Exactly what I needed.

Introducing Character Animation with Blender
Tony Mullen
Manufacturer: Sybex
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0470102608

Book Description

Let this in-depth professional book be your guide to Blender, the powerful open-source 3D modeling and animation software that will bring your ideas to life. Using clear step-by-step instruction and pages of real-world examples, expert animator Tony Mullen walks you through the complexities of modeling and animating, with a special focus on characters. From Blender basics to creating facial expressions and emotion to rendering, you’ll jump right into the process and learn valuable techniques that will transform your movies.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2007-08-25

If you are new to Blender and 3d animation, this book will help you to "open your mind to the possibilities". You will learn to build and animate your own character step by step. Easy to follow and very well explained. The included DVD has a lot of animation samples and source files used in the book. Go for it!

Great Blender Intro and Character Design.......2007-08-17

Of all the books I've read on 3D, this is the first that actually has been useful and direct to me. I have been using Blender 3D for a year now, but I found that there was alot of cool features that I missed that I then learned from this book.

Besides a great introduction, this book flows smoothly with the creation of a face from only a reference photo (with all the intermediate steps to get there), and then the rest of the book is showing how to build a a fully rigged (ready for animation) character from scratch. I am so amazed with this book.

This is a definitely a worthwhile book. I teach Blender 3D for a organization at Texas A&M University, and I suggest this to them all.

Animation Motivated Novices .......2007-08-13

Great book for the Blender Project. The intro says it all, for Blender Pros and highly motivated novices. Great tutorial and all the pieces included on CD.

excellent deal.......2007-06-13

This product arrived around a month from the day the purchase was made. the product arrived in excellent conditions, And I also found it{s cheaper than in other websites.

Exactly what I needed........2007-06-01

I've been learning Blender for a while now, piecing it together from stray tutorials and such, but with this very affordable book, I've found exactly what I needed. I already knew a lot of what the book covers, but it helped fill in some gaps that most online tutorials take for granted, and gave me a whole, more complete view of how to go about my business with Blender. I would definately buy another book from this author.

Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher's Handbook

Average customer rating:

Good but young
It been great in my classroom
Not what I thought it would be
Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher's Handbook
My bible!

Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher's Handbook
Viola Spolin
Manufacturer: Northwestern University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0810140047

Customer Reviews:

Good but young.......2007-05-06

This was on a list of suggested reading from a class I attended with Second City. I bought it hoping to use some of the ideas for my middle schoolers. There are many ideas in the book for younger kids, like songs. There are some good ideas that can be adapted into a middle school room.

It been great in my classroom.......2006-11-10

I teach sixth grade math, and have a group of students for an exploratory class. We talk about current events, esteem building, community building, fun non-academic skills with an emphasis on social awareness. I have been using this book for most of the year so far, and my students look forward to it,a nd ask for it. I don't have a background in theater, but this book has several premade units that have a focus on different skills. The one I am just completing focuses on community building for the group and concentration and focus for the individual. I find it easy to use, and I like the skills that it is building and reinforcing in my students. If you don't want to do a whole unit, the individual exercises and warm-ups can be set up and completed in 5-10 minutes. Great,and quick!
I strongly recommend this for any classroom!

Not what I thought it would be.......2006-05-10

I teach drama/theater in a low income public school. I bought the book because my school has very few resources and I thought this might be useful. As it turned out the book was hardly used during my first year teaching. My biggest problem with this book is that it is not very user friendly for a teacher who just wants to add some fun to a class but not a complex game. In other words the book needs to make the games simpler so the kids can pick them up faster and have more fun. This might not be problem for teachers in high school as your students might be more mature and able to handle more complex games. But for middle school teachers tread lightly. Also if you have a bunch of behavior problems in your class then forgot about it. In my experience I found the worse the behavior the better they were at spoiling fun classroom games. Be warned.

Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher's Handbook.......2005-08-28

EXCELLENT!! Inspiring. Well Organized. So many great ideas for the new or seasoned acting teacher.

My bible!.......2002-09-24

As a teacher of drama to many low-income, urban, and "difficult" adolescents, this is the book that I find most useful, alive, and inspiring! Simply wonderful for anyone trying to bring the best out of young actors!

Game Development Essentials: An Introduction

Average customer rating:

Excellent book
Classroom Warning
Gwenn McElwee's Review
Interesting side notes, but not worth the effort
I enjoyed it

Game Development Essentials: An Introduction
Jeannie Novak
Manufacturer: Thomson Delmar Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

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ASIN: 1401862713

Book Description

?Get ready for a fascinating ride through the fastest-growing segment of the entertainment industry!? As gaming evolves into a powerhouse industry and a dynamic career opportunity, the need has never been greater for a book that offers a penetrating introduction to the field and a clear explanation of the keys to success. A highly respected industry observer and gaming instructor in Southern California, author Jeannie Novak showcases in this definitive work every important aspect of game development, beginning with a highly informative chapter on the background of the industry that provides the historical context for later chapters. The latest addition to the Game Development Essential series, An Introduction to Game Development examines content creation and the concepts behind the development of story, character, environment, level design, user interface, and sound. Novak also looks to the future of gaming, and in particular, at such promising technologies as online and mobile gaming. An entertaining read and a thoroughly researched and knowledgeable overview of the field, this book is an indispensable gateway to one of the most exciting career opportunities in the country today.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book.......2007-09-24

It's an excellent book. The fact that she included my incredibly detailed game design document in no way influenced my rating.

Classroom Warning.......2007-09-13

Just wanted to let people know there is a later version if you missed it, and you should check with instructors before buying this book and be sure it is the dated version needed!

Gwenn McElwee's Review.......2007-08-15

I find this book to be well rounded in the history and in the aspect to the gaming and simulation world. It was not what I originally expected to read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and now can look at the gaming world a lot differently with more respect.

I purchased this book because it was required for the class I am taking at DeVry University Online, but now that I have read it, I am interested in purchasing a few of the other books in this series by Jeannie Novak.

Interesting side notes, but not worth the effort.......2007-07-09

One interesting thing this book contains is little sidebar interviews with people from the game industry. It might serve people who are looking for jobs and want to get names of people in industry.

This book might also be a good read for parents of kids who want to learn more about the gaming industry. It is a very simple introduction (hence the title).

For anyone who has played computer games however, it will be overly simple and offer little value add.

It really is an intro and nothing more.

I enjoyed it.......2007-05-28

I would probably have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the few mistakes made. For example on page 218 there is a screenshot of C&C Generals and the caption says "Praetorians uses terrain as a boundary" with the image credit given to Eidos Interactive! Wow... It's probably just a mistake someone else made and not Novak, but still. I haven't been able to locate an errata list on either the publisher's website nor Novak's, but aside from a few minor typos I haven't found any other mistakes.

For a book published in late 2004, an updated edition seems a long time coming for a book that needed it. I see the second edition is due out August 2007 so that's good. Too bad my class didn't wait until then. I was required to purchase this first edition.

I don't know if I'd recommend this to anyone just browsing the shelves for a book on game design, unless you have more money than the typical student. At $64, I would hold this book to higher standards. Thomson Delmar Learning doesn't really target the mass market, so you'd expect to pay a little extra and receive a little extra in return. But price aside, I agree with all the other positive comments. If you are interested in the subject matter then I really would recommend this book. Maybe just wait a few months for the 2nd edition.

The demo CD is lackluster in my opinion. All it had were URLs to demo games and game engine trial versions. They could have saved some money and just had a page at the end of the book list the URLs.

The interviews with and comments by the industry pros are very nice for the beginning student to read. The book is very colorful and has lots of pictures. That makes it sound childish but it really does help with the reading. I'm used to reading technical books on programming and even I found this format to be useful and it fit well with the subject.

In places, the author talks about generic game ideas and then references a specific game, as if this game is a shining example of the topic and it beat out all others. The topics are so generic that any game in the genre discussed could be used as a reference. To me this reeks of product placement.

One other thing that bothers me is the inclusion of "credible" studies and surveys by renowned research organizations like Nielsen. It isn't so much the fault of the author as it is the proliferation of surveys. One study sampled 33 medical professionals, came up with surprising results, and made the following statement: "The next step? Surgery simulations!". I'm sorry, but sampling 33 doctors means absolutely nothing. Get back to me when you sample 33,000. A different survey of 1,000 males in 2003 found 10% watched less television, 33% said in-game ads helped them decide which products to buy, and 50% actually liked the inclusion of real products in games. The next statement makes a conclusion: "Major corporations are now considering product placement in games as a significant form of advertising." How many millions of males in the United States alone play video games regularly? Wow, 1,000 sure is representative. Now the rest of us have to be subjected to in-game ads, which are repulsively annoying, thanks to the wrong set of 1,000 people surveyed. Sigh. Yes, I know it's impossible to survey a representative sample. So don't bother with surveys. I'm going off on a tangent, but the point is this book is pretty good. Just ignore the surveys.

Average customer rating:

The definitive work
Early Edition - Superceded by 2004 Edition
Great Book
Clear and comprehensive, with lots of positions
Brilliant in its day but that day has passed

Backgammon 2004 Edition
Paul David Magriel Jr. , and Renee Magriel
Manufacturer: Clock & Rose Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0812906152

Customer Reviews:

The definitive work.......2007-08-31

I had read that the book was "the Bible" of backgammon. But I think it is more than this, it is the definitive book on the game, it is the Bible, the Torah and the Koran all together. Other books simply repeat - sometimes with other words - what Magriel has said.
Besides he goes deep in his comments on various aspects of the game like "builders", flexibility and so on.
If you are interested in the game or want to improve this is THE book!

Early Edition - Superceded by 2004 Edition.......2007-07-27

This is the early edition of the book, without the 10-page foreword. See the 2004 edition for an interesting introduction to Paul Magriel and the creation of this book.Backgammon - 2004 Edition

Great Book.......2006-04-18

Really comprehensive and precise, helped me a lot in my backgammon ( http://www.play65.com/index.html?did=13870&tag1=11 ) game. if you want to know a thing or two about the game - give this backgammon book a try!

Clear and comprehensive, with lots of positions.......2006-03-01

A great starting point for someone who wants to become a good Backgammon player. While the book is long, it doesn't drag, and the material is well presented.

Brilliant in its day but that day has passed.......2005-04-07

This book is amazingly clear and well written but several positions are wrong. As are 2 whole chapters. Get 'Backgammon Bootcamp' by Walter Trice for an excellent accurate book.

3D Game Textures: Create Professional Game Art Using Photoshop

Average customer rating:

Useful introductory overview
Excellent. Really!
Worthless
Outstanding
One of the best i have so far

3D Game Textures: Create Professional Game Art Using Photoshop
Luke Ahearn
Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0240807685

Book Description

Game artists, architects, simulation developers, web designers and enthusiasts alike can learn to create everything from bricks to books in Photoshop with this step-by-step instructional guide. Because texture is 99% of what a gamer sees when playing, this topic deserves considerable coverage but has gotten little attention. Unlike anything on the market, this book is the first of its kind to provide an in-depth guide to game texturing with hundreds of high-quality examples. This guide teaches everything a game artist will need to know-from researching textures, basic artistic principles, tools and techniques, to specific step-by-step tutorials that explain how to create textures for a myriad of environments. The goal of this book is to give the reader a guide that will actually help them secure a job as a developer/artisteven providing them with images created using the tutorials that can be used in a portfolio.

* Learn everything you need to create stunning, professional textures from one easy to follow guide which features tutorials and over 500 high-quality images
* Follow the step-by-step tutorials to learn how to create suitable images which you can add to your portfolio and WOW prospective employers
* Companion CD includes sample textures and electronic versions of images you saw in the bookall the tools you need in one place!
* Hit the ground running or get a leg up on the competition with the tips, tricks, and real world examples featured in this comprehensive guide

Customer Reviews:

Useful introductory overview.......2007-06-14

This book is useful as a jumping-off point for using Photoshop to create textures, and covers most of the basic topics that someone new to both Photoshop and texturing would need to know. However, you'll need to search for additional resources to complete the journey that this book starts you on, since it's a pretty basic overview with a few confidence-building exercises that give you a taste of the possibilities.

Excellent. Really!.......2007-05-26

Unlike the rewiever who gave this book 1 star, I am giving 5. Because unlike him, I find this full-color book very well written and very useful. It goes beyond basic texture creation tutorials. The first half of the book explains theory behind good textures and texture creation as well as ways to take pictures for your own textures. It gives lot of examples to demonstrate various points. The second half of the book is the tutorial part. The tutorials are detailed and easy to follow. The only negative thing I find about this book is, that the tutorials give you exact values for everything without explaining why these values were actually chosen. However, it is up to the user to make his/her own tweeking and see, how changing these values effect the final result. Also, I would like to see how these textures are applied to a specific UV layout, which the book does not discuss. But then again, the book is about creating textures, not applying them to your model, so I do not hold it against it. After all, the textures that are created in the tutorials are nicely done and you certainly can find a good use for any of them. So, five stars it is.

Worthless.......2007-05-24

Utterly worthless book that provides horrid explanations. Really not worth the money, or even a look, it's just a low quality excuse for a book with most of it's "tutorials" being available free on the internet.

Outstanding.......2007-02-07

Very well written and beautifully illustrated. One of the best Photoshop books I've ever seen.

One of the best i have so far.......2007-02-06

After looking though the first set of tuts for making the textures. It pretty simply. There were not miss prints or typos, i never got lost while doin any of them and even more so i put in my own style while following these steps.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Average customer rating:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

A Must Have
Should be on everyones shelf.
Cheap and Comprehensive
Plenty of material for all levels of magicians
Awesome price for a classic.

Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic
Mark Wilson
Manufacturer: Running Press Book Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0762414553
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Book Description

From one of the world's premier practitioners of classic magic, with years of experience instructing younger readers in the magical arts, comes this new revision of his complete guide to learning and performing fantastic feats of prestidigitation. Acclaimed by the Los Angeles Times as "the text that...young magicians swear by," it's full of step-by-step instructions. More than 2,000 illustrations provide the know-how behind 300 techniques, from basic card tricks to advanced levitation, along with advice on planning and staging a professional-quality magic show.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Have.......2007-05-08

Wonderful step by step book. Well illustrated and easy to understand. Was able learn and perform numerous tricks in a matter of one day..A must have for any beginner

Should be on everyones shelf........2007-04-01

This book truly is phenomonal. It has every type of magic you can think of, coin, cards, stage, mentalism, self working, impromptu, gimmicked. It even goes as far as to give you tricks for things like jumbo cards and sponge balls.

Not only this but at the beginning of every chapter Mark Wilson reminds you of what magic is all about, he writes two or three paragraphs about the specific type of magic and how wonderful it can be. Mark also has a biography and an essay on magic at the beginning which is fantastic, and after years I still find myself going back and reading it just for a reminder of what got me into magic originally.

All of the descriptions to the tricks are well written, have accompanying pictures for EVERY move. He even gives secondary ways to do several of the moves and has an Notes and Reminds section after the tricks putting in personal notes about specific parts of the trick. Its obvious how much effort and work went into this book. In closing, this is a book that every magician new or old should have in his shelf, right next to Bobo's Modern Coin Magic, and Royal Road to Card Magic.

Cheap and Comprehensive.......2007-03-20

This book is a treasure trove of tricks, which the author explains in a clean, concise fashion. Highly recommended over other books, which tend to include fewer tricks, occassionally with a glossier, but not superior, presentation.

Plenty of material for all levels of magicians.......2007-02-19

This magic book runs the gamut from beginners tricks to tricks many professionals use. I've been performing as a part-time professional magician myself for several years now, and I still found things in this book I hadn't seen before or new twists on things I was familiar with.

The biggest drawback to this is the sheer volume of information it contains. If I'd come across this book when I was first getting into magic, I would've been absolutely overwhelmed. It's still a lot to digest now. But if you read through it and pick and choose tricks here and there that fit your style and personality, you'll find it very useful. It's like a cafeteria -- go down the line, picking out the things you want and skipping the things you don't, then go back to your table and chew on them and enjoy them.

Awesome price for a classic........2007-01-20

I was browing Amazon checking out some other books, and up popped Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. I have seen it years ago, and it's a great manual of all things magic. The bargain price was my best buy of this year, a one inch tear in the binding shaved more than 50% off the price of my copy. (Now if only I could get more books in this shape). The closest book would be Tarbell's at $20 a book, my full collection of Tarbell covers more items, but Mark Wilson's is easy to digest and the photos just make it a super book. This is a must buy for anyone with interest in performing magic.

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