Algorithms and Networking for Computer Games 2/e

The essential guide to solving algorithmic and networking problems in commercial computer games, revised and extended

Algorithms and Networking for Computer Games, Second Edition is written from the perspective of the computer scientist. Combining algorithmic knowledge and game-related problems, it explores the most common problems encountered in game programing. 

The first part of the book presents practical algorithms for solving “classical” topics, such as random numbers, procedural generation, tournaments, group formations and game trees. The authors also focus on how to find a path in, create the terrain of, and make decisions in the game world.

The second part introduces networking related problems in computer games, focusing on four key questions: how to hide the inherent communication delay, how to best exploit limited network resources, how to cope with cheating and how to measure the on-line game data. 

Thoroughly revised, updated, and expanded to reflect the many constituent changes occurring in the commercial gaming industry since the original, this Second Edition, like the first, is a timely, comprehensive resource offering deeper algorithmic insight and more extensive coverage of game-specific networking problems than ordinarily encountered in game development books.

Algorithms and Networking for Computer Games, Second Edition:

• Provides algorithmic solutions in pseudo-code format, which emphasises the idea behind the solution, and can easily be written into a programming language of choice
• Features a section on the Synthetic player, covering decision-making, influence maps, finite-state machines, flocking, fuzzy sets, and probabilistic reasoning and noise generation
• Contains in-depth treatment of network communication, including dead-reckoning, local perception filters, cheating prevention and on-line metrics
• Now includes 73 ready-to-use algorithms and 247 illustrative exercises

Algorithms and Networking for Computer Games, Second Edition is a must-have resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students taking computer game related courses, postgraduate researchers in game-related topics, and developers interested in deepening their knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of computer games and in learning new approaches to game design and programming.

《演算法和網路遊戲》第二版是一本從計算機科學家的角度撰寫的指南。結合演算法知識和遊戲相關問題，探討遊戲程式設計中最常遇到的問題。

本書的第一部分介紹了解決「經典」主題的實用演算法，例如隨機數字、程序生成、比賽、團體形成和遊戲樹。作者還著重於如何在遊戲世界中尋找路徑、創建地形和做出決策。

第二部分介紹了遊戲中與網路相關的問題，重點關注四個關鍵問題：如何隱藏內在的通訊延遲、如何最佳利用有限的網路資源、如何應對作弊行為以及如何測量線上遊戲數據。

這本第二版經過全面修訂、更新和擴充，以反映商業遊戲行業自原版以來所發生的許多變化。與第一版一樣，這本書是一個及時、全面的資源，提供比遊戲開發書籍中通常遇到的更深入的演算法見解和更廣泛的遊戲特定網路問題涵蓋範圍。

《演算法和網路遊戲》第二版的特點包括：

- 提供以偽代碼格式呈現的演算法解決方案，強調解決方案背後的思想，並且可以輕鬆轉換成所選的程式語言。
- 包含一個關於合成玩家的部分，涵蓋決策、影響圖、有限狀態機、群集、模糊集合和概率推理以及噪音生成。
- 深入探討網路通訊，包括死算、本地感知過濾器、防作弊和線上指標。
- 現在包含73個可直接使用的演算法和247個示例練習題。

《演算法和網路遊戲》第二版是高年級本科生和研究生修讀與電腦遊戲相關課程的必備資源，也適用於從事遊戲相關研究的博士研究生以及希望深入了解電腦遊戲理論基礎並學習新的遊戲設計和程式設計方法的開發人員。