As a game programmer, you realize the importance of creating stunningly realistic characters and captivating plots— players should lose themselves in your game. You also understand the attraction of modding, and recognize the need to design a game that allows players to reshape it to fit their own vision. So how do you create a game that is all things to all people? Through scripting—creating a custom-designed language. This comprehensive book contains everything you need to know in order to easily script and control your in-game entities and environments, as well as how to give players the ability to write mods and extensions. With a foreword by legendary game designer John Romero, Game Scripting Mastery is the serious game programmer’s one-stop guide to scripting.

Features

• Fully explains the design and implementation of an entire procedural scripting system from scratch.

• It contains primers covering assembly language, compiler theory, and virtual machine theory to ensure that even intermediate coders will be able to master the techniques.

• The CD includes executable versions of all demo programs, including the final version of XtremeScript, a full-featured scripting system read to use immediately.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 18 Ratings

Good starting point - 2005-08-10
Reviewer Rating:
This book was a nice read, following a coherent structure and didatic approach to present game scripting. The author does not only cover current scripting languages but also demonstrates the implementation of an actual virtual machine, so the reader can decide what is best for him while testing all approaches. The first part gives the insight needed for game scripting, why we need it, how it can be done in simple ways and why we need more advanced approaches. Next he discusses current languages, such as Lua (my favourite in this book), and their advantages and drawbacks. Finally the book starts detailing the implementation of an actual virtual machine, which is a very good compiler theory practice. In this sense, these chapters will make much more sense if you are is shape with Aho's Red Dragon book or Tremblay's green book. The book has its shortcomings as well, but overall it's a very well written text with good information on how to actually use scripting on games.

Want to be a game scripting master? Skip this one - 2007-07-29
Reviewer Rating:
This book is targeted to programmers with little experience.
What's the point of discussing parsing and virtual environments with beginners?
Making your own virtual machine will be a disaster unless you are at graduate/late undergrad level.
He doesn't even touch upon backtracking lexers, LL(k), LR parsing or how FSM machines are supposed to work.
Doesn't mention parse trees or optimization.

I understand this is a beginners' book but come on, it's like 800 pages.
He could have put important information, but instead the book contains MOSTLY USELESS STUFF (like him debating the phrase 'lookup table')
Most of the code is childish, non-reusable and inefficient.

Get the dragon book if you want to be a 'game scripting master'

Good purchase... - 2009-06-07
Reviewer Rating:
I received my purchase in almost perfect condition. The CD that came with the book had a scratch on it that ALMOST made it unusable, but I managed to get everything I needed off of it (Direct X was the only thing that wouldn't install properly, which you can get elsewhere, so I got lucky. It could have been worse, though...)

this book teaches compiler design, not game scripting - 2008-02-07
Reviewer Rating:
The title of this book may be game scripting, but if you are expecting code on how to code AI for monster sprites that interface with a 2D game engine, well you will be surprised that this book teaches you how to build a complete scripting language compiler from the ground up, including the virtual machine it runs on. This is the only book that targets beginning programmers on this subject on the market. This book is missing out on a lot of potential sales by being misnamed. All the other reviewers who crit this book for lacking compiler theory can go jump in a lake, there are plenty of other books on this subject that will barrage you with all the matematical theory behind the actaul coding.

AMAZING BOOK!!!! - 2005-01-01
Reviewer Rating:
I have never read any book like this, the author has put a lot of work into this book. its aimed toward intermediate/advanced programmers who are interested in not only creating scripting languages for games yet however creating languages for anything! This is my favorite book and he finds many ways to dig deep into comiler design with out all of the garabage thats not required. You write your own lexer and parser which allows you to get away from the tools yacc and bison etc...
I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in this topic trust me... You will NOT be disappointed!

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