Part III: AdvancedGameProgrammingTechniques

Part II of the book takes the development of a Pocket PC game library from initial concept to full-blown implementation, so the library is now available for developing complete games with full support for the special hardware features of a Pocket PC, which is the topic of Part III.

There is usually a point of critical mass in the development of games for a new platform like the Pocket PC. Before that point, much of the work of a game programmer is consumed with the micromanagement of small details like plotting a pixel and blitting a sprite. The game library herein is now at a state where you no longer have to micromanage the gritty details of game programming. Instead, you are free to start working on game design—a subject that is demonstrated with the sample programs that follow. The game library is not perfect—as I have already mentioned, it is a work in progress. But the library is at a state of development that further enhancements will likely be mid-level (object management) and high-level (game environment) improvements. I believe the library is also at a state where it can be subclassed into a game library for a game genre (such as arcade games) making it even more useful for that specific type of game.

Part III covers advanced game programming techniques, including artificial intelligence, computer-controlled objects, tile-based maps, particle attraction, gravitic formulas, object motion, propulsion in space, and multiplayer communications. The first chapter covers strategy and tactics and shows how to program computer-controlled objects in a sample game called Tank Battle. The game features a tile-based map and a computer-controlled tank that will knock your socks off! The second chapter covers game physics, including gravitic formulas for particle attraction and propulsion and includes a game called Meteoroids. The game features an environment so hostile that it will tear your spaceship to shreds, and you will be hard-pressed to stay alive in this game. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill asteroids! Instead, the objects in Meteoroids are powered by acceleration and velocity factors and do not follow a specific trajectory through space. The third chapter covers the infrared port and TCP/IP networking with an emphasis on multiplayer programming with a sample infrared program and a sample socket program. The fourth chapter is dedicated to the development of a full-blown game called Pocket Air Hockey that brings to life the promise made back in the first chapter: wireless “anywhere” gaming is here! The game supports two players over the Internet, which may be wireless or wired LAN, phone line, cellular modem, or any other TCP/IP socket connection. Pocket Air Hockey also includes a mini-chat feature with a virtual keyboard that lets you send messages to the other player!

Part III consists of the following chapters:

• Chapter 13, “Strategy and Tactics”

• Chapter 15, “Infrared and Socket Communications”

• Chapter 14, “Game Physics”

• Chapter 16, “Multiplayer Game Programming”