Preface

About the Author

David Brackeen grew up in Texas and has a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of North Texas. He has created many games, level editors, and multimedia products in Java, including Scared (a 3D shooter game) and Race3d (a 3D racing engine used in several games). He will neither confirm nor deny allegations that he ever drank rainwater from a shoe. He currently resides in Los Angeles, but you can find him at www.brackeen.com.

About the Contributing Authors

Bret Barker grew up in upstate New York and studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. A refugee of the San Francisco dot-com implosion, he currently lives in Portland, Maine, working as a freelance software developer. He specializes in Java games, mobile application development, and 3D graphics programming. He can be reached at bret@hypefiend.com.

Laurence Vanhelsuwé is a self-taught, independent software engineer. He has worked on such diverse technologies as X.25 WAN routers, virtual reality flight simulation, Postscript, real-time digitized video-based traffic analysis, and interactive map-based multimedia CD-ROMs. When not being stuck behind a screen all day, Laurence likes rock climbing and windsurfing to get the blood circulation going again.

About the Technical Reviewers

These reviewers contributed their considerable hands-on expertise to the entire development process for Developing Games in Java. As the book was being written, these dedicated professionals reviewed all the material for technical content, organization, and flow. Their feedback was critical to ensuring that Developing Games in Java fits our readers' needs for the highest-quality technical information.

David Fox has designed and developed numerous CD-ROM, web, and wireless games for companies such as Fox Interactive, Byron Preiss Multimedia, and PlayLink. Currently he is one of the principals of Next Game, Inc., working on a system that allows people to wager on games of skill. David is also the author of several best-selling books about Internet technologies. His writing has appeared in publications such as Gamasutra, Salon.com, and Developer.com, and he has presented topics on Java gaming at the JavaOne Conference for the past few years.

Tom Jacobson received his undergraduate degree at St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Upon graduation, he began helping create interactive computer games aimed at rehabilitating dyslexic children as part of a joint research project between UCSF and Rutgers University. Tom is co-founder of Gamelet.com, an online web game company that has created numerous Java games for companies such as Snapple, Sony, and Subaru. He is currently the Chief Gaming Officer for www.superdudes.net.

Acknowledgments

First of all, I'd like to thank the development editor for this book, Lisa Thibault, for being determined, patient, enthusiastic, and encouraging. Also, thanks to tech editors Tom Jacobson and David Fox for providing valuable feedback and suggestions along the way.

Thanks to Charles Alderton, whose creation has kept me motivated throughout the years.

Thanks to my parents, who had the intuition to make sure I had access to computers as I was growing up, whether it was a PC in high school, those incredibly fast 286 machines in my Dad's office, or the Epson QX-10 in 1985.

And of course, thanks to my friends and the rest of my family, who never stopped asking, “Is the book done yet?” or demanding, “Finish the book!”

Naturally, though, the real gratitude goes to the countless programmers and computer scientists who were intelligent enough to come up with all these game programming ideas in the first place, and who were wise enough to share their ideas.

Tell Us What You Think

As the reader of this book, you are the most important critic and commentator. We value your opinion and want to know what we're doing right, what we could do better, what areas you'd like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom you're willing to pass our way.

As the Executive Development Editor for New Riders Publishing, I welcome your comments. You can fax, email, or write me directly to let me know what you did or didn't like about this book—as well as what we can do to make our books stronger. When you write, please be sure to include this book's title, ISBN, and author, as well as your name and phone or fax number. I will carefully review your comments and share them with the author and editors who worked on the book.

Please note that I cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of this book, and that due to the high volume of email I receive, I might not be able to reply to every message.

Fax:	317-581-4663
Email:	lisa.thibault@newriders.com
Mail:	Lisa Thibault Executive Development Editor New Riders Publishing 800 E. 96th Street, Suite 200 Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA