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Learning LibGDX Game Development- Second Edition

By : Suryakumar B Nair, Andreas Oehlke

3.5 (11)

Learning LibGDX Game Development- Second Edition

3.5 (11)

By: Suryakumar B Nair, Andreas Oehlke

Overview of this book

This book is aimed at indie and existing game developers as well as those who want to get started with game development using LibGDX. Basic knowledge of Java programming and game development is required.

Preface

Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Free Chapter

1. Introduction to LibGDX and Project Setup

1. Introduction to LibGDX and Project Setup

Diving into LibGDX

Features of LibGDX 1.2.0

Getting in touch with the community

Prerequisites to install and configure LibGDX

Creating a new application

gdx-setup versus gdx-setup-ui

Kicking your game to life

Key to success lies in planning

Game project – Canyon Bunny

Summary

2. Cross-platform Development – Build Once, Deploy Anywhere

2. Cross-platform Development – Build Once, Deploy Anywhere

The demo application – how the projects work together

LibGDX backends

LibGDX core modules

LibGDX's application life cycle and interface

Starter classes

The demo application – time for code

Summary

3. Configuring the Game

3. Configuring the Game

Setting up the Canyon Bunny project

Using a class diagram for Canyon Bunny

Laying foundations

Putting it all together

Summary

4. Gathering Resources

4. Gathering Resources

Setting up a custom Android application icon

Setting up a custom iOS application icon

Creating the texture atlases

Loading and tracking assets

Organizing the assets

Testing the assets

Handling level data

Summary

5. Making a Scene

5. Making a Scene

Creating game objects

Implementing the level loader

Assembling the game world

Implementing the game GUI

Summary

6. Adding the Actors

6. Adding the Actors

Implementing the actor game objects

Completing the level loader

Adding the game logic

Summary

7. Menus and Options

7. Menus and Options

Managing multiple screens

Exploring Scene2D UI, TableLayout, and skins

Using LibGDX's scene graph for the menu UI

Building the scene for the menu screen

Building the Options window

Summary

8. Special Effects

8. Special Effects

Creating complex effects with particle systems

Adding a dust particle effect to the player character

Moving the clouds

Smoothing with linear interpolation (Lerp)

Adding parallax scrolling to the mountains in the background

Enhancing the game screen's GUI

Summary

9. Screen Transitions

9. Screen Transitions

Adding the screen transition capability

Summary

10. Managing the Music and Sound Effects

10. Managing the Music and Sound Effects

Playing back the music and sound effects

Accessing the audio device directly

Using sound generators

Adding music and sounds to Canyon Bunny

Summary

11. Advanced Programming Techniques

11. Advanced Programming Techniques

Simulating physics with Box2D

Working with shaders in LibGDX

Adding alternative input controls

Summary

12. Animations

12. Animations

Manipulating actors through actions

Animating the menu screen

Using sequences of images for animations

Animating the game screen

Summary

13. Basic 3D Programming

13. Basic 3D Programming

Light sources

Environment and materials

Basic 3D using LibGDX

Loading a model

3D frustum culling

Ray picking

Summary

14. Bullet Physics

14. Bullet Physics

About Bullet Physics

A few basic concepts

Learning Bullet with LibGDX

Adding some rigid bodies

Stepping the world

Having fun with shadows

Summary

Index

Index

Simulating physics with Box2D

Box2D was created by Erin Catto and is an open source physics engine to simulate rigid bodies in 2D space. It is written in a platform-independent C++ code that has encouraged ports to several frameworks, game engines, and programming languages in general.

You should check out at least one of these popular games if you have never seen Box2D in action before: Angry Birds, Limbo, Tiny Wings, and Crayon Physics Deluxe.

LibGDX integrates Box2D, which is similar to other frameworks, through a thin wrapper API that is congruent with Box2D's original API. This approach makes it pleasantly easy to transfer existing knowledge about Box2D by following tutorials and examples that are not based on LibGDX, and of course, using the official Box2D manual.

Simulating physics with Box2D

For more information, you can check out the official website of Box2D at http://www.box2d.org/.

Also check out the LibGDX's Box2D wiki at https://github.com/libgdx/libgdx/wiki/Box2d/.

For Box2D tutorials, you can check...

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