Computational Game Dynamics

Well worth picking up if you already have the basics.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.

The clearest explanation of game programming I have come across.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The chapters on game programming are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.

Not quite what I expected from the description, but there is material here.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. Borrow it first if you can, or at least check the table of contents carefully before buying.