Self-Introduction by ShimmerGeek

[ShimmerGeek]

Hi!

I'm a student studying Computer Games Programming.

I like to Roleplay, play Boardgames, and I'm on a Roller Derby team!

Now, as for Math, I'm not really sure what to learn - essentially it's
something I always enjoyed but the love for it was driven out of me at
High School.

Right now, I have lots of things I'm interested in but completely lack
in independent resources to learn! I have signed up for Punk
Mathematics, but I have no idea when that will start...

So as for now, I'm happy to explore an independent resources I or
others on the course find, listen to the Math for Primates podcast,
and work my way through Project Euler.

[Alan]

Hi ShimmerGeek (and others in the course),
If, in your readings, you come up on a topic which you are finding
difficult, then please try using the resource guide at http://qpr.ca/math/resources
to see if you can (a) find the topic you want listed in the database,
and (b) actually find anything useful from what has already been
identified. Also, if you do find anything there useful (or anything
that you think is unhelpful and requires a warning) please try out the
reviewing tool and let me know how it works - and if you have found
good resources on any topic that are not in the database, then please
see if you can go ahead and add them.
Thanks for any help you are able to provide.
cheers,
Alan

[ShimmerGeek]

I think I'd like to focus specifically on Maths which is directly
applicable to Games Programming.

I have no idea where to start though!

(Also, is there any reason we're using this rather than the P2PU forum
set up for the course?)

On Sep 13, 8:35 pm, Alan <alanal...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi ShimmerGeek (and others in the course),
>  If, in your readings, you come up on a topic which you are finding

> difficult, then please try using the resource guide athttp://qpr.ca/math/resources

[Joe Corneli]

Hi ShimmerGeek:

the first Google hit for "math for games programming"
might be *a* place to start -- http://www.essentialmath.com/
they offer a "one day tutorial" (but it actually looks like
much more than that). There is also a book, advertised
there:

Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications
by James M. Van Verth and Lars M. Bishop

Table of contents:

1. Real-World Computer Number Representation
2. Vectors and Points
3. Matrices and Linear Transformations
4. Affine Transformations
5. Orientation Representation
6. Viewing and Projection
7. Geometry and Programmable Shading
8. Lighting
9. Rasterization
10. Interpolation
11. Random Numbers
12. Intersection Testing
13. Rigid Body Dynamics

I wonder if that is the kind of "math for games" you have in
mind? If there are other books along the same lines as well...

Thinking more about what you wrote earlier, I might also suggest
taking a look at a book on Abstract Algebra!! The nice thing about
Abstract Algebra is that you can at least temporarily forget most of
what you learned in high school :) Abstract Algebra creates
new foundations for mathematics -- so you'll have a chance to
do it right. Also, it's the sort of mathematics that applies to pretty
much *all* types of games. The book I used was called
"Contemporary Abstract Algebra" and is by Joseph Gallian.
Here is a web page with info about this book:

http://www.d.umn.edu/~jgallian/

Hope that one or both of these topics is useful as a starting
point!

Joe

PS. Oh, as for why to use this instead of the p2pu forum... I guess
I just find it convenient to be able to reply directly to questions from
my email program without having to click links and so forth. But
you can certainly feel free to *use* the p2pu forum or any other
site you like -- I just intended to use the mailing list as a "main point
of coordination" assuming people would use any other resources
that *they* find useful :)

[Joe Corneli]

A couple more (quite different) math+games starting points:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Numbers-Games-John-H-Conway/dp/1568811276/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284587289&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Compleat-Strategyst-Primer-Theory-Strategy/dp/0486251012/ref=pd_sim_b_3

And, PS, some games...
http://www.boardspace.net/english/index.shtml

[Jubal E.]

you might also check out processing.org, its a modified for of java,
and has a good learning section and some links and is supposed to be a
good transition from scripting languages to programming languages
"closer to the metal"

On Sep 16, 2:34 am, Joe Corneli <holtzerman...@gmail.com> wrote:
> A couple more (quite different) math+games starting points:
>

> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Numbers-Games-John-H-Conway/dp/1568811276/ref...
>
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Compleat-Strategyst-Primer-Theory-Strategy/dp...
>
> And, PS, some games...http://www.boardspace.net/english/index.shtml

>
> On Wed, Sep 15, 2010 at 6:37 PM, Joe Corneli <holtzerman...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi ShimmerGeek:
>
> > the first Google hit for "math for games programming"

> > might be *a* place to start --http://www.essentialmath.com/

[ShimmerGeek]

Thanks guys!

(And I actually had no idea you could reply using email... Which seems SO D'oh! now =P)

Story of my life, I'm smart, but also manage to be ditzy as hell.

[Joe Corneli]

Hey, they say the first step of learning is realising that you don't
(and can't) know everything. We have to be like the teacup that
isn't already full of tea. Speaking of which (a) it's definitely tea time,
(b) I got a textbook to try, "Bayesian Data Analysis".