Book about physics simulations and game dev in F#

[malvoria]

Hi!
I am Giulia, and I hope the following message is of interest to some given the topic.*

I have just co-authored a book: "Friendly F#, fun with game programming and XNA".
The book aims at teaching the F# language through a series of samples that are fully centered on physics simulations and game development. Each one of the first 5 chapters describes a problem, shows and discusses its solution in F# and then discusses in depth the constructs used. From this point of view the book is relatively unique, in that it completely focuses on a problem-solution approach where everything is explained because of how well it works in solving the problem, and not just "because". The 5 problems are:
- a bouncing ball
- the Saturn V rocket
- an asteroid field
- a large asteroid field optimized with quad trees
- a police starship that must fight off a pirate ship attacking a cargo freighter

In the last two chapters we will see how to build first a 2D and then a 3D renderer for two of the samples we have seen. These renderers are made in XNA, of which we show the basics in terms of the SpriteBatch, the Model class, input management and audio.

The book is recommended for programmers who are already familiar with an imperative programming language; a little bit of knowledge of object-orientation may help in the latest chapters, but it is by no means required. The book may also be read by complete beginners to programming, but in that case the reader should expect to have to *study* the book and not just read it; studying the materials of the book though is not particularly unexpected, given their origin: both authors teach Computer Science with F# and games at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, and thanks to this we have already battle tested many of the examples and the general approach used in the book.

The samples may be downloaded freely at:*
http://fsharpgamedev.codeplex.com/

while the book is distributed through Amazon and Smashwords and can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friendly-F-fun-with-game-development/165374793536970?sk=wall.

Let me add that we have written this book mostly for fun, and as such the book has two important aspects: it is short and cheap.
We hope you find the book as entertaining to read as it was for us to write.*

We are also eagerly looking for feedback on how to make the book better; are there any more sample or chapter you would have liked to see in the book? We will use this feedback for the next revision of the book!

Thank you, and best regards

Giulia

 

[lofgran]

Hello Giulia,

Thank you for sharing your book with us! I am always interested in exploring new ways to learn and apply programming languages, especially when it involves physics simulations and game development. Your book sounds like a unique and practical approach to teaching F#, and I am sure it will be of great interest to many programmers and game developers.

I appreciate that you have included a wide range of problems and solutions in your book, as well as providing practical examples and resources for readers to download and utilize. It is also commendable that you have made the book accessible to both experienced programmers and beginners, allowing for a diverse audience to benefit from your expertise.

I am very impressed by the fact that you have written this book for fun and that it is short and affordable. This shows your passion for the subject and your desire to share your knowledge with others. I am sure that readers will find it both entertaining and informative.

As for feedback, I think it would be helpful to include some real-world applications of the concepts and techniques discussed in the book. This could inspire readers to apply their newfound knowledge in different fields and industries.

Overall, I am excited to check out your book and I wish you all the best in your future revisions and projects. Keep up the great work!