Over 50 hands-on recipes to help you build exhilarating games using the robust GameMaker system About This Book Design and develop game elements that can be used alone or stacked to enhance your gaming experience Explore extensions that can unlock GameMaker: Studio’s true potential to create complex games A recipe-based, easy-to-follow guide to take your GameMaker skills to the next level Who This Book Is For This book is intended for GameMaker: Studio enthusiasts who are looking to add more substance and improve their content. If know your way around the program and have some basic GML skills but want to take them further, then this book is for you. What You Will Learn Set up player control schemes of various types, such as touch controls and a gamepad Create your own physics sandbox Get accustomed to advanced player movement Implement music and 3D sound in your games Utilize GameMaker’s GUI layers to create exciting games Generate adjustable game settings and save systems Add depth to your game with lighting and special effects In Detail GameMaker: Studio started off as a tool capable of creating simple games using a drag-and-drop interface. Since then, it has grown to become a powerful instrument to make release-ready games for PC, Mac, mobile devices, and even current-gen consoles. GameMaker is designed to allow its users to develop games without having to learn any of the complex programming languages such as C++ or Java. It also allows redistribution across multiple platforms. This book teaches you to harness GameMaker: Studio’s full potential and take your game development to new heights. It begins by covering the basics and lays a solid foundation for advanced GameMaker concepts. Moving on, it covers topics such as controls, physics, and advanced movement, employing a strategic approach to the learning curve. The book concludes by providing insights into complex concepts such as the GUI, menus, save system, lighting, particles, and VFX. By the end of the book, you will be able to design games using GameMaker: Studio and implement the same techniques in other games you intend to design. Style and approach A problem-solving guide that teaches you the construction of game elements and mechanics to be integrated in games for rapid prototyping. Each overall topic includes several individual recipes taught through step-by-step instructions, and in-depth follow-up with examples.

Enhance your Solr indexing experience with advanced techniques and the built-in functionalities available in Apache Solr About This Book Learn about distributed indexing and real-time optimization to change index data on fly Index data from various sources and web crawlers using built-in analyzers and tokenizers This step-by-step guide is packed with real-life examples on indexing data Who This Book Is For This book is for developers who want to increase their experience of indexing in Solr by learning about the various index handlers, analyzers, and methods available in Solr. Beginner level Solr development skills are expected. What You Will Learn Get to know the basic features of Solr indexing and the analyzers/tokenizers available Index XML/JSON data in Solr using the HTTP Post tool and CURL command Work with Data Import Handler to index data from a database Use Apache Tika with Solr to index word documents, PDFs, and much more Utilize Apache Nutch and Solr integration to index crawled data from web pages Update indexes in real-time data feeds Discover techniques to index multi-language and distributed data in Solr Combine the various indexing techniques into a real-life working example of an online shopping web application In Detail Apache Solr is a widely used, open source enterprise search server that delivers powerful indexing and searching features. These features help fetch relevant information from various sources and documentation. Solr also combines with other open source tools such as Apache Tika and Apache Nutch to provide more powerful features. This fast-paced guide starts by helping you set up Solr and get acquainted with its basic building blocks, to give you a better understanding of Solr indexing. You’ll quickly move on to indexing text and boosting the indexing time. Next, you’ll focus on basic indexing techniques, various index handlers designed to modify documents, and indexing a structured data source through Data Import Handler. Moving on, you will learn techniques to perform real-time indexing and atomic updates, as well as more advanced indexing techniques such as de-duplication. Later on, we’ll help you set up a cluster of Solr servers that combine fault tolerance and high availability. You will also gain insights into working scenarios of different aspects of Solr and how to use Solr with e-commerce data. By the end of the book, you will be competent and confident working with indexing and will have a good knowledge base to efficiently program elements. Style and approach This fast-paced guide is packed with examples that are written in an easy-to-follow style, and are accompanied by detailed explanation. Working examples are included to help you get better results for your applications.

Build your own sophisticated modular home security system using the popular Raspberry Pi board About This Book This book guides you through building a complete home security system with Raspberry Pi and helps you remotely access it from a mobile device over the Interne It covers the fundamentals of interfacing sensors and cameras with the Raspberry Pi so that you can connect it to the outside world It follows a modular approach so that you can choose the modules and features you want for your customized home security system Who This Book Is For This book is for anyone who is interested in building a modular home security system from scratch using a Raspberry Pi board, basic electronics, sensors, and simple *s. This book is ideal for enthusiastic novice programmers, electronics hobbyists, and engineering professionals. It would be great if you have some basic soldering skills in order to build some of the interface modules. What You Will Learn Understand the concepts behind alarm systems and intrusion detection devices Connect sensors and devices to the on-board digital GPIO ports safely Monitor and control connected devices easily using Bash shell *ing Build an I/O port expander using the I2C bus and connect sensors and anti-tamper circuits Capture and store images using motion detectors and cameras Access and manage your system remotely from your mobile phone Receive intrusion alerts and images through your e-mail Build a sophisticated multi-zone alarm system In Detail The Raspberry Pi is a powerful low-cost credit-card-sized computer, which lends itself perfectly as the controller for a sophisticated home security system. Using the on-board interfaces available, the Raspberry Pi can be expanded to allow the connection of a virtually infinite number of security sensors and devices. The Raspberry Pi has the processing power and interfaces available to build a sophisticated home security system but at a fraction of the cost of commercially available systems. Building a Home Security System with Raspberry Pi starts off by showing you the Raspberry Pi and how to set up the Linux-based operating system. It then guides you through connecting switch sensors and LEDs to the native GPIO connector safely, and how to access them using simple Bash *s. As you dive further in, you’ll learn how to build an input/output expansion board using the I2C interface and power supply, allowing the connection of the large number of sensors needed for a typical home security setup. In the later chapters of the book, we'll look at more sophisticated topics such as adding cameras, remotely accessing the system using your mobile phone, receiving intrusion alerts and images by e-mail, and more. By the end of the book, you will be well-versed with the use of Raspberry Pi to power a home-based security system that sends message alerts whenever it is triggered and will be able to build a truly sophisticated and modular home security system. You will also gain a good understanding of Raspberry Pi's ecosystem and be able to write the functions required for a security system. Style and approach This easy-to-follow guide comprises a series of projects, where every chapter introduces a new concept and at the end of the book, all these concepts are brought together to create an entire home security system. This book features clear diagrams and code every step of the way.

Master the complexities of Bash shell *ing and unlock the power of shell for your enterprise About This Book Identify the high level steps such as verifying user input, using command lines and conditional statements in creating and executing simple shell *s Create and edit dynamic shell *s to manage complex and repetitive tasks Learn about *ing in Perl and programming in Python as a BASH *ing alternative with this practical, step-by-step guide Who This Book Is For Mastering Linux Shell Scripting has been written for Linux administrators who want to automate tasks in their daily lives, saving time and effort. You’ll need to have command-line experience and be familiar with the tasks that you need to automate. What You Will Learn Use the type command to identify the order of command evaluation Create interactive *s that prompt for user input Foster menu structures for operators with little command-line experience Develop *s that dynamically edit web configuration files to produce a new virtual host Write *s that use AWK to search and reports on log files Draft effective *s using functions as building blocks, reducing maintenance and build time Make informed choices by comparing different * languages such as Perl and Python with BASH In Detail Shell *ing is a quick method to prototype a complex application or a problem by automating tasks when working on Linux-based systems. Using both simple one-line commands and command sequences complex problems can be solved with ease, from text processing to backing up sysadmin tools. In this book, you’ll discover everything you need to know to master shell *ing and make informed choices about the elements you employ. Get to grips with the fundamentals of creating and running a * in normal mode, and in debug mode. Learn about various conditional statements' code snippets, and realize the power of repetition and loops in your shell *. Implement functions and edit files using the Stream Editor, * in Perl, program in Python – as well as complete coverage of other *ing languages to ensure you can choose the best tool for your project. Style and approach The book will capture your attention and keep you engaged with the simplicity and clarity of each explanation. Every step is accompanied with screen captures so you can cross-check the results before moving on.

Over 80 step-by-step recipes to get you up to speed with building your own wxPython applications About This Book This book empowers you to create rich cross-platform graphical user interfaces using Python It helps you develop applications that can be deployed on Windows, OSX, and Linux The recipes in the book involve real-world applications, giving you a first-hand experience of the practical scenarios Who This Book Is For For those who are familiar with programming in Python and want to start building applications with graphical user interfaces, this book will get you up and running quickly. A basic understanding of the Python programming language and object-oriented concepts are all that is needed. What You Will Learn Create full featured user interfaces Design and develop custom controls Deploy and distribute wxPython applications to Windows, Macintosh OS X, Linux, and other UNIX-like environments Handle and respond to application events Manage and display data using grids Interact with web services from your GUI Use Paint events to draw custom displays Support the display of user interfaces in multiple languages In Detail wxPython is a GUI toolkit for the Python programming language built on top of the cross-platform wxWidgets GUI libraries. wxPython provides a powerful set of tools that allow you to quickly and efficiently building applications that can run on a variety of different platforms. Since wxWidgets provides a wrapper around each platform’s native GUI toolkit, the applications built with wxPython will have a native look and feel wherever they are deployed. This book will provide you with the skills to build highly functional and native looking user interfaces for Python applications on multiple operating system environments. By working through the recipes, you will gain insights into and exposure to creating applications using wxPython. With a wide range of topics covered in the book, there are recipes to get the most basic of beginners started in GUI programming as well as tips to help experienced users get more out of their applications. The recipes will take you from the most basic application constructs all the way through to the deployment of complete applications. Style and approach This book is a collection of step-by-step recipes that introduce the various components and concepts of wxPython in a conversational and easy-to-follow way. Each recipe contains coded examples along with detailed explanations about the key points of each topic. Each topic is designed to introduce and show you how to use a single feature from the wxPython library.

"Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V Cookbook" is a practical cookbook packed with recipes showing and explaining all the features and components of Hyper-V. You’ll learn from best practices, tips and tricks and examples of how to automate daily and common tasks. If you are an administrator who wants to master Microsoft Server Virtualization with Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V, then this book is for you. You should be comfortable with virtualization concepts and practices, and knowledge of previous versions of Windows Server would be an advantage.

This book is in the Enterprise certification series which means it is a hands-on guide with practical instruction, examples and all the information you will need to be successful in the exam, as well as 75 practice questions in the exam style. It includes practical advice on how to book the exam, approach the questions and maximize your score. "Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Customization & Configuration (MB2-866) Certification Guide" is perfect for IT professionals and developers who work for a Microsoft partner or customer organizations. If you want to demonstrate your expertise and advance your career by obtaining Microsoft certification this book will provide you with the insight you need to succeed.

This cookbook is organized in a linear, progressive way allowing it to be read from start to finish, as well as to be used as a useful resource for specific tasks. The HTML5 examples and recipes will have you making dynamic, interactive, and animated charts and graphs in no time. You don't need to have a background in HTML5 or Canvas but you do need to have a basic understanding of how HTML works and know how to code in any language (preferably in JavaScript). In this book we will not explain how to learn to code but how to create projects and how to plan and execute them in the process.

A practical tutorial that's easy to follow with lots of tips, examples and diagrams, including a full game project that grows with each chapter,This book targets Professional and Indie game developers who want to develop games quickly and easily to run across a huge range of smartphones and tablets. You are expected to have some experience writing games using C++ on other platforms. Its aim is to show how to take your existing skills and apply them to writing games for mobile devices (including iOS and Android) by explaining the use of the Marmalade SDK,Familiarity with games and 3D graphics programming would be helpful. No knowledge of specific mobile SDKs such as iOS or Android is required.

This book is written in Cookbook style with a lot of practical tips, code, and step-by-step examples, to ease and quicken your learning curve. If you are a beginner with jQuery/JavaScript skills, this book offers you numerous examples to get you started. If you are a seasoned developer, this book lets you explore jQuery Mobile in greater depth.

"Getting Started with Talend Open Studio for Data Integration" takes a step-by-step, hands-on approach to learning with lots of examples and clear instructions. Are you a developer, business analyst, project manager, business intelligence specialist, system architect or a consultant who needs to undertake integration projects, then this book is for you. The book assumes a certain level of familiarity with Relational database management systems with SQL and experience and Java.

In clearly written chapters you will be guided through different aspects of Oracle Application Express. Varying from setting up your environment to maximizing SQL and PL/SQL. Examples are given based on a simple but appealing case. This book is filled with best practices on how to make the most of Oracle APEX. Developers beginning with application development as well as those who are experienced will benefit from this book. You will need to have basic knowledge of SQL and PL/SQL to follow the examples in this book.

This book is written in simple, easy to understand format with lots of screenshots and step-by-step explanations. If you are an IBM WebSphere Portal developer, looking to develop and enhance enterprise portals by understanding the complete portal project lifecycle, then this is the best guide for you. This book assumes that you have a fundamental knowledge of working in the WebSphere Portal environment.

This book is a step-by-step tutorial that includes complete source code for all of the games covered. It adopts an engaging style to teach all the game development concepts. Each block of code is explained, and game development concepts are diagrammed and covered in detail. Each game begins with a concept de*ion and concludes with suggestions for expanding on the finished game. This book is intended for readers who want to create 3D games using the XNA Framework. Basic knowledge of the C# programming language and 2D XNA concepts are helpful, but not required.

Create a complete game step by step with no previous experience necessary. Practical tutorials take you through the entire process from beginning to end. If you have used Blender before but never got to grips with the Blender Game Engine (BGE), this book is for you. If you have tried and failed with other game development environments, or if *ing is not your strong point, this is where you should start.

Written in a step by step tutorial style, learning comes as a result of creating a complete dance music track, along with the explanations that follow each stage. You have a computer and a love for dance and electronic music. Maybe you’ve been to some clubs, and the energy of electronic dance music has you completely under its spell. You see a DJ spinning, and everyone is dancing. It’s infectious. You want to make music that affects people that way. Today the open source community has offered you LMMS. Read this book, and you’ll be shown a process to creating great dance music. This book is going to connect the dots if you have already started making dance music, and provide a very solid foundation if you are just getting started – no matter what your skill level is.

Control your machine learning algorithms using test-driven development to achieve quantifiable milestones About This Book Build smart extensions to pre-existing features at work that can help maximize their value Quantify your models to drive real improvement Take your knowledge of basic concepts, such as linear regression and Na?ve Bayes classification, to the next level and productionalize their models Play what-if games with your models and techniques by following the test-driven exploration process Who This Book Is For This book is intended for data technologists (scientists, analysts, or developers) with previous machine learning experience who are also comfortable reading code in Python. You may be starting, or have already started, a machine learning project at work and are looking for a way to deliver results quickly to enable rapid iteration and improvement. Those looking for examples of how to isolate issues in models and improve them will find ideas in this book to move forward. What You Will Learn Get started with an introduction to test-driven development and familiarize yourself with how to apply these concepts to machine learning Build and test a neural network deterministically, and learn to look for niche cases that cause odd model behaviour Learn to use the multi-armed bandit algorithm to make optimal choices in the face of an enormous amount of uncertainty Generate complex and simple random data to create a wide variety of test cases that can be codified into tests Develop models iteratively, even when using a third-party library Quantify model quality to enable collaboration and rapid iteration Adopt simpler approaches to common machine learning algorithms Take behaviour-driven development principles to articulate test intent In Detail Machine learning is the process of teaching machines to remember data patterns, using them to predict future outcomes, and offering choices that would appeal to individuals based on their past preferences. Machine learning is applicable to a lot of what you do every day. As a result, you can’t take forever to deliver your first iteration of software. Learning to build machine learning algorithms within a controlled test framework will speed up your time to deliver, quantify quality expectations with your clients, and enable rapid iteration and collaboration. This book will show you how to quantifiably test machine learning algorithms. The very different, foundational approach of this book starts every example algorithm with the simplest thing that could possibly work. With this approach, seasoned veterans will find simpler approaches to beginning a machine learning algorithm. You will learn how to iterate on these algorithms to enable rapid delivery and improve performance expectations. The book begins with an introduction to test driving machine learning and quantifying model quality. From there, you will test a neural network, predict values with regression, and build upon regression techniques with logistic regression. You will discover how to test different approaches to na?ve bayes and compare them quantitatively, along with how to apply OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) and OOP patterns to test-driven code, leveraging SciKit-Learn. Finally, you will walk through the development of an algorithm which maximizes the expected value of profit for a marketing campaign by combining one of the classifiers covered with the multiple regression example in the book. Style and approach An example-driven guide that builds a deeper knowledge and understanding of iterative machine learning development, test by test. Each topic develops solutions using failing tests to illustrate problems; these are followed by steps to pass the tests, simply and straightforwardly. Topics which use generated data explore how the data was generated, alongside explanations of the assumptions behind different machine learning techniques.

Learn how to build a complete 3D game using the industry-leading Unity game development engine and Blender, the graphics software that gives life to your ideas About This Book Learn the fundamentals of two powerful tools and put the concepts into practice Find out how to designand buildall the core elements required for a great game - from characters to environments, to props— Learn how to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into your game for sophisticated and engaging gameplay Who This Book Is For This book has been created for anyone who wants to learn how to develop their own game using Blender and Unity, both of which are freely available, yet very popular and powerful, tools. Not only will you be able to master the tools, but you will also learn the entire process of creating a game from the ground up. What You Will Learn Design and create a game concept that will determine how your game will look and how it will be played Construct 3D models of your game characters and create animations for them before importing them into the game Build the game environment from scratch by constructing the terrain and props, and eventually put it all together to form a scene Import and integrate game assets created in Blender into Unity—for example, setting up textures, materials, animation states, and prefabs Develop game structures including a game flow, user interface diagram, game logic, and a state machine Make the game characters move around and perform certain actions either through player inputs or fully controlled by artificial intelligence Create particles and visual effects to enhance the overall visual aesthetic Deploy the game for various types of platforms In Detail In the wake of the indie game development scene, game development tools are no longer luxury items costing up to millions of dollars but are now affordable by smaller teams or even individual developers. Among these cutting-edge applications, Blender and Unity stand out from the crowd as a powerful combination that allows small-to-no budget indie developers or hobbyists alike to develop games that they have always dreamt of creating. Starting from the beginning, this book will cover designing the game concept, constructing the gameplay, creating the characters and environment, implementing game logic and basic artificial intelligence, and finally deploying the game for others to play. By sequentially working through the steps in each chapter, you will quickly master the skills required to develop your dream game from scratch. Style and approach A step-by-step approach with tons of screenshots and sample code for readers to follow and learn from. Each topic is explained sequentially and placed in context so that readers can get a better understanding of every step in the process of creating a fully functional game.

Transform your tiny Arduino device into a secret agent gadget to build a range of espionage projects with this practical guide for hackers About This Book Discover the limitless possibilities of the tiny Arduino and build your own secret agent projects From a fingerprint sensor to a GPS Tracker and even a robot– learn how to get more from your Arduino Build nine secret agent projects using the power and simplicity of the Arduino platform Who This Book Is For This book is for Arduino programmers with intermediate experience of developing projects, and who want to extend their knowledge by building projects for secret agents. It would also be great for other programmers who are interested in learning about electronics and programming on the Arduino platform. What You Will Learn Get to know the full range of Arduino features so you can be creative through practical projects Discover how to create a simple alarm system and a fingerprint sensor Find out how to transform your Arduino into a GPS tracker Use the Arduino to monitor top secret data Build a complete spy robot! Build a set of other spy projects such as Cloud Camera and Microphone System In Detail Q might have Bond’s gadgets– but he doesn’t have an Arduino (not yet at least). Find out how the tiny Arduino microcomputer can be used to build an impressive range of neat secret agent projects that can help you go undercover and get to grips with the cutting-edge of the world of espionage with this book, created for ardent Arduino fans and anyone new to the powerful device. Each chapter shows you how to construct a different secret agent gadget, helping you to unlock the full potential of your Arduino and make sure you have a solution for every tricky spying situation. You’ll find out how to build everything from an alarm system to a fingerprint sensor, each project demonstrating a new feature of Arduino, so you can build your expertise as you complete each project. Learn how to open a lock with a text message, monitor top secret data remotely, and even create your own Arduino Spy Robot, Spy Microphone System, and Cloud Spy Camera This book isn’t simply an instruction manual – it helps you put your knowledge into action so you can build every single project to completion. Style and approach This practical reference guide shows you how to build various projects with step-by-step explanations on each project, starting with the assembly of the hardware, followed by basics tests of all those hardware components and finally developing project on the hardware.

Unleash the power of computer vision with Python using OpenCV About This Book Create impressive applications with OpenCV and Python Familiarize yourself with advanced machine learning concepts Harness the power of computer vision with this easy-to-follow guide Who This Book Is For Intended for novices to the world of OpenCV and computer vision, as well as OpenCV veterans that want to learn about what's new in OpenCV 3, this book is useful as a reference for experts and a training manual for beginners, or for anybody who wants to familiarize themselves with the concepts of object classification and detection in simple and understandable terms. Basic knowledge about Python and programming concepts is required, although the book has an easy learning curve both from a theoretical and coding point of view. What You Will Learn Install and familiarize yourself with OpenCV 3's Python API Grasp the basics of image processing and video analysis Identify and recognize objects in images and videos Detect and recognize faces using OpenCV Train and use your own object classifiers Learn about machine learning concepts in a computer vision context Work with artificial neural networks using OpenCV Develop your own computer vision real-life application In Detail OpenCV 3 is a state-of-the-art computer vision library that allows a great variety of image and video processing operations. Some of the more spectacular and futuristic features such as face recognition or object tracking are easily achievable with OpenCV 3. Learning the basic concepts behind computer vision algorithms, models, and OpenCV's API will enable the development of all sorts of real-world applications, including security and surveillance. Starting with basic image processing operations, the book will take you through to advanced computer vision concepts. Computer vision is a rapidly evolving science whose applications in the real world are exploding, so this book will appeal to computer vision novices as well as experts of the subject wanting to learn the brand new OpenCV 3.0.0. You will build a theoretical foundation of image processing and video analysis, and progress to the concepts of classification through machine learning, acquiring the technical know-how that will allow you to create and use object detectors and classifiers, and even track objects in movies or video camera feeds. Finally, the journey will end in the world of artificial neural networks, along with the development of a hand-written digits recognition application. Style and approach This book is a comprehensive guide to the brand new OpenCV 3 with Python to develop real-life computer vision applications.

Learn how to successfully implement API management using Oracle’s API Management Solution 12c About This Book Explore the key concepts, goals, and objectives of API Management and learn how to implement it using the Oracle API Management Solution Understand the concepts and objectives of the Application Service Governance (ASG), along with the governance framework that encompasses people, processes, and technology Get to grips with API Management readiness assessments, gap analysis, digital reference architecture, and implementation roadmaps Who This Book Is For This book is for Enterprise Architects, Solution Architects, Technical Architects, and SOA and API consultants who want to successfully implement API Management using the Oracle API Management Solution products. What You Will Learn Understand how to manage a set of APIs Discover the differences and similarities between API Management and SOA Governance, and where and how these two disciplines converge into Application Services Governance (ASG) Grasp information about ASG and how to define an ASG governance framework Understand the challenges for organizations looking to expose APIs to the external world. Identify common scenarios and how to solve them Define an Oracle API management deployment topology Install and configure Oracle API Catalog (OAC), Oracle API Manager (OAPIM), and Oracle API Gateway (OAG) Learn about API sub*ions and API community management with the OAPIM portal Implement Oracle API Manager (OAPIM) including creation, publishing, management and deprecation of APIs In Detail Oracle SOA Governance is a comprehensive, service-orientated governance solution that is designed to make the transition to SOA easier. API management is the discipline that governs the software development lifecycle of APIs. It defines the tools and processes needed to build, publish and operate APIs including the management of the community of developers around it. This book illustrates how to successfully implement API Management in your organization. To achieve this, the importance of defining an API management strategy and implementation roadmap so that capabilities are implemented in the right order and timeframes is described. It starts by describing all of the fundamental concepts around API Management and related disciplines such as SOA Governance and DevOps in order to dispel the confusion surrounding these topics. The book then takes you on the journey of implementing API Management, using a realistic case study of an organization that needs an API Management solution. You will start by identifying the key business drivers to implement APIs and then create an API Management strategy and a roadmap to realize this strategy. You’ll then go through a number of use cases, each focused on addressing specific business requirements. These will help you understand each of the Oracle API Management products, how they fit into an overall architecture, and how to implement them. The book concludes by providing some tips and guidelines around defining a deployment topology for the Oracle API Management products and the steps to install them. Style and approach This book is a comprehensive guide to successfully implementing a complete API Management solution from inception to implementation. The initial chapters introduce you to Oracle SOA Governance and API Management and from there, chapters are mainly hands-on and provide a full step-by-step walkthrough of how to implement the products of the Oracle API management solution to address realistic use cases.