Game Design: Theory and Practice (2nd Edition) (Wordware Game Developers Library)

ISBN: 1556229127
EAN: 2147483647

Year: 2005
Pages: 189

Authors: Richard Rouse III

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Table of Contents
BackCover
Game Design - Theory Practice, Second Edition
Foreword
Introduction
What Is Game Design?
Who Is a Game Designer?
What Is in This Book?
Who This Book Is For
Theory and Practice
Introduction to the Second Edition
Chapter 1: What Players Want
Why Do Players Play?
What Do Players Expect?
A Never-Ending List
Chapter 2: Interview: Sid Meier
Chapter 3: Brainstorming a Game Idea: Gameplay, Technology, and Story
Starting Points
Working with Limitations
Embrace Your Limitations
If You Choose Not to Decide, You Still Have Made a Choice
Chapter 4: Game Analysis: Centipede
Classic Arcade Game Traits
Input
Interconnectedness
Escalating Tension
One Person, One Game
Chapter 5: Focus
Establishing Focus
Maintaining Focus
Sub-Focuses
Using Focus
Chapter 6: Interview: Ed Logg
Chapter 7: The Elements of Gameplay
Unique Solutions
Non-Linearity
Modeling Reality
Teaching the Player
InputOutput
Basic Elements
Chapter 8: Game Analysis: Tetris
Puzzle Game or Action Game?
Tetris as a Classic Arcade Game
The Technology
Artificial Intelligence
Escalating Tension
Simplicity and Symmetry
Fifteen Years On, Who Would Publish Tetris?
Chapter 9: Artificial Intelligence
Goals of Game AI
The Sloped Playing Field
AI Agents and Their Environment
How Good Is Good Enough?
Scripting
Artificial Stupidity
Chapter 10: Interview: Steve Meretzky
Chapter 11: Storytelling
Designer s Story Versus Player s Story
Places for Storytelling
Linear Writing Pitfalls
Game Stories
The Dream
Chapter 12: Game Analysis: Loom
Focused Game Mechanics
User Interface
The Drafts System
Difficulty
Story
Loom as an Adventure Game
Chapter 13: Multi-Player
Motivations
The Forms
Design Considerations
Development Issues
A World of Their Own
Chapter 14: Interview: Chris Crawford
Chapter 15: Getting the Gameplay Working
The Organic Process
Building the Game
Programming
When Is It Fun?
Chapter 16: Game Analysis: Myth: The Fallen Lords
Use of Technology
Game Focus
Storytelling
Hard-Core Gaming
Multi-Player
A Cohesive Whole
Chapter 17: Game Development Documentation
Document Your Game
The Benefits of Documentation
Chapter 18: Interview: Jordan Mechner
Chapter 19: The Design Document
The Writing Style
The Sections
One Man s Opinion
Inauspicious Design Documents
A Matter of Weight
Documentation Is Only the Beginning
Chapter 20: Game Analysis: The Sims
Abdicating Authorship
Familiar Subject Matter
Safe Experimentation
Depth and Focus
Interface
Controlled Versus Autonomous Behavior
A Lesson to Be Learned
Chapter 21: Designing Design Tools
Desired Functionality
Scripting Languages and Object Behaviors
Us Versus Them
A Game Editor for All Seasons
Chapter 22: Interview: Will Wright
Chapter 23: Level Design
Levels in Different Games
The Components of a Level
Level Flow
Elements of Good Levels
The Process
Who Does Level Design?
Collaboration
Chapter 24: Game Analysis: Grand Theft Auto III
Believable Game-World
A Living City
Actions and Consequences
Storytelling
Chapter 25: Playtesting
Finding the Right Testers
When to Test
How to Test
Guided and Unguided Testing
Balancing
The Artistic Vision
Chapter 26: Interview: Doug Church
Conclusion
The Medium
The Motive
Appendix A: Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam
Atomic Sam
I. Overview
II. Game Mechanics
III. Artificial Intelligence
IV. Game Elements
V. Story Overview
VI. Game Progression
VII. Bibliography
Appendix B: Sample Design Document: The Suffering
Surreal Software Game Design Document
Section I: Introduction
Section II: Game Mechanics
Section III: Resources
Section IV: NPCs
Section V: Story
Section VI: Gameflow
Section VII: Maps
Section VIII: Menus
Glossary
Selected Bibliography
Periodicals
Web Sites
Index
Index_A
Index_B
Index_C
Index_D
Index_E
Index_F
Index_G
Index_H
Index_I
Index_J
Index_K
Index_L
Index_M
Index_N
Index_O
Index_P
Index_Q
Index_R
Index_S
Index_T
Index_U
Index_V
Index_W
Index_X
Index_Y
Index_Z
List of Figures