"Both Burgeoning Game Designers And Devoted Gamers Should Consider Game Design: Theory & Practice] An Essential Read." -- Computer Gaming World "Ultimately, In Both Theory And Practice, Rouse'S Game Design Bible Gets The Job Done. Let Us Pray." - Next Generation Magazine In The Second Edition To The Acclaimed Game Design: Theory & Practice, Designer Richard Rouse III Balances A Discussion Of The Essential Concepts Behind Game Design With An Explanation Of How You Can Implement Them In Your Current Project. Detailed Analysis Of Successful Games Is Interwoven With Concrete Examples From Rouse'S Own Experience. This Second Edition Thoroughly Updates The Popular Original With New Chapters And Fully Revised Text.
Author(s): Richard Rouse III
Series: Wordware Game Developer's Library
Edition: 2
Appendix A Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam
Copyright Notices
Dedication
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Contents Summary
Contents
Foreword
Introduction to the Second Edition
Introduction
Chapter 1 What Players Want
Why Do Players Play?
Players Want a Challenge
Players Want to Socialize
Players Want a Dynamic Solitary Experience
Players Want Bragging Rights
Players Want an Emotional Experience
Players Want to Explore
Players Want to Fantasize
Players Want to Interact
What Do Players Expect?
Players Expect a Consistent World
Players Expect to Understand the Game-World’s Bounds
Players Expect Reasonable Solutions to Work
Players Expect Direction
Players Expect to Accomplish a Task Incrementally
Players Expect to Be Immersed
Players Expect Some Setbacks
Players Expect a Fair Chance
Players Expect to Not Need to Repeat Themselves
Players Expect to Not Get Hopelessly Stuck
Players Expect to Do, Not to Watch
Players Do Not Know What They Want, but They Know When It Is Missing
A Never-Ending List
Chapter 2 Interview: Sid Meier
Chapter 3 Brainstorming a Game Idea: Gameplay, Technology, and Story
Starting Points
Starting with Gameplay
Starting with Technology
Starting with Story
Working with Limitations
Odyssey: The Legend of Nemesis
Damage Incorporated
Centipede 3D
The Suffering
Embrace Your Limitations
Established Technology
The Case of the Many Mushrooms
The Time Allotted
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
An Example: Winter Carnival Whirlwind
The Function of the Focus
Maintaining Focus
Fleshing Out the Focus
Changing Focus
Sub-Focuses
Using Focus
Chapter 6 Interview: Ed Logg
Chapter 7 The Elements of Gameplay
Unique Solutions
Anticipatory versus Complex Systems
Emergence
Non-Linearity
Types of Non-Linearity
Implementation
The Purpose of Non-Linearity
Modeling Reality
Teaching the Player
Tutorials
Input/Output
Controls and Input
Output and Game-World Feedback
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
Challenge the Player
Not Do Dumb Things
Be Unpredictable
Assist Storytelling
Create a Living World
The Sloped Playing Field
How Real Is Too Real?
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
Out-of-Game
In-Game
External Materials
Linear Writing Pitfalls
Player Character Personality
Game Stories
Non-Linearity
Working with the Gameplay
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
Single System Multi-Player
Online Multi-Player
Design Considerations
Playing to Strengths
Protect Newbies
Socialization
Development Issues
Playtesting and User Feedback
A World of Their Own
Chapter 14 Interview: Chris Crawford
Chapter 15 Getting the Gameplay Working
The Organic Process
Too Much Too Soon
Keep It Simple
Building the Game
Core Technology
Incremental Steps
A Fully Functional Area
Going Through Changes
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
Concept Document, Pitch Document, or Proposal
Competitive Analysis
Design Document
Flowcharts
Story Bible
Script
Art Bible
The Game Minute
Storyboards
Technical Design Document
Schedules and Business/Marketing Documents
No Standard Documentation
The Benefits of Documentation
Chapter 18 Interview: Jordan Mechner
Chapter 19 The Design Document
The Writing Style
The Sections
Table of Contents
Introduction/Overview or Executive Summary
Game Mechanics
Artificial Intelligence
Game Elements: Characters, Items, and Objects/Mechanisms
Story Overview
Game Progression
System Menus
One Man’s Opinion
Inauspicious Design Documents
The Wafer-Thin or Ellipsis Special Document
The Back-Story Tome
The Overkill Document
The Pie-in-the-Sky Document
The Fossilized Document
A Matter of Weight
Getting It Read
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
Visualizing the Level
The Big Picture
Jumping into the Game
Editing the World
Scripting Languages and Object Behaviors
Us Versus Them
The Best of Intentions
A Game Editor for All Seasons
Chapter 22 Interview: Will Wright
Chapter 23 Level Design
Levels in Different Games
Level Separation
Level Order
The Components of a Level
Action
Exploration
Puzzle Solving
Storytelling
Aesthetics
Balancing It All
Level Flow
Elements of Good Levels
Players Cannot Get Stuck
Sub-Goals
Landmarks
Critical Path
Limited Backtracking
Success the First Time
Navigable Areas Clearly Marked
Choices
A Personal List
The Process
Step 1. Preliminary
Step 2. Conceptual and Sketched Outline
Step 3. Base Architecture/Block Out
Step 4. Refine Architecture Until It Is Fun
Step 5. Base Gameplay
Step 6. Refine Gameplay Until It Is Fun
Step 7. Refine Aesthetics
Step 8. Playtesting
Process Variations
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
Who Should Test
Who Should Not Test
When to Test
How to Test
Guided and Unguided Testing
Balancing
Your Game Is Too Hard
The Artistic Vision
Chapter 26 Interview: Doug Church
Conclusion
Art
The Medium
The Motive
Appendix A Sample Design Document: Atomic Sam
Appendix B Sample Design Document: The Suffering
Glossary
Selected Bibliography
Index
