Ultimate Game Design: Building Game Worlds

Tom Meigs9780072228991, 0-07-222899-7

Filled with tips and techniques from veteran game designers at Sony, Blizzard, Disney, LucasArts, Activision, 3DO, and many others!Plan, design, and create enthralling game environments complete with richly animated characters and objects by applying the expert techniques described in this one-of-a-kind resource. Veteran game developer Tom Meigs covers the foundations of game design, including previsualization, level stubbing and layout, lighting, texturing, behavior scripting, and using particles, and explains in detail each stage of game development and design. Each chapter features an in-depth interview with a game industry expert as well as case a study based on Tom’s real-world experiences working on Sony PlayStation games and various other projects. Plus, you’ll get priceless advice on how to get into the game development industry now with details on the different types of jobs available. * Develop a comprehensive previsualization process for your game project * Create topographic maps and reference drawings for level planning and layout * Build up your game scenes with lighting, texturing, particles, effects, and audio * Place actors, props, and items and tune specific camera details * Learn about game design by genre – sports, fighting, RTS, role-playing, FPS, sims, MMOG, and others * Script action events using JavaScript, Visual Basic, Python, Perl, and other tools * Develop and design games for wireless devices including PDAs and mobile phones * Implement a testing loop * Learn how to avoid mistakes and set yourself up for success

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Table of contents :
Team DDU……Page 1
Contents……Page 10
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,……Page 18
INTRODUCTION,……Page 20
1 Previsualization……Page 22
Step-by-Step Previsualization,……Page 24
Utilizing Environmental References and Sketches,……Page 25
Architecture for Game Levels,……Page 26
Basic Environmental Design,……Page 27
Function,……Page 29
Room Flow,……Page 32
Reinforcing Mood,……Page 33
Quick Topographic Maps,……Page 34
Case Study Comments on Previsualization,……Page 38
Mega Tips,……Page 43
2 Level Planning and Building……Page 44
Planning Your Level Work,……Page 47
Prefabricated Geometry and Modularity,……Page 48
Scale and Grid Sizing Considerations,……Page 49
Avoiding Common Level Mistakes,……Page 51
Level Stubbing Walk-Through,……Page 52
Step One: Working from Your Topographic Sketches,……Page 54
Step Two: Create Contour Lines,……Page 55
Step Four: Utilize File Referencing to Build Up and Populate Your Level,……Page 56
Game Prototyping,……Page 58
Post Level Stubbing Considerations,……Page 59
Adapting Architecture and Terrain to Games,……Page 60
Checking Character Flow Throughout a Level,……Page 61
Jump Heights, Hazards, and Scale,……Page 62
Keeping the Big Game Picture in View,……Page 63
The Early Evolution of Levels,……Page 64
The Importance of Early Feedback,……Page 65
Case Study Comments on Level Execution,……Page 66
Mega Tips,……Page 72
3 Lighting, Texturing, Particles, Effects, and Audio……Page 74
Lighting,……Page 76
Position,……Page 79
Basic Lighting Types,……Page 80
Lighting Strengths or Multipliers,……Page 81
Three Sample Lighting Setups,……Page 83
Texturing,……Page 85
Using Textures Well,……Page 87
Particles,……Page 88
Using Particle Emitters,……Page 89
Exporting Particles and Dynamics Information,……Page 90
Effects,……Page 93
Audio,……Page 95
Design Tools Shift,……Page 97
Case Study Comments on Cornerstone Elements,……Page 99
The Moonlight Forest Example,……Page 100
Mega Tips,……Page 104
4 Actors, Props, Items, and Camera Details……Page 106
Hero Actors,……Page 108
Enemy Actors,……Page 109
NPC Actors,……Page 111
Boss Actors,……Page 112
Types of Props and Their Use,……Page 113
Placing Props,……Page 114
Types of Items/Power-Ups and Placement,……Page 115
Interface Detailing,……Page 116
Floating Cameras,……Page 117
Special-Case Cameras,……Page 118
Common Camera Problems,……Page 119
Case Study Comments on Actor Loading and Camera Tuning,……Page 120
Mega Tips,……Page 126
5 Design by Genre……Page 128
Sports Games,……Page 130
Fighting Games,……Page 133
Puzzle Games,……Page 135
Real-time Strategy Games,……Page 137
Role-Playing Games,……Page 141
First- or Third-Person Action Games,……Page 142
Simulations,……Page 144
Developing Backstory,……Page 146
Creating Dialog,……Page 147
Summary of Designer’s Work Tools,……Page 149
Case Study Comments on Design Flux,……Page 150
Mega Tips,……Page 154
6 Scripting Action Events……Page 156
Scripting Technology Choices,……Page 158
Visual Basic Sample,……Page 160
NPC Conversation Templates,……Page 161
Shooter Flying Patterns,……Page 162
Using Triggers,……Page 165
Fearthis,……Page 166
Crowd,……Page 167
Weather Effects,……Page 168
Material,……Page 169
Light,……Page 170
Creature Creator,……Page 171
Engine Solutions and the Unreal Engine,……Page 172
Script/Editing System Considerations,……Page 174
Case Study Comments on Scripting a Baseball Game,……Page 175
General,……Page 176
Fielding,……Page 177
Hitting,……Page 178
Catching,……Page 179
Mega Tips,……Page 184
7 Quality Assurance and Play-Test Feedback……Page 186
Quality Assurance,……Page 187
Bug Tracking,……Page 189
Technical Support,……Page 191
Testing MMOGs,……Page 192
Writing a Test Plan,……Page 193
Play-Test Feedback,……Page 194
Managing Feedback,……Page 196
Listening to Feedback,……Page 198
Impact of Play-Test Feedback on Daily Design Tasks,……Page 199
Case Study Comments on the Impact of QA,……Page 200
Mega Tips,……Page 205
8 Design Considerations for Massively Multiplayer Online Games……Page 208
MMOG Production Challenges,……Page 209
How Is the MMOG Player Different from the Console Player?,……Page 210
Pure Production Risks for the MMOG,……Page 211
Cost and Support Considerations for the MMOG,……Page 212
General MMOG Structures,……Page 215
Latency,……Page 218
Pace and Balance,……Page 219
MMOG Play Mechanics,……Page 220
MMOGs and Design Orientation,……Page 221
Isolating MMOG Strengths,……Page 222
Deep Social Factors,……Page 223
Sports Fans or Groups and MMOGs,……Page 224
MMOG Opportunities,……Page 226
Case Study Comments on Challenges for UBO,……Page 227
Mega Tips,……Page 233
9 Cell Phones and Wireless Gaming……Page 236
The Impending Boom,……Page 238
Global Competition,……Page 240
Development Considerations,……Page 241
Design Issues for Cell Phones,……Page 243
Wireless Toy Networks,……Page 247
Building the Cell Phone Gaming Market,……Page 249
Opportunities in Wireless,……Page 250
Case Study Comments on Development Factors in the Infancy of Wireless,……Page 251
Mega Tips,……Page 255
10 Getting Started in Game Development……Page 258
Why Diversify?,……Page 260
Role Definition for Game Designers,……Page 261
Microsoft, Mattel, Intel, and LeapFrog,……Page 265
Challenges for PC Toys,……Page 266
Advergames,……Page 267
Interesting Trends for the Near Future,……Page 268
Web Game Entertainment with Physical Counterparts,……Page 269
Toys and Card Games Go Online,……Page 270
Anecdotes from the Game Development Frontlines,……Page 271
Think Fish,……Page 272
Sacking Sanka,……Page 273
Case Study Comments on Final Thoughts for Designers,……Page 274
Creating Your Perspective and Maintaining Your Passion,……Page 278
Mega Tips,……Page 285
11 Game Development Career Choices……Page 286
Programming,……Page 287
Game Programming as a Career Choice,……Page 288
Art,……Page 289
Game Artist as a Career Choice,……Page 290
Design,……Page 291
Production,……Page 292
Production as a Career Choice,……Page 293
Audio Composer and Engineer as a Career Choice,……Page 294
Opening an Independent Game Studio ,……Page 295
Game Development Studio Breakdown,……Page 297
Executive Department,……Page 298
Creative Department,……Page 300
Programming or Technical Department,……Page 302
Case Study Comments on the Testing Doorway,……Page 303
Mega Tips,……Page 305
A Reference Information……Page 306
Education,……Page 307
Industry Magazine,……Page 308
Breaking In!,……Page 309
COPPA Guidelines,……Page 310
Recommended Sites,……Page 311
Recommended Reading,……Page 312
Recommended Topics for Further Research and Reference,……Page 313
B Tools Discussed……Page 316
3-D Modeling Packages,……Page 317
Level Editing,……Page 318
Production Tools,……Page 319
3-D Construction for the Web,……Page 320
Programming Language for Console/PC,……Page 321
Introducing Children to Game Design,……Page 322
C Career Guideline Worksheet……Page 324
If You Want to Explore Production,……Page 325
If You Want to Explore Game Programming,……Page 326
If You Want to Explore Game Audio,……Page 327
If You Want to Explore Business Relations or Marketing,……Page 328
D Quick Topic Summary for Designers……Page 330
Reference Material,……Page 331
Design Document Writing,……Page 337
Quick Modeling,……Page 338
Scripting,……Page 339
Testing,……Page 340
Team Focus,……Page 341
E Gallery……Page 342
UBO Game Interface,……Page 343
Player Creation Screen,……Page 344
Game Details,……Page 345
Position Selection and Batting Order,……Page 346
Basic Character Construction,……Page 347
The Motion Capture Process,……Page 349
Baseball Stadiums,……Page 351
Game Action,……Page 353
Index……Page 356