DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS:

Transcription

1 DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS: Jeannie Novak ; \ DELMAR»% CENGAGE Learning Australia Brazil Japan Korea Mexico Singapore Spain United Kingdom United States

2 CONTENTS Introduction About the Game Development Essentials Series About Game Development Essentials: An Introduction Who Should Read This Book? How Is This Book Organized? How To Use This Text Key Chapter Questions Sidebars Tips Quotes Notes Case Studies Profiles Chapter Review About the Companion DVD About the Instructor's Guide About the Author Acknowledgments Questions and Feedback Dedication xiii xiv xiv xv xvi xviii xviii xviii xviii xxix xvix xvix xx xx xx xxi xxi xxii xxvi xxvii Part I: Setup building the foundation Chapter 1 Historical Elements: how did we get here? 3 Key Chapter Questions 3 Before the Arcades 4 The Arcade Phenomenon 5 Computer Space 6 Pong 8 Рас-Man 10 Donkey Kong 11

3 The Birth of Console Games 14 Atari VCS/ Mattel Intellivision 15 Coleco Vision 16 The Video Game Slump & a New Golden Age 18 Nintendo 18 Sega 20 The "Big Three" Console Wars 22 The Personal Computer Revolution 23 Mainframes and Text Adventures 23 Apple II 25 Commodore Multiplayer Meets the Online Elite 28 PLATO 28 MUDs 28 CompuServe 29 QuantumLink 29 GEnie 30 Convergence: Industry Segments Come Together 32 Into the Future 34 Chapter Review 35 Chapter 2 Player Elements: who plays and why? 37 Key Chapter Questions 37 Game Market 38 Player Motivation 38 Social Interaction 41 Physical Seclusion 41 Competition 42 Knowledge 42 Mastery 43 Escapism 43 Addiction 44 Geographies 45 Psychographics 51 VALS Psychotypes 51 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 52 Demographics 53 Gender 54 Generation 56

4 Applying Player Markets to Genres, Platforms & Applications 68 Chapter Review 69 Chapter 3 Game Elements: what are the possibilities? 71 Key Chapter Questions 71 Applications 72 Entertainment 72 Community-Building 72 Education 73 Recruitment & Training 77 Marketing & Advertising 78 Platform 80 Arcade 80 Console 81 Computer 82 Online 83 Handheld 85 Tabletop 86 Time Interval 87 Turn-Based 87 Real-Time 87 Time-Limited 88 Player Mode 88 Single-Player 89 Two-Player 89 Local Multiplayer 90 LAN-Based Multiplayer 91 Online Multiplayer 92 Genres 93 Action 94 Adventure 97 Action-Adventure 99 Casino 99 Puzzle 99 Role-Playing Games (RPGs) 100 Simulations 103 Strategy 106 Massively Multiplayer Online Games 108

5 Market Generation 112 Rating 112 Concept Development & Documentation 113 Chapter Review 114 Part II: Scenarios creating compelling content Chapter 4 Storytelling: creating the narrative 117 Key Chapter Questions 117 Storytelling Traditions 118 Generating Ideas 118 Traditional Story Structure 121 Hollywood Three-Act 121 Monomyth & Hero's Journey 122 Story Elements 127 Premise (High Concept) 128 Backstory 129 Synopsis 129 Theme 129 Setting 129 Plot 131 Balancing Conflict 131 Shifting Focus 131 Foreshadowing Events 132 Suspension of Disbelief 132 Realism 132 Game Story Devices 135 Interactivity 135 Non-Linearity 136 Player Control 137 Collaboration 139 Immersion 140 Game Storytelling & Documentation 144 Gameplay: The Real Storytelling Device? 145 Chapter Review 146 Ill

6 Chapter 5 Characters: creating the identity 1 49 Key Chapter Questions 14Э Game Characters 150 Player Characters & Avatars 150 Non-Player Characters 152 Character Types 152 Classic Character Archetypes 153 Hero 153 Shadow 154 Mentor 154 Allies 155 Guardian 155 Trickster 155 Herald 156 Protagonist 156 Antagonist 157 Co-Protagonists 159 Supporting Characters 160 Character Development Elements 160 Character Triangle 160 Character Arc 161 Point-of-View 162 First-Person 162 Third-Person 163 Visual Character Development 165 Techniques 167 Style 170 Verbal Character Development 170 Narration 170 Monologue 171 Dialogue 171 Movement 176 Signature 176 Idle 176 Walking Cycle 176 Background, History & Advancement 176 Class & Race 177 Skill 177 Character Description 178 Chapter Review 179

7 Chapter 6 Gameplay: creating the experience 181 Key Chapter Questions 181 Rules 182 Victory Conditions 182 Loss Conditions 184 Interactivity Modes 184 Player-to-Game 185 Player-to-Player 185 Player-to-Developer 186 Player-to-Platform 187 Game Theory 187 Zero-Sum 188 Non Zero-Sum 188 Types of Challenges 191 Implicit & Explicit 191 Perfect & Imperfect Information 192 Intrinsic & Extrinsic Knowledge 193 Pattern Recognition & Matching 194 Spatial Awareness 194 Micromanagement 195 Reaction Time 195 Challenges & Game Goals 196 Balance 197 Static Balance 198 Dynamic 202 Economies 203 Gameplay & Level Design 205 Chapter Review 206 Chapter 7 Levels: creating the world 209 Key Chapter Questions 209 Level Design 210 Structure 210 Goal 210 Flow 211 Duration 211 Availability 212

8 Relationship 212 Progression 213 Time 215 Authentic 215 Limited 216 Variable 216 Player-Adjusted 216 Altered 217 Space 217 Perspective & Camera 218 Terrain & Materials 220 Radiosity & Effects 221 Scale 222 Boundaries 223 Realism 224 Style 225 Chapter Review 227 Chapter 8 Interface: creating the connection 229 Key Chapter Questions 229 Player-Centered Design 230 Interface & Game Features 231 Interface Types 233 Visual Interfaces 234 Active 234 Passive 235 Platform-Specific Features 236 Manual Interfaces 238 Arcade 238 Computer 239 Console 239 Handheld 242 Visual Interface Components 243 Score 243 Lives and Power 244 Map 245 Character 245 Start Screen 247

9 Genre-Specific Interface Design 247 Action 247 Adventure 248 Role-Playing 248 Simulation 249 Sports 250 Strategy 250 Usability 251 Accessibility 254 Save-Game Options 259 Quick-Save 259 Auto-Save 259 Save to Slot/File 260 The "Save-Game" Debate 261 Guidelines for a Great Interface 261 Chapter Review 263 Chapter 9 Audio: creating the atmosphere 265 Key Chapter Questions 265 The Importance of Game Audio 266 Game Audio Formats 267 Sound Effects 271 Voice-overs 276 Music 278 Looping Music 283 Game vs. Film Scoring 283 Adaptive Music 287 Chapter Review 292 Part llhstrategy team, process, and community Chapter 10 Roles & Responsibilities: developing the team 295 Key Chapter Questions 295 Company Roles 296

10 Team Roles 302 Production 302 Design 305 Art 308 Programming 312 Audio 318 Testing & Quality Assurance (QA) 318 Marketing 321 Tools 321 Level Design 321 Game Engine Programming 322 Art 329 Audio 330 Chapter Review 331 Chapter 1 1 Production & Management: developing the process 333 Key Chapter Questions 333 Development Phases 334 Concept 334 Pre-Production 335 Prototype 336 Production 339 Alpha 341 Beta 342 Gold 343 Post-Production 346 Management 347 Game Documentation 357 Concept 360 Game Proposal 364 Game Design Document 368 Art Style Guide 371 Technical Design Document 371 Project Plan 372 Test Plan 372 Chapter Review 373

11 Chapter 12 Marketing & Maintenance: developing the community 375 Key Chapter Questions 375 Marketing 376 Advertising 382 Public Relations (PR) 383 Sales 384 Promotion 384 Customer Support 385 Official Web Site 386 Tutorials 386 Player Forums 387 Newsletters 387 Player Matching 387 Prosumerism: Player as Developer 390 Modding 392 Fan-Produced Content 394 Fan Sites 395 Chapter Review 397 Conclusion The Future: where are we going? 398 What Types of Games Will Be Played in the Future? 398 Who Will Develop the Games of the Future? 403 How Will Games Be Developed? 406 How Will Games Be Played? 412 Who Will Play and How Will We Reach Them? 417 The Future of Entertainment? 420 Resources 421 Index 427 с a с о ü