Acquisitions Editor: Mariann Barsolo
Development Editor: Sara Barry
Technical Editor: James Haldy
Production Editor: Christine O'Connor
Copy Editor: Tiffany Taylor
Editorial Manager: Pete Gaughan
Production Manager: Tim Tate
Vice President and Executive Group Publisher: Richard Swadley
Vice President and Publisher: Neil Edde
Book Designer: Happenstance Type-O-Rama
Compositor: Craig Johnson, Happenstance Type-O-Rama
Proofreaders: Louise Watson and Scott Klemp, Word One New York
Indexer: Robert Swanson
Project Coordinator, Cover: Katherine Crocker
Cover Designer: Ryan Sneed
Copyright 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-1-118-15927-9 (pbk.)
ISBN: 978-1-118-22609-4 (ebk.)
ISBN: 978-1-118-23933-9 (ebk.)
ISBN: 978-1-118-26407-2 (ebk.)
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions .
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at (877) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com . For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com .
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011945558
TRADEMARKS: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and the Sybex logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dear Reader,
Thank you for choosing Game Design Essentials. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.
Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we're still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we're working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on, to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.
I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I'd be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we're doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at . Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.
Best regards,
Neil Edde
Vice President and Publisher
Sybex, an Imprint of Wiley
for Richard and Adam
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the professional team at Sybex (an imprint of Wiley) for all their hard work. Writing a book is a huge undertaking, but I was not alone and had an amazing group of people who helped shepherd it to you.
Thank you to the terrific team who worked with me: Mariann Barsolo, Sara Barry, Pete Gaughan, Jim Haldy, Christine O'Connor, and Tiffany Taylor. Their professionalism and skills were instrumental in producing this book, and I'm grateful for their enthusiasm and support.
My partners in Star Mountain Studios, Richard and Adam (who truly lives in the secret cow level), are my friends and fellow game makers. They were a constant source of information and guidance with the research and writing of this book. I so enjoy making games with them, and I look forward to making many more. My friend Jack Keely, an amazing illustrator and author, has been a tremendous supporter of this endeavor as well, always there at the right time with the right comment or cartoon to keep things fun and focused.
A special thank you to my parents, Gerry and Stephaccording to them, I can do no wrong.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Briar Lee Mitchell, MA, runs Star Mountain Studios, www.starmountainstudios.com , a successful gaming company, with her partners, Richard Sternberg and Adam Ryan. They produced an online video game with Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Genie Joe and the Axeman, and Apparitions with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, the Ghost Hunters and founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS).
Briar is also on the faculty at the Art Institute, teaching game art, animation, and VFX techniques for TV, film, and games.
Briar began work as an illustrator in 1977 and has degrees from the University of Toledo (Ohio, BA in art) and the University of California, San Francisco (MA in medical and biological illustration).
She worked in conjunction with Lucasfilm on the very first interactive videodisc for the Smithsonian, titled The Life and Times of Albert Einstein. The videodisc and a portrait she painted of Albert Einstein are still at the Smithsonian.
Briar joined the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles (SILA) in 1992 and served as president for two years. Through her association with SILA, she became a member of the Air Force Art Program; she traveled around the world with the Air Force to document its work in paintings that have been inducted into the National Archives in Washington, DC. Her travels have taken her to Asia, the South Pacific, New Zealand, and as far away as McMurdo Station at the South Pole along with noted director/producer James Cameron.
Next page