Book Image

Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design - Second Edition

By : Scott Rogers
Book Image

Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design - Second Edition

By: Scott Rogers

Overview of this book

If you want to design and build cutting-edge video games but aren’t sure where to start, then the SECOND EDITION of the acclaimed Level Up! is for you! Written by leading video game expert Scott Rogers, who has designed the hits Pac Man World, Maximo and SpongeBob Squarepants, this updated edition provides clear and well-thought out examples that forgo theoretical gobbledygook with charmingly illustrated concepts and solutions based on years of professional experience. Level Up! 2nd Edition has been NEWLY EXPANDED to teach you how to develop marketable ideas, learn what perils and pitfalls await during a game’s pre-production, production and post-production stages, and provide even more creative ideas to serve as fuel for your own projects. Level Up! 2nd Edition includes all-new content, an introduction by David “God of War” Jaffe and even a brand-new chili recipe –making it an even more indispensable guide for video game designers both “in the field” and the classroom.
Table of Contents (54 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Copyright Information
2
Publisher’s Acknowledgements
3
Foreword
6
Level 1’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
8
Level 2’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
10
Level 3’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
11
You Can Design a Game, but Can You Do the Paperwork?
13
Level 4’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
15
Level 5’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
17
Level 6’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
19
Level 7’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
21
Level 8’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
24
Level 9’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
26
Level 10’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
28
Level 11’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
30
Level 12’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
32
Level 13’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
34
Level 14’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
36
Level 15’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
38
Level 16’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
40
Level 17’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
42
Level 18’s Universal Truths and Clever Ideas
43
Continue?
44
The One-Sheet Sample
47
The Medium-Sized List of Story Genres
48
Game Genres
49
The Big List of Environments1
50
Mechanics and Hazards
51
Enemy Design Template
52
Boss Design Template

There Are Other Screens Than the HUD

Oh, video game screens. There are so many of you. Where to start? At the start, of course!

  • The first thing your players see (other than the box cover13
    • The movie poster title screen that mirrors the cover of the box.
      9781118877166-un0819.tif
    • The heroic pose title screen where the hero is standing on some high bluff, long hair blowing in the breeze, giant sword and/or gun at the ready.
      9781118877166-un0820.tif
    • The enigmatic image that brings up all sorts of questions: Why am I in a jungle? What is that monkey statue doing there? Is it a relic I will be raiding? The image is something important to the game, but players have no idea because they haven’t played the game yet. When they finally learn the significance, their minds will be blown!
      9781118877166-un0821.tif
    • The logo screen, where a large image of the game’s logo is displayed. Not very exciting but effective. Make it more exciting with strobing colors, rotating effects, bouncing text, anything to get some motion in there.
9781118877166-un0822.tif

Title screens often...