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Summary: Get This Book!
Review: This book covers game development as more than just "learn DirectX" or "type in my code and you too can build a Quake clone." It's an in-depth look at game development, starting from initial design and carrying it through coding and quality assurance testing. The authors present a compelling case for bringing the software methodologies that have worked in corporate software development to the game development house. Presented more from a management or team leader point of view, this book is more for the professional than the newbie, but both of them should read it and add it to their library.
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Summary: A true must-have book for game designers
Review: As an aspiring game designer this is the book I have been waiting for! It neatly goes through the game design process from start to finish in a clear, concise way. I must admit that it has really opened my eyes to the methods used by the professionals in designing games. After reading this you will not be able to play games like Age of Empires without noticing all the subtle design elements that have been put in the design... go buy this book now!
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Summary: too late too late too late
Review: Having founded a computer game company in January,(Black Cactus Games) I now need a time machine to go back with a copy of this book and get some things right. A truly first class book, with deep insight and thorough research (although a tad biased to the UK perhaps). All I can hope is that I can persuade Mssrs Morris and Rollins to work with me and not our many rivals. For all the wasted hours you gave playing sub-standard games, I urge designers to read this book.
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Summary: Excellent Observations and Guidelines
Review: Within reading the first chapter I knew this book was going to be extremely useful and insightful. After several more I knew it was a definite classic for a guide for how to design games from the whiteboard, to the pitch, to the glass CD. Ive really enjoyed the case studies, which often mimic things Ive noticed or thought about, then dissect the concepts and are always delivered in an intelligent manner.I have yet to see a game design/development book that has used examples which intrigued me, and this book is full of them. It helps provides a continuous level of confidence in the authors statements and suggestions since they obviously know what they are talking about and can 'walk the walk' of concise designs.
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Summary: Excellent book, goes beyond hacking
Review: ** This is not a code-monkey book. ** If you're trying to figure out C++ inheritance or Direct 3D, you've got the wrong book. This is a book that goes above and beyond the simple act of coding a game. It dares to say that there is more to writing a game than sitting down and hacking something out in an hour. The book makes the revolutionary statement that software design should be a professional undertaking, not just something on a napkin. There are excellent articles on game theory, design strategies, and gameplay balancing that I have never seen in another game book. I have bought a lot of game programming books along with software methodology books, and I rank this one as one of the best in both categories. It is definitely the only game design book I have found that is deserves that title. Yes, the book does include a section on managing a team...let me tell you, a lot of so-called managers could use to read this section. And personally, if "Joe Programmer" is so offended by that section, I hope to never have to work with him.
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Summary: Great Book - Useful
Review: I've just read this book from cover to cover. The sections on game design and architecture are well written and very thought provoking. There are some interesting ideas about what's going to happen in the future of the industry. The section on management was fascinating. As a programmer working on a number of projects, I've found that the management of these projects has been really haphazard. A lot of typical hacky game progammers aren't going to like the stuff in this bit, but theres no denying that the stuff really would cut wild schedules down to size. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how to fit into the games industry of the future - especially with the huge teams that are going to be needed for PlayStation 2. If you not up with it, you're gonna be left out.
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Summary: A future classic!
Review: Less than a third of the book is about management of software projects, and the bit about dress code is only a page and a bit (including some diagrams!). The first third of the book was on game design theory and practice with lots of great discussions and examples. The second part was on project management, and was very thorough and informative - I found this section useful, because as the projects I've worked on have become bigger, the team has become more difficult to manage. The third, and largest part of the book was all about game architecture and design. I haven't finished reading this section yet, but so far it's pretty good. All in all I would really recommend this book. I reckon it could be a "Petzold" of computer game design, architecture and management.
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Summary: The game industry is changing
Review: The philosophy behind this book is stark and simple: If you are failing to plan you are planning to fail. This is a book in four parts, and it's intended for everyone who is or intends to be involved in game development. Each part addresses issues specific to one group in the development team, but we put them all together between two covers because we believe that the whole team, from managers to testers, benefits from knowing about each other's responsibilities. Part One (160 pages) is "Game Design". It goes into considerable detail about game theory and strategy. There is also a lot of material about game balance, conceptual design, interactive storytelling techniques, and creative "texture". This part concludes with a look at where game design is headed, and you can read that chapter on the nemo website. Part Two (180 pages) is "Team Building & Management". This focuses mainly on creating our "software factory" model. Some programmers used to slack, gung-ho working methods aren't going to like the methodologies suggested in this chapter but they are an inevitable consequence of the increasing complexity and team size of today's projects. The reality is that development is a holistic process. You cannot talk about design methodology without addressing the question of team structure and management. We maintain this is vital information that any complete work on the topic must include. Part Three (300 pages) is "Game Architecture". This is the biggest section, and it deals with soft and hard architecture, design patterns, and applying OO methods to ensure robustness and reusability. The aim of this section is to bring opportunities for reuse and modularity to an often under-specified area of game development, and allowing the developers to benefit from the increased project trackability and robustness that this allows for. Part Four(80 pages) takes some sample designs and show how to evolve from a high concept to a software plan to a thoroughly detailed technical design. I wish I'd had this book when I'd started out in the industry. If you're a game designer, it will teach you to think about game design in a new light. If you're a developer, we think it could save you a lot of headaches, heartaches and wasted hours. And if you're a manager, it might just save your project!
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Summary: Brittanica, Webster's , now "Game Design"
Review: A real little gem of a book, which should become indispensable to any serious game developer. Morris and Rollings have covered every aspect of the topic in the first serious (and successful) attempt at a developer's bible. The book starts with game design, telling you how to produce a game that plays as well as it looks (it's a pity this section wasn't available sooner - like 1985!) The section on team building is the real killer. Now you can handle all those snobbish little know-it-alls that are the bane of every development project. Just think, all those years of learning by failure can be replaced with effective tips on how to pick and structure a team that delivers. Then it deals with how to construct a game, covering everything from coding tips to the proper way to tackle re-use and OO. Again, this is solid, practical advice that many people only learn the hard way. I've never seen such a comprehensive book before. It may not be the last word on every topic, but at least it gives you a start in all of them. Moreover, the sections on design, architecture and team building simply cannot be found elsewhere. If you are serious about game development, you cannot afford to be without this book.
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Summary: High-quality game design book
Review: This is a very good book on game design, covering topics from concept to execution. You may hate Mr. Rollings at first for his often-contraversial opinions. For example, he doesn't approve of RPGs because they're all about the story, with no gameplay (he also calls them remakes of Dungeons & Dragons). This seems positively shocking at first; I've been playing RPGs for years and have always enjoyed them. But then I got to thinking: what would games like Chrono Trigger be without the story and RPG-style stats and level-building? Think about it: the slow battles would be unbearable; there would be no purpose to them. You'll realize he's right eventually. There are some things I still don't agree with. For example, he doesn't like games that allow you to save. He seems to dismiss them because of the possible idiotic approaches developers could take. Also, he makes so many references to Grim Fandango that he may drive you nuts. But these are small problems. Overall, this is a very good book and I would recommend it to everyone who wants to get into the games biz.
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