Book Description
Decipher the arcane mysteries behind role-playing game development tools like plot trees, world bibles, design documents, and game scripts. You'll learn the history of the role-playing game and move on to discover what makes games tick and howto make yours a success! This book is stocked full of sage advice from game gurus like John Cutter (Betrayal at Krondor), Jon Van Caneghem (Might & Magic), Chris Taylor (Dungeon Siege), Trent Oster (Neverwinter Nights), Sara Stocker (Pools of Radiance II: The Ruins of Myth Drannor), and Carly Staehlin (Ultima Online). This book also contains actual excerpts from the proposal, design, world layout, and game script documentation of successful games.
About the Author
Neal Hallford has been a professional game designer for more than 13 years and has led the development of several best-selling computer role-playing titles. He has co-authored the story behind the New York Times best-selling novel "Krondor: The Betrayal" and has created stories and designs for well known computer role-playing games, including "Betrayal at Krondor", "Planet's Edge", and "Dungeon Siege." He is currently leading the creation of "Lords of Everquest", a real-time strategy game based on the largest massively multiplayer role-playing game in the United States.
Swords and Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games FROM THE PUBLISHER
Learn from the designer behind role-playing best-sellers like Betrayal at
Krondor, Planet's Edge, and Might & Magic III: Isles of Terra
Computer role-playing games (RPGs) allow players to assume the role of a hero
on an epic quest. During the course of the game, the player's character
"learns" new spells and skills that, in turn, allow him or her to explore
even more of the game world and to solve the challenge presented by the game
designers. Never in the history of gaming have role-playing titles been more
popular.
Neal Hallford has been a professional game designer for more than ten years
and has led several best-selling computer role-playing titles. He co-authored
the story behind the New York Times best-selling novel "Krondor: the
Betrayal," and has created stories and designs for well-known computer
role-playing games (RPGs) including Betrayal at Krondor, Planet's Edge, and
Dungeon Siege.
Jana ("Jayna") Ondrechen Hallford started out as an art critic, then moved
on to public relations and marketing. She spent over five years promoting
books and authors for an international publishing company. Jana has also
supplied background material for two Sci Fi Channel specials, and has spoken
at science fiction and fantasy conventions in the U.S. and the U.K.
Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games takes
the reader on a journey into the arcane world of game development,
deciphering the mysteries of the role-playing audience, the history of RPGs,
the technical definition of the genre, the roles of a game designer, the
fundamentals of building good gameplay and interfaces, and last, but
certainly not least, the art of professional worldbuilding. Featuring actual
design document excerpts from the hit games Deus Ex, Fallout, Nox, and
Stonekeep, it also presents in-depth interviews with top role-playing
designers like John Cutter (Betrayal at Krondor), Chris Taylor (Dungeon
Siege), Trent Oster (Neverwinter Nights), Sarah Stocker (Pools of Radiance
II: The Ruins of Myth Drannor), Jon Van Caneghem (Might & Magic series), and
Carly Staehlin (Ultima Online). Game industry artists Shawn Sharp, Jon Gwyn,
Jim Wible, and Jeff Perryman also provide exciting and topical illustrations
that evoke not only the look, but the feel, of the worlds that every
role-playing designer strives to create. Co-written by a veteran marketeer
and the designer behind role-playing bestsellers Betrayal at Krondor,
Planet's Edge, and Dungeon Siege, Swords & Circuitry provides everything that
a role-playing title must have to succeed!
Art & Photography
Book Info
