Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

Level execution, case study comments on, 45–46
Level goals enhancing game vision, 45
Level mistakes, avoiding common, 30–31
Level of detail (LOD), 122
Level planning and building, 23–52
case study comments on level execution, 45–46
game prototyping, 37–38
interview with John Kreng, 46–51
level stubbing walk-through, 31–37
planning level work, 26–31
post level stubbing considerations, 38–45
Level stubbing walk-through, 31–37
building mesh from contour lines, 35
creating contour lines, 34–35
start checking layout details, 37
utilizing file referencing to build up and populate
levels, 35–37
working from topographic sketches, 33–34
Level work, planning, 26–31
avoiding common level mistakes, 30–31
prefabricated geometry and modularity, 27–28
scale and grid sizing considerations, 28–30
Levels
architecture for game, 5–6
early evolution of, 42–43, 43–44
utilizing file referencing to build up and populate,
35–37
Libraries, game dynamics, 300
Licensing defined, 111
Light color, 59
Light trigger, 149–150
Lighting, 53, 55–63
basic types, 59–60
falloff, 62
light color, 59
lighting falloff, 62
lighting strengths or multipliers, 60–62
position, 58–59
setups, 62–63
strengths or multipliers, 60–62
three sample lighting setups, 62–63
types, 59–60
Lights
animating, 64
directional, 60
point or ambient, 60
Line of sight trigger, 146
Lines
building mesh from contour, 35
creating contour, 34–35
Loading, case study comments on actor, 99–100
LOD (level of detail), 122
Loops, developmental team feedback, 175–177
M
I N D E X 341
Magazine, industry, 287–288
Major League Baseball (MLB), 111, 330
Mapping or level building, 319
Maps, quick topographic, 13–17
Market research, game industry, 290
Marketing departments, 282
Marketing, exploring, 307
Markets, building cell phone gaming, 228–229
Material, reference, 310–316
Material trigger, 148–149
Mattel, 244–245
Maya Embedded Language (MEL), 77
Mechanics
MMOG play, 199–200
puzzle game, 116
workings of primary, 45
MEL (Maya Embedded Language), 77
Mesh
building from contour lines, 35
geometry and, 31
Message trigger, 149
Microsoft, 244–245
Middleware, 298
MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile), 219
Mistakes, avoiding common level, 30–31
MLB (Major League Baseball), 111, 330
MMOG, cost and support considerations for,
191–193
bandwidth support issues, 192
COPPA issues, 193
database/backend construction and
maintenances, 192
hardware support and maintenance, 192
QA costs, 192–193
security and attack issues, 193
server installation and redundancy, 191
worldwide support staff, 193
MMOG design features, 197–200
latency, 197–198
MMOG play mechanics, 199–200
modularity, 198
monitoring, 198
pace and balance, 198–199