Eye For Games is about game design and development • • www.efgmagazine.com
EFG magazine 2014.1
Tom Kyster
Artist | Los Angeles, United States
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HARDCOVER ART BOOK
The Art and Design of Video Games An Eye For Games art book
With over 20 developers and more than 200 pages, the hardcover features everyone from the smallest of indie devs to major MMO developers.
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WILL START IN FEBRUARY AND RUN UNTIL MARCH 2014! follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated @EyeForGames
EFG magazine 2014.1 ART DIRECTOR
COVER DESIGN
EDITION SUPPORT
Rai Sewgobind
Tom Kyster
Wolfire Games
Tomk-art.com
COPY EDITOR
Jerry Kline WRITERS & CONTRIBUTORS
Rémy van den Wijngaart Nicholas Mamo
PUBLISHER
Galilee Eye For Games is about game design & development. For more information you can contact us at: contact@efgmagazine.com
Hinterland
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No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form by print, photo print, microfilm or any other means without written permission from the publisher/author. www.efgmagazine.com
6
INTERVIEW
DAVID ROSEN 15
IN DEVELOPMENT
THE LONG DARK
8
2
21
AUDIOKINETIC
18
BOOKS
company profile
•
Drawing Basics And Video Game Art
•
The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia
•
Ghosts of Ascalon
•
Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design
BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY concept story
13
MATHEMATICS AND VIDEO GAMES
20
WHO IS ARTORIAS
design & development
who is?
interview
DAVID ROSEN INTERVIEW
Video game development has been a part of David Rosenʼs identity since childhood. Today he is an independent game developer working on “Overgrowth,” a 3D actionadventure game that is a spiritual successor to his previous effort “Lugaru.” We spoke with David to learn more about “Overgrowth.”
What does a typical day look like for you?
Outside of video games, what are your passions and hobbies?
David Rosen: My days are pretty simple:
I have hobbies in phases that last for a year
Overgrowth all day. Then I walk home,
or martial arts. Most recently I've been
I get up, walk to the office, and work on relax for a while, and then go to bed.
I've been trying to keep a more regular schedule recently so that I have a clear
distinction between work and non-work,
which is important for staying sane as a self-employed indie developer.
6
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or so, like cooking, nature documentaries,
interested in board games, because they provide a fun social experience, and have such a variety of design ideas.
interview
What inspired you to start with the Overgrowth game idea? When
I
first
brought
other
full-time
developers into Wolfire in 2008, we had to
decide which game to make first. This was not an easy decision, because I keep a list
of game ideas that I like, and add several every day! In the end, we decided to go with
a successor to Lugaru, because we thought it would be simple and fast to complete… maybe six months at most. We're now about five years in!
Were there ideas that got scrapped concerning genre, theme, and characters? We are trying out and scrapping new ideas
all the time - maybe 10% of ideas are actually good, and we can only tell which
ones those are by trying them out briefly,
and throwing away the ones that don't work!
What do you think players will enjoy most about the game? For now, players most enjoy the combat
system and the mod tools, but I think players will really like the local multiplayer
and the campaign story and gameplay progression once the game is complete.
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7
concept story
SPOILER ALERT!
Batman: Arkham City concept story
by Rémy van den Wijngaart
As a result of the Jokerʼs takeover of Arkham Asylum, a prison facility for the
criminally insane, the majority of Gotham Cityʼs criminals were unleashed upon the city. In the wake of this incident, Quincy Sharp, former warden of Arkham Asylum, decides to run for mayor to “clean up Gotham.” His message finds resonance with the cityʼs inhabitants who deeply fear the escaped convicts. Sharp centers his campaign around a radical plan: instead of rebuilding Arkham
Asylum he wants to cordon off the entire quadrant of the city, turning it into one giant prison. Once Sharp is elected mayor the plan proceeds quickly, and Arkham City is born.
The election wasnʼt left to
from the City Council to enact
name of Professor Hugo Strange
eradication of every criminal
chance. A psychologist by the
approached Quincy Sharp with
an offer that would ensure his campaignʼs victory: all he needed to do was open Arkham
City and put Strange in charge. In reality, Strangeʼs ultimate goal is to get authorization
Protocol
10:
the
complete
in Arkham City. To force the
Councilʼs hand, he begins to supply Arkhamʼs residents with weapons, and pits the local
gang bosses against each other for maximum chaos.
Bruce Wayne, like many people, feels Arkham City is a disaster waiting to
happen, and he isnʼt afraid to voice his concerns during a press conference outside Arkham City. However, Wayne is soon arrested by TYGER, Professor
Strangeʼs private security firm. Strange privately reveals that he knows Bruce Wayne is Batman, and then throws him in Arkham City with all the criminals who are out for Wayneʼs blood.
Upon freeing himself, Bruce gets Alfred Pennyworth to airdrop a very special
piece of equipment: the Batsuit. Donning his trusted outfit, Bruce learns that Two-Face has captured Catwoman, and that he plans to murder her in the courthouse. He promptly infiltrates the building, dispatches Two-Face and
his gang, and rescues Catwoman. Having barely caught her breath Catwoman is taken under sniper fire — an assassination attempt by the Joker. Luckily, Batman is able to use his detective skills and tools to trace the bulletʼs trajectory.
Leaving Catwoman in the courtroom, Batman sets his sights on finding Joker to learn more about Protocol 10.
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Batman (Bruce Wayne) Summary: The Dark Knight. Batman seeks to unravel the mystery behind Arkham City and Protocol 10, and restore order to Gotham.
concept story
Joker is getting increasingly
wasnʼt Jokerʼs only problem.
himself
command, his girlfriend, Harley
sick. Having previously injected chemical
with
an
compound
unstable known
as Titan, the crazy clown now
suffers from a lethal disease.
Desperate to survive he has kidnapped several doctors and
nurses, but no one seems able to save him. The only person
who may be able to help is a
scientist by the name of Victor
Fries, better known as Mister Freeze. In order to force Freeze
to develop a cure for him Joker
gets his grubby hands on Freezeʼs wife. When he arrived
in Arkham City, the illness The Joker Summary: The Clown Prince of Crime. Joker became sick after the Arkham Asylum incident and wants to find a cure while spreading chaos and destruction throughout Gotham.
Despite being Jokerʼs second in Quinn, does not enjoy the
same amount of respect as her
insane boss. Yet his sickness prevented Joker from properly commanding
his
troops
in
person. In a stroke of genius, the clown partnered with Basil Karlo, also known as Clayface.
Clayface used his incredible shape-shifting
abilities
to
assume Jokerʼs identity and is
now giving everyone in Arkham City the impression that Joker is alive and well.
Batman eventually tracks the clown down to the Sionis Steel Mill, where Joker has set up his base of operations. When Batman makes his way through Jokerʼs henchmen, he appears to find Joker dead with Harley lamenting over his body.
But as he moves in to investigate the real Joker jumps up from behind and gasses him, after which Harley knocks him unconscious.
Bruce awakes moments later to find himself strapped to a chair. Joker reveals
himself to be alive, though he does not look well. The clown informs Batman that he has injected the Dark Knight with his poisoned blood, thereby giving him the same lethal disease. When Batman states that heʼd rather die together
with his nemesis than cure him, Joker also reveals that he has infected the blood reserves of several Gotham hospitals. In order to save himself and Gotham, Batman will have to save Joker.
His first stop is Mister Freeze. Batman tracks Freeze down to the old police
department building, but when he arrives there it appears Freeze has been kidnapped.
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9
concept story
While working on the cure
also discovered and captured
Penguin, an enemy of the Joker.
Gordonʼs men, who had been
Freeze was captured by the
Penguin put Freeze on display
in his macabre museum under heavy guard and stole one of Freezeʼs ice weapons. He
several
of
Commissioner
operating as undercover agents
in Penguinʼs gang. With all these distractions he hopes to outwit Batman.
Batman isnʼt easily deterred. After locating and freeing Freeze, he learns that
the scientist had already completed the work on Jokerʼs cure but that he was unable to stabilize the compound. It still needs a binding enzyme to keep it
from breaking apart before it can be effective. Bruce can only think of one viable candidate: the blood of the immortal Rāʼs al Ghūl, the leader of the
League of Assassins. As Freeze goes back to his lab, Batman faces off against the Penguin, whose ice weapon he disables with a failsafe device from Freeze.
Batmanʼs next goal is to find Rāʼs. He tracks one of Al Ghūlʼs assassins to his hideout in Wonder City.
Wonder City is an abandoned
believes his blood will stabilize
was built, and itʼs the location
to the chemical causes insanity
city on top of which Arkham City of a Lazarus Pit. This Lazarus Pit
contains
a
mysterious
chemical compound which can heal people on the brink of
death. Rāʼs al Ghūl has used
it many times in the past to
rejuvenate himself and has lived for hundreds of years as
a result. This is why Batman
the cure. Long term exposure however, and Rāʼs wants to
find a successor to carry on
his legacy and command the
League of Assassins. Batman was his first choice for this position were it not for the
Dark Knightʼs refusal to kill his opponents.
As Bruce makes his way through Wonder City, the effects of Jokerʼs poison
are beginning to set in. He gradually weakens and is only barely alive when he reaches Rāʼsʼ lair. There he finds Talia al Ghūl, Rāʼsʼ daughter with whom Bruce
has always had an unusual relationship. Talia urges Batman to finally accept
her fatherʼs offer and undergo the Demon Trials to become his successor. Not
having much choice, Batman accepts. He drinks a little of the Lazarus chemical which both partially heals him and sends him into a world on the edge of reality and illusion.
The final challenge of the Demon Trials is killing Rāʼs to succeed him, but
Batman refuses. Even though Rāʼs attempts to use his own daughter as leverage, Batman manages to survive the ordeal and draw Rāʼsʼ blood for the cure without killing him. As Talia storms out, angry that Bruce had no intention of completing the trials, he proceeds to Freeze.
When he finally reaches Freeze and hands over Rāʼsʼ blood, Freeze is soon able
to synthesize two vials of the cure. But before Batman can get his hands on the
vials, Freeze crushes one and locks the other in a wall safe. He urges Batman to first find his kidnapped wife. Batman refuses, needing the cure immediately,
and engages Freeze in combat. He manages to defeat him, but when he goes to retrieve the cure from the safe he discovers it has been stolen by Harley. To allow Harley time to get back to Joker the mad clown shoots down reporter Vicki Valeʼs helicopter, forcing Batman to rescue her first.
10
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Hugo Strange Summary: Psychologist and the man behind Arkham City. Strange knows the true identity of Batman, and plans to eradicate the entire criminal element of Gotham.
concept story
After
Batman
refused
to
kill her father Talia secretly
tracked him across Arkham City to check on his illness. She
eventually arrives at Jokerʼs base in the Steel Mill and runs into Harley. Talia easily
incapacitates the foolish girl
and steals the cure to prevent
her from healing Joker. She duct-tapes Harley to a pipe and bides her time.
Meanwhile,
Hugo
Strange
manages to convince Gotham City Council that Arkham City is out of control and that he has failed to stop the spread
of illegal weapons — weapons
that he himself provided for just
this
10:
a
reason.
The
City
Council signs off on Protocol last-minute
security
measure to restore order in Arkham City.
Once again entering the Steel Mill, Batman is surprised to find Joker seemingly completely healed. He demands that Joker hand over the rest of the cure, but
the clown naturally refuses and a fight ensues. When the ceiling collapses, Batman is trapped and Joker moves in for the kill. Before he can strike, Talia Ra’s al Ghul Summary: The Demon’s Head and leader of the League of Assassins. Ra’s uses the Lazarus Pit to infinitely extend his life. He wants to rid the world of crime, but uses extreme methods to do so. He’s looking for someone to supercede him.
al Ghūl moves in and proposes a deal: If the Joker lets Batman live, she will
give him the gift of immortality through the Lazarus Pit. Batman begs Talia not to do it, but itʼs too late-Joker accepts. As Talia faces Bruce, she privately
indicates to him the tracer that Batman used to find Rāʼsʼ lair, urging him to “follow his heart.”
Meanwhile Catwoman, who has
to exit when she learns of
secure lockup, is getting ready
better judgment as a thief, she
been breaking into Strangeʼs to leave Arkham City for good.
With two suitcases filled with loot in hand she gets ready
Batmanʼs defeat. Despite her decides to drop the loot and help out her “friend” instead.
As soon as Batman is rescued by Catwoman his first instinct is to find Talia. Strangeʼs men are leveling Arkham City to the ground. Their helicopters are firing missiles at the people below killing both hardened criminals as well as political prisoners. Bruce Wayne may want to find Talia, but Batman needs to
do whatʼs right. Reluctantly, he sets out for Wonder Tower, Hugo Strangeʼs
command center. He fights his way through the collapsed streets underneath Gotham to the base of the tower and scales the imposing structure. Up top,
he quickly dispatches all of Strangeʼs guards and breaks into the Professorʼs command center to shut down Protocol 10. As Strange rambles on about how
he did what Batman never could a sword is suddenly thrust through his chestitʼs Rāʼs al Ghūl.
Rāʼs was Strangeʼs mysterious
Meanwhile, Joker has turned on
who organized for Quincy Sharp
the Monarch Theatre, placed
benefactor all along — the one to become mayor of Gotham.
From the beginning, his plan was to clean up Gotham by laying waste to it and starting over.
The
destruction
of
Arkham City would have been
Talia. He has locked her up in snipers all around, and loaded
the place with explosives. As
his illness eats away at his health the clown waits for Batman to bring him the cure.
only the beginning.
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11
concept story
With his last ounce of strength, Strange activates the towerʼs self-destruct sequence. Throwing himself at Rāʼs, Batman jumps out the window as the command center explodes in a ball of fire. As they fall through the air, Bruce
attempts to save Rāʼs, but when the insane assassin tries to impale himself and Batman with his sword, he is forced to let him go. Rāʼs plummets and falls to his death.
Barely allowed to catch his breath, Batman locks on to Taliaʼs signal and sets
out for the Monarch Theatre. Inside, he finds Joker holding Talia at gunpoint.
To Batmanʼs surprise the clown demands Batman to give him the cure even
though he still seems fully healed. Before he can react, Talia frees herself from Jokerʼs hold and stabs him with her sword. Aghast, Batman watches Joker heave a final breath before falling to the floor.
As Batman kneels next to his fallen enemy, Talia shows him the cure she stole from Harley. The pieces start to come together in Bruceʼs mind: the dead Joker
he encountered earlier, Taliaʼs intercepting of Harley, the seemingly healthy Joker still asking for the cure-there were two Jokers all along. He quickly tries to warn Talia, but it is too late. Talia is shot by the real Joker.
The cure falls from Taliaʼs hand and rolls over to the body of the fake Joker who
reveals himself to be Clayface. Clayface morphs into a hideous blob of mud,
absorbing the vial into his body. Batman is forced to fight him, but when he is close to winning Joker sets off explosives that collapse the floor of the theatre.
Batman and Clayface drop down into the Lazarus Pit chamber beneath the building, where the fight continues until Batman finally incapacitates Clayface.
Finally getting his hands on the cure, Bruce drinks half of the remaining vial.
He instantly feels himself restored to full health. In his last shot at immortality, Joker attempts to jump into the Lazarus Pit, but Batman throws Taliaʼs sword
into the generator. It falls down, sweeping the remains of Clayface into the Pit and then explodes, destroying the chamber forever.
Joker taunts Bruce, claiming that despite all the chaos, destruction, and death he
caused Batman will give him the cure anyway. As Batman argues that stopping
Joker would mean stopping the unending violence, the mad clown jumps out and stabs Batman in the shoulder. The vial falls to the floor and shatters.
As Jokerʼs disease finally consumes him, Batman admits that even after all that
has happened, he would have indeed saved his nemesis. Seeing the irony, Joker
starts giggling, which soon turns into an uncontrollable coughing fit as the life slowly slips out of him. Carrying his foeʼs lifeless body, Batman walks out into the destroyed Arkham City, where Jokerʼs gang and Harley are shocked to find their beloved leader dead. Batman silently exits Arkham, giving Jokerʼs body to
Commissioner Gordon before flying away into the night. His enemy has been defeated, and Gotham is saved once again. But this time, victory came at a terrible price.
12
EFG
design | development
2
Mathematics and video games INTRODUCTION
by Nicholas Mamo
Mathematics - itʼs all around us. From simple arithmetic to proportions, we use it in our everyday lives. While for
some, math is a curse, others canʼt live without it. And game developers fall into the latter category. Physics engines, collision checking, level-design and even small platform games boil down to simple mathematics:
arithmetic rules which determine how a game is made
up. All game mechanics are the product of mathematical rules or laws, and not being able to understand the math behind certain components could make game
development even more difficult. In this series of articles, weʼll be taking a look at some different mathematical aspects used in video games.
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13
design | development
Whether itʼs a 2D game involving sprites or a 3D game dealing with geometry, most of the action happens in 2D and 3D graphs respectively. Graphs in 2D
games can be thought of or visualized as two-dimensional arrays. Just like this data structure, elementsʼ positions can be referenced to by their x- and
y-coordinates. As for 3D games, graphs use the same concept. However, in this case, another axis is introduced: the z-axis, representing depth. And with graphs come coordinates.
Coordinates are often used in conjunction with graphs to access locations, move an object, or get a direction, among other uses. In 2D graphs, coordinates have
two key variables: one containing the x-position, with the other storing the
y-position. Coordinates with three key variables contain the x- and y-position too, but they also use the z-position of the coordinate. These 3D coordinates
are used with 3D graphs and are an extension of 2D ones, incorporating depth. Movement in video games makes direct use of coordinates. If in a platform game the player is moving forward 1 unit every frame, then the 1 unit is added
to the playerʼs x-position in each frame. If the player is jumping and the change in vertical speed is 1 unit, 1 unit is added to the playerʼs y-position.
What if the player is doing both simultaneously? 1 unit is added to both the x-
and y-positions of the player. As for subtraction, it uses the same logic behind addition with coordinates.
<7, 3> + <8, 4> = <15, 7> <7, 3> - <8, 4> = <-1, -1>
Sometimes you may also need to multiply two or more coordinates. The same logic used in addition is used here too. The x- and y-positions of the initial
coordinate are multiplied with the x- and y-positions of the second coordinate respectively. Division is precisely the same, but obviously coordinates are
divided. The same concepts are used in different arithmetic operations dealing with coordinates: the x-, y-, and z-components of coordinates canʼt be mixed
- each coordinate should only be involved in operations with coordinates of the same type.
<7, 3> × <8, 4> = <56, 12> <8, 4> ÷ <2, 2> = <4, 2>
Mathematics and coordinates are considered the building blocks of video
games. Without them, one canʼt manipulate objects, movement, or any other simple mechanisms. Having broad mathematical knowledge helps construct efficient engines and understand better how games work.
In the next article, weʼll take a look at how to calculate distance between two coordinates, and how to divide distance between two points proportionally.
14
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process | in development
IN DEVELOPMENT
THE LONG DARK developer: Hinterland
Newly formed Hinterland Studios' first game “The Long Dark” follows Will McKenzie, a pilot who
must survive the Northern Wilderness. The studio of ex-AAA developers are hoping to craft a game centered around survival, as the player explores the environment from a first person perspective.
Hinterland decided to help fund their game through
Kickstarter. We reached out to the Hinterland team to hear more about their upcoming game and why they chose to crowd fund it.
EFG
15
process | in development
How far would you go to survive
Raphael van Lierop: We want to explore the question, “How far
Hinterland is based on Northern Vancouver
will you have to make, and what can you live
inspired by living here, on the edge of the
would you go to survive?” What difficult choices with, in a world where the old rules no longer
apply? Suddenly, all the technology we take
for granted, and which stands between us and the power of Mother Nature, is suddenly
wrenched from us. How do we continue to survive? What does this new world look like?
wilderness and the fringe of civilization. Here, you see nature every day, and learn
to appreciate its beauty, its power, and its
neutrality. It doesnʼt care if you live or die. Only the strong survive.
How do we continue to relate to one another?
Weʼve done extensive research on wilderness
some of the questions weʼre tackling in “The
immediate aftermath of a large-scale disaster.
What kind of world will this become? These are
Long Dark.” But this isnʼt your typical end of the world scenario. This is a quiet apocalypse. No
zombies. Just human beings thrown into very challenging circumstances, which is all you need to discover how brutal, or heroic, people can really be.
16
Island, where I live. The gameʼs setting is
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survival, and on what tends to happen in the Weʼve also done location scouting and gathered photo and audio references. We have several
more research trips planned as development continues.
process | in development
What new game play experiences are you hoping to deliver to players?
Why did you decide to crowd source the funding?
“The Long Dark” is a game about thoughtful
We are fortunate enough to be largely funded
player in an incredibly atmospheric experience.
position where we can make a version of this
exploration. We are focused on immersing the
Itʼs not an action game or a game about
shooting people in the face. Combat is rare and highly lethal in our game, and in fact if you are smart you do your best to avoid it. The
game focuses more on exploration, the search for supplies and knowledge of the world,
interacting with other survivors, and managing the low-level aspects of the simulation such as food/water, warmth, calorie burn, gear and clothing, etc.
The Long Dark is a first-person survival
simulation that puts the player in the shoes of Will Mackenzie, a bush pilot who crashes
deep in the northern wilderness as a result of a mysterious atmospheric event. As Will, the playerʼs immediate priority is their day to day
survival. Over time, as they learn more about
the world and encounter other survivors, the player will have to make tough choices about how they want to live in the world.
by the Canada Media Fund, so weʼre in a
game with the resources we have. Coming to Kickstarter has been about two primary things:
1) beginning to build a community around the game, and doing our best to develop the
highest level of engagement possible with
this community, and 2) supplementing our
existing resources with additional funds which weʼll use to add polish and quality to the experience. So, weʼre not relying on crowd
funding to fund the gameʼs development, but we are relying on crowd funding to help us
ensure the game can live up to its potential. So far, weʼve not really considered working
with a publisher because the economics and power dynamics of those relationships tend not to work in the developerʼs favor. Our goal
is to build excellent games, compelling worlds, and own our intellectual property so that we
can continue building on it in the future. Itʼs nearly impossible to accomplish those things as an independent developer working with a traditional publisher.
The player will have to make tough choices about how they want to live in the world
EFG
17
books
BOOKS. Feed your skills. Gather knowledge.
These are just excerpts. For the full articles visit us at www.efgmagazine.com.
RISE OF THE VIDEOGAME ZINESTERS: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives and People Like You Are Taking Back an Art Form
Title: Author: Genre Pages: Release:
Rise of the Videogame Zinesters Anna Anthropy Development 208
2012
“Rise of the Videogame Zinesters” is
The real highlights of the book are
letter to the video games industry.
a game, from recommending starting
indie developer Anna Anthropyʼs open Itʼs a book that both acknowledges
the problems of the industry and also
gushes about what makes games so
great.
More
than
anything,
it
your tools, characters, sound effects, and story and distribution method. The
a great source of inspiration.
diversity in gameplay and storytelling
Anna Anthropy, also known as “Auntie Pixelante,” is a freelance game creator
and critic. Her concerns mostly deal with the lack of originality and stagnation in
games, and the lack of diversity in the
industry. She is an advocate of people making games that are extensions of themselves.
EFG
engines to giving tips on how to choose
encourages people to make games, to
seek out new experiences, and acts as
18
when the author mentions how to make
emphasis
on
more
people
needing to create games and needing is especially relevant with the rise of digital distribution and indie studios
over the past few years. Here is where “Rise” excels: it encourages everyone to make a game, even if itʼs a bad one.
books
MASTERS OF DOOM: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture Title: Author: Genre: Pages: Release:
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture David Kushner
History, Biography 368
2004
“Masters of Doom” avoids reading like a dry
the working relationship they had with each
in the 1990ʼs by recreating events of the
other. John Carmack was always interested
history book of id Software and PC gaming time and assembling them in a narrative
structure. David Kushner presents the events as they happened, making you feel as if you were there. He compares the two Johns-Carmack and Romero, and discusses
other, and how they complemented each
in pushing games to their technical limits,
often working long hours with intense focus. John Romero on the other hand was
the creative designer, and the outspoken side of the duo.
THE ULTIMATE HISTORY OF VIDEO GAMES: From Pong to Pokemon-The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World Title: Author: Genre: Pages: Release:
The Ultimate History of Video Games Steven L. Kent History, Retro 624
2001
“The Ultimate History of Video Games” is
“Spacewar,” Atariʼs arcade dominance and
from their roots in pinball up until the
and their breaking into the American game
a massive tome of the history of games,
year 2000, ending just on the cusp of the launch of the Playstation 2. With a
heavy focus on the western handheld and console market, the book covers pivotal
events in the history of the medium such
as Steve Russell programming the game
home console launch, Nintendoʼs history industry,
entrepreneur
David
Rosenʼs
impact on the founding of SEGA and their
history up until the Dreamcast, and even
minor footnotes in the industry such as the history of the Vectrex.
MASS EFFECT: REVELATION Title: Author: Publisher: Genre: Pages: Release:
Mass Effect: Revelation Drew Karpyshyn Del Rey Books
Science fiction
323 (paperback) 2007
The first novel set in the Mass Effect
the plot revolves around the galaxyʼs view
Karpyshyn and was published on May 1,
in much of the background details of the
Universe is a science fiction novel by Drew 2007 by Del Rey Books.
The novel is a prequel to the events of Mass Effect and a considerable amount of
on Artificial Intelligence. It also serves to fill
game, such as locations and the internal politics of the Councilʼs races, as well as characters.
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19
who is?
who is?
ARTORIAS
Long ago, there existed a city called Oolacile. Its people were
Manus. In fact, they claim the unyielding Manus defeated
In the end though, their search for power caused their own
used his last ounce of strength to cast a protective shield
believed to be powerful sorcerers capable of unique magic. demise. Misled by the whispers of a Primordial Serpent,
they were seduced into awakening a primeval human.
This being, known as Manus, quickly went insane. Manus corrupted the helpless souls of Oolacile and brought forth
the brave hero. Beaten to within an inch of his life, Artorias around his companion Sif. Manus then corrupted Artorias
with the darkness of the Abyss. His will stripped of him, the once proud knight became a force of evil.
an ever-expanding black void now known as the Abyss.
So who really defeated Manus and rescued Princess Dusk?
township of Oolacile. The immensely powerful creature was
Rumor has it that another soul came from across the
The blackness spread across the land and enveloped the even able to reach across the centuries to abduct Oolacile's own Princess Dusk from another time and place.
Sir Artorias, one of Lord Gwyn's most trusted Knights, set out together with his wolf companion Sif towards Oolacile. His mission: to defeat the beast and beat back The Abyss. Together, Artorias and Sif were able to destroy the evil creature, freeing the land of this great terror.
But that is only one version of the story. Some claim that not even the legendary Artorias was capable of defeating
To this day, the true fate of Artorias remains a mystery. boundaries of time to slay the beast and rescue his captive.
This unknown hero defeated the corrupted Artorias, ďŹ nally
freeing the valiant knight from his prison. The world was then led to believe that it was Artorias, not the stranger, who slew Manus and halted the advance of the Abyss. He
was then laid to rest in the forest, where Sif, the Great Grey Wolf, continues to protect his old friend's grave.
Which is the truth and which is fabrication? We may never know.
Article by RĂŠmy van den Wijngaart 20
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company profile
Audiokinetic Inc.
Founder: Martin H. Klein Audiokinetic was founded in 2000 by Martin H. Klein. Klein, working with a group
of dedicated veterans and experts from the music, film, and gaming industries, set
Place:
out to develop Wwise®, the integrated audio authoring middleware. Their goal was
Type:
experiences.
Platforms:
to help audio programmers and sound designers provide truly immersive gaming
Headquartered in Montréal,
Québec, Canada and has an office in Tokyo, Japan. Audio middleware
TYPE COMPANY
Android - iOS - Mac® - Linux - Nintendo 3DS™ PlayStation®3 PlayStation®4 - PlayStation®Vita - Wii™ - Wii U™ - Windows® 32-bit and 64-bit (XP / Vista/ 7 / 8) Windows® Phone 8 - Xbox 360™ Xbox One™
Audiokinetic is an audio middleware company that sets new standards in audio
Website: www.audiokinetic.com
production for interactive media and games. Our middleware solutions, including
the award-winning Wwise® and SoundSeed®, empower sound designers and audio programmers with a cost effective, comprehensive authoring tool and audio
Email:
info@audiokinetic.com
sales@audiokinetic.com
engine for creating innovative game experiences.
GOAL At Audiokinetic, we are committed to helping our customers create truly sophisticated audio for games and interactive media. Through continued product
innovation and unparalleled customer service, we will help you focus on delivering
great audio content. Wwise can increase your development efficiency and
productivity without compromising your creative vision, and our support team will ensure that you get the most from our audio authoring tools. We have developed
a complete solution that has revolutionized the traditional audio development process, and we will continue to challenge the boundaries of content creation to keep you ahead of the curve.
CLIENTS
Audiokinetic, Inc. is the leading global provider of cross-platform audio solutions
for the interactive media and gaming industries. Over the years, Audiokinetic and
Martin H. Klein, President & CEO
its core product, Wwise, have received several awards from the industry. With more
than 400 AAA titles worldwide shipped using Wwise, Audiokinetic is working with
all major publishers and development studios and has built the reputation of being the innovators in their field.
Our middleware solutions suit every budget to empower all developers from indies
to AAA, across mobile, console and PC-based platforms. Starting as low as $750 USD, the cost of a Wwise license is tiered by the total production budget of a
project. This means that Indie and mobile game developers have access to the same cross platform audio engine used on AAA titles.
PRODUCTS Wwise® is the most comprehensive audio middleware solution. It features a tight integration of Audiokineticʼs advanced audio authoring tool and robust sound engine.
Working with Wwise increases productivity and creativity while saving
game developers time and money across the audio production of any game title. Wwise® • SoundSeed® • Convolution Reverb • Wwise Motion • AstoundSound (GenAudio) • AudioEase • McDSP • iZotope • Rev (Crankcase Audio) • Auro Technologies • IOSONO
Services: • Custom tool/feature development • Project support • Training • Project evaluation • Sound Engine Integration
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Half art book and half interviews, the new hardcover book of our previous Game Design & Development edition has a lot more to offer: be it an inspiration boost to keep you motivated or to discover the game industry through its artists and designers. Read about design topics that are as diverse as the games themselves, and range from conversations about dragon design to mech design.
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