Now in its fourth edition, the text has been completely rewritten and updated to include videogame history through 2015. Illustrated with over 1000 b&w photos from Atari to Zeebo, Pong to PlayStation, and arranged chronologically, Phoenix remains the first place to start any study of gaming history.

    Artcade is a unique collection of coin-op cabinet marquees, some dating back 40 years to the dawn of video gaming.Acquired by Tim Nicholls from a Hollywood props company, this archive of marquees, many of which had suffered damage over time, have now been scanned and digitally restored to their former glory. This collection of classic arcade cabinet artwork is presented here for the first time in this stunning landscape hardback book, along with the author's own research into each piece and accompanied by interviews with artists Larry Day and the late Python Anghelo.Relive your mis-spent youth with artwork from over 130 classic coin-ops including Asteroids, Battlezone, Street Fighter II, Out Run, Moon Patrol, Gyruss, Q*Bert, Bubble Bobble and many more. Each marquee takes up a full double-page spread in the book, and is faithfully recreated using beautiful lithographic printing on the highest quality paper. Tim has spent over two thousand hours assembling the high-resolution scans, restoring the images and colour-correcting them back to their vibrant, as–new appearance. The results of all that hard work are now available as a lasting record of the amazing artwork that adorned the arcades during the golden era of coin-op video gaming.Book specifications324 Pages, Hardback, A4 landscape, Lithographic print, Sewn binding, Protective spot varnished dust jacket.

    World-renowned builder Pawe? "Sariel" Kmiec covers the foundations of LEGO Technic building, from the concepts that underlie simple machines, like gears and linkages, to advanced mechanics, like differentials and steering systems. This edition adds 13 new building instructions and 4 completely new chapters on wheels, the RC system, planetary gearing, and 3D printing.You’ll get a hands-on introduction to fundamental mechanical concepts like torque, friction, and traction, as well as basic engineering principles like weight distribution, efficiency, and power transmission—all with the help of Technic pieces. You’ll even learn how Sariel builds his amazing tanks, trucks, and cars to scale.Learn how to:–Build sturdy connections that can withstand serious stress–Re-create specialized LEGO pieces, like casings and u-joints, and build custom, complex Schmidt and Oldham couplings–Create your own differentials, suspensions, transmissions, and steering systems–Pick the right motor for the job and transform it to suit your needs–Combine studfull and studless building styles for a stunning look–Build remote-controlled vehicles, lighting systems, motorized compressors, and pneumatic enginesThis beautifully illustrated, full-color book will inspire you with ideas for building amazing machines like tanks with suspended treads, supercars, cranes, bulldozers, and much more. What better way to learn engineering principles than to experience them hands-on with LEGO Technic?New in this edition: 13 new building instructions, 13 updated chapters, and 4 brand-new chapters!

    

    It is a practical book that discusses the physiological and psychological dynamics of attention, the value of intrinsic play, and strategies to invent activities that support kids' engagement, entertainment, and learning.It helps designers to better understand:- The nature of play and how to recognize and support its presence. - Over 30 natural play patterns with applied examples in games and toys. - Learning theories, especially as they relate to optimum engagement. - How to connect with a specific audience by understanding children's ages and developmental stages. - Animation tips, tricks, and techniques for getting and holding attention. - How to keep games alive by using the many varieties of surprise. - How to maximize the impact of audio design in interactive experiences. - How to create character and avatar designs that kids will love, use, and relate to. - How to work with creative teams and clients to make the best products for kids. Understanding Kids, Play, and Interactive Design features real-world stories, practical methods, tips, and design secrets that user experience practitioners and children's designers need to ensure that the products they create are successful and engaging for kids. It addresses all aspects of children's design in depth, and it is packed with hundreds of full color photographs, screenshots, illustrations, and effects that use many of the design principles outlined in the book, providing a look that practices what it preaches and teaches. Written in accessible style, it offers insights and inspiration to parents, designers, educators, and anyone looking to create content that will be an immediate hit with kids.

    Doom. Minecraft. It's hard to imagine what life would be like today without video games, a creative industry that now towers over Hollywood in terms of both financial and cultural impact. The video game industry caters to everyone, with games in every genre for every conceivable electronic device--from dedicated PC gaming rigs and consoles to handhelds, mobile phones, and tablets. Successful games are produced by mega-corporations, independent studios, and even lone developers working with nothing but free tools. Some may still believe that video games are mere diversions for children, but today's games offer sophisticated and wondrously immersive experiences that no other media can hope to match. Vintage Games 2.0 tells the story of the ultimate storytelling medium, from early examples such as Spacewar! and Pong to the mind blowing console and PC titles of today. Written in a smart and engaging style, this updated 2nd edition is far more than just a survey of the classics. Informed by hundreds of in-depth personal interviews with designers, publishers, marketers, and artists--not to mention the author's own lifelong experience as a gamer--Vintage Games 2.0 uncovers the remarkable feats of intellectual genius, but also the inspiring personal struggles of the world's most brilliant and celebrated game designers--figures like Shigeru Miyamoto, Will Wright, and Roberta Williams. Ideal for both beginners and professionals, Vintage Games 2.0 offers an entertaining and inspiring account of video game's history and meteoric rise from niche market to global phenomenon.Credit for the cover belongs to Thor Thorvaldson.

    The engine offers a rich feature set that can be customized and built upon through the use of C++. This book will cover how to work with Unreal Engine's tool set all the way from the basics of the editor and the visual scripting system blueprint to the in-depth low-level creation of content using C++.This book will provide you with the skills you need to create feature-rich, captivating, and refined game titles with Unreal Engine 4. This book will take you through the creation of four unique game projects, designed so that you will be ready to apply the engine's rich development capabilities. You will learn not only to take advantage of the visual tools of the engine, but also the vast and powerful programming feature set of Unreal Engine 4. What you will learn Use C++ with Unreal Engine to boost the development potential of any Unreal Engine project Vastly improve workflow and content creation with the visual scripting system blueprint Design, test, and implement interesting game worlds using Unreal Engines built-in editor Build a networked, feature-rich first person shooter that you can play with others over LAN Build design-centric game worlds that play to needs of your game ideas Paint your game worlds via the creation and modification of visual shaders called materials Gain knowledge of other game development disciplines through the use of the Animation and Material tool sets Create feature-rich game projects with a sophisticated visual quality and feature set About the Author Benjamin Carnall is an enthusiastic and dedicated programmer whose love for problem solving led him to the world of game development. He relishes opportunities to learn new and interesting ways to create gameplay experiences for others. Ben began his journey with Game Development in 2012, after he graduated from Media Design School with a diploma in interactive gaming. He then went on to graduate from the same university with a bachelors of software engineering in 2014. Since then, Ben has immersed himself in the Game Development community of New Zealand—starting out as a programming contractor and working on various titles around Auckland. He then began to work as a lecturer at Media Design School and taught Graphics programming for games, Physics programming for games, and Sony PlayStation development at the bachelors level. Most recently, Ben has been working as a programmer for the studio Aroura44, developing a title called Ashen. Table of Contents Introduction to Unreal Engine 4 Blueprints and Barrels – Your First Game Advanced Blueprint, Animation, and Sound Unreal Engine, C++, and You Upgrade Activated – Making Bounty Dash with C++ Power Ups for Your Character, Power Ups for the User Boss Mode Activated – Unreal Robots Advanced AI and Unreal Rend

    This could be for a playable level or a game environment exploration to show off in a portfolio. Planning process is called pre-production and what you end up with is a "Preproduction Blueprint". It is an essential step to finishing your projects. Unfortunately, planning tends to be a rushed part of the process or completely ignored. Creating a game environment or a level design is very similar. Once you have an idea you have to go through the steps of: Knowing what you are going to create How the game environment is going to look How the level will play Location, theme and setting of your game environment or level design Creating a top-down layout Defining and designing objectives, obstacles and scripted events Knowing your project purpose Collecting photo reference Creating a story Visual development Creating to do lists, a plan of action Rushing into a level design or game environment without planning will most likely result in unfinished project. All you need is a solid plan of what your environment is going to look and play like prior to creating it. "Preproduction Blueprint" is the planning system and workbook. These are the same steps I use to design environments and levels. It took me years to figure out and to refine so you don’t have to. I laid everything out for you to use in a step-by-step process. After going through the book, you’ll be able to close your eyes and walk through the environment. The level will be finished in your mind. The next step will be to open up a level editor and begin construction.

    But that's exactly what this book attempts. Learn how to make a JRPG like Final Fantasy 6 from scratch. The book is divided into three main sections.1. ExplorationCreate maps for the player to explore. Ends with a game about escaping the dungeon.2. CombatFight monsters. Ends with a game about fighting in a arena.3. QuestsCreate a fully featured game with a quest, dungeons etc.Full information here:http://howtomakeanrpg.com/

    With more than 100 practical recipes, this book is a guide showcasing techniques to use the power of C++ scripting while developing games with UE4. It will start with adding and editing C++ classes from within the Unreal Editor. It will delve into one of Unreal's primary strengths, the ability for designers to customize programmer-developed actors and components. It will help you understand the benefits of when and how to use C++ as the scripting tool. With a blend of task-oriented recipes, this book will provide actionable information about scripting games with UE4, and manipulating the game and the development environment using C++. Towards the end of the book, you will be empowered to become a top-notch developer with Unreal Engine 4 using C++ as the scripting language. What you will learn Build function libraries (Blueprints) containing reusable code to reduce upkeep Move low-level functions from Blueprint into C++ to improve performance Abstract away complex implementation details to simplify designer workflows Incorporate existing libraries into your game to add extra functionality such as hardware integration Implement AI tasks and behaviors in Blueprints and C++ Generate data to control the appearance and content of UI elements About the Author William Sherif is a C++ programmer with more than eight years of experience in the programming world, ranging from game programming to web programming. He also worked as a university course instructor (sessional) for seven years. Additionally, he released several apps on the iTunes store, including Strum and MARSHALL OF THE ELITE SQUADRON. In the past, he has won acclaim for delivering course material in an easy-to-understand manner.Stephen Whittle is a game developer and educator with nearly 10 years of development experience, most of which has been done using Unreal Engine. He is a community contributor to the engine, with features or bug fixes included in almost every major version of the engine since its public release. Table of Contents UE4 Development Tools Creating Classes Memory Management and Smart Pointers Actors and Components Handling Events and Delegates Input and Collision Communication between Classes and Interfaces Integrating C++ and the Unreal Editor User Interfaces – UI and UMG AI for Controlling NPCs Custom Materials and Shaders Working with UE4 APIs

    The lessons assume you understand the conventions of RPG games and have some awareness of the basics of using the Unreal editor to build level. What You Will Learn Program gameplay elements in C++ in Unreal Create custom game data for entities such as players and enemies Create a turn-based combat engine Design menu systems and blueprint logic Create an NPC and dialog system Integrate equipment and items Develop the foundations of a saving and loading system In Detail Now that Unreal Engine 4 has become one of the most cutting edge game engines in the world, developers are looking for the best ways of creating games of any genre in the engine. This book will lay out the foundation of creating a turn-based RPG in Unreal Engine 4.The book starts by walking you through creating a turn-based battle system that can hold commands for party members and enemies. You'll get your hands dirty by creating NPCs such as shop owners, and important mechanics, that make up every RPG such as a currency system, inventory, dialogue, and character statistics. Although this book specifically focuses on the creation of a turn-based RPG, there are a variety of topics that can be utilized when creating many other types of genres.By the end of the book, you will be able to build upon core RPG framework elements to create your own game experience. Style and approach You will follow a series of lessons detailing the elements that contribute to an RPG. By the end of the book, you will have considerably leveled up your ability to make your own game