Swords & Circuitry
A Designer's Guide to Computer Role Playing Games
Description:... '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!
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