vancouver film school – Matheus Pitillo

December 3, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

National Mech League

National Mech League is a 3D Dual Stick Shooter PC Game that my team and I created as our Final Project of the Game Design Program at Vancouver Film School. Myself and two other students had three months to develop the whole game from the Game Concept, Pre Production and Production Phase. NML was developed using Unity Engine, and had the theme of a futuristic Sport Arena where Mechs defeat waves of enemies robots, while attempting to gain attention from sponsors.

In the far future, mankind is finally able to build Mechs. The only logical outcome of such engineering achievement is to use Mechs in a newly created sport: Mech Match! In the NML, Mechs fight waves of enemy robots in arenas around the world, in order to earn sponsorship and please the fans. By collecting sponsors points, the player can exchange these points for new upgrades, increasing their original stats.

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My Roles

Level Design
Game Design / Game Design Document
Environmental Art
Set Dressing
Lighting
Project Management
Graphical User Interface
Menu Screens Composition / Lighting

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Why Create this Game?

NML provides a theme that possesses mainstream appeal and humor potential as well. As the game focuses in a League representation, introducing a new type of Sport, players will be able to try it in a game with over proved gameplay. The game provides a fun narrative, with an intelligent AI system, in which winning often requires strategy. The goals set forth in creating this game include, but are not limited, to the following:

Combine gameplay with a Sport League Theme, allowing players to relate their favorite sports to a new concept, while providing a fun experience;
Make the player constantly modify their strategy according to each Mech Weapons.

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Design Notes

Created in Unity Engine;
3 month development time by 3 people;
4 Levels;
4 Major Objectives;
10 to 20 minutes of gameplay.

[button link="http://projects.myvfs.com/games/GD25_NationalMechLeague/NML.zip" type="icon" newwindow="yes"] Download National Mech League[/button]

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Major Features

• Unique Playable Mech
Player will control The Ocho, the Badass Cowboy. The Mech is the materialization of the pilot's personality and their design is also inspired by it.

• In-game Sport Commentators
The in-game experience is commentated in real time by two different commentators, creating a fun and humorous atmosphere that mirrors the feeling of an actual sporting event.

• 3 Unique Weapons
The Ocho features three different weapons: Shotgun, Revolver and the Gatling gun. Weapons have different effects against enemies, creating different types of combat experience.

• 5 Unique Enemy Behaviors
There are 3 different enemy classes and 4 different behaviors. Each one of the enemy behaviors has a defined characteristic in order to vary gameplay. The enemies are Red SwarmBot, Blue SwarmBot, WormBot, and BeeBot.

• Dodging and Shooting Gameplay Experience
Game places equal emphasis on dodging and shooting enemies and projectiles.

• Upgradable Mech according to Sponsor Points
Player needs to complete combo kills to collect Sponsor Points during the game. Sponsor Points can be exchanged for new Mech Golden Armor Upgrade in the Mech Shop. The upgrade will increase Mech Stats and change appearance, but will not provide any new abilities.

• 3 Unique Power Ups
Player can find Power Ups around the League Arena. Power Ups affects Mech's Stats and Weapon Stats for a pre-determined time interval. Power Ups vary into: Improving Mech Speed, Improving Mech Shield, and Increasing Weapon Damage.

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Published by Matheus Pitillo in Game Titles

Tags: Dual Stick Shooter, Environment Art, Final Project, game, Game Design, game design program, Game Projects, GD25, Level Design, Lighting, Matheus Pitillo, National Mech League, NML, PC, Project Management, Roles, sport game, vancouver film school, VFS

November 25, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

Mission Design Document: The Factory

MISSION DESIGN DOCUMENT: THE FACTORY - ACT 02

Act 02 – Overview

In the Act 02 of "The Factory", the level will introduce the Second Base Area (B2) of the Old Robot Factory. The player needs to find a way to turn ON the factory system again - by finding the battery and plugin in the core - to be able to access the elevator to the third base floor. During all his way, the player will need to protect himself against two new Enemy AI, that will be activated right after the energy gets back. One enemy is in patrol mode and the other one hanging around. By restoring the energy and taking the new Time Weapon, the player can cross the laser corridor by delaying the time speed, and finally access the elevator. Accessing the new elevator, the Act 02 ends.

Estimated Difficulty: 7/10
Estimated Gameplay Duration: 5-6 minutes

Objective 01: Find the battery
Here the player begins in one side of the Base Area (B2) and needs to cross all the way to the other side, in search for the battery that will turn everything on. This first objective provides a good example of dark scenarios and dodging experience that the player will feel during the gameplay. To access the room that the battery is, the player will need to go to the top floor and destroy the glass floor, since the bottom floor has all doors closed from outside. The goal is to find the battery.

Difficulty: 6/10
Estimated time to complete: 2 - 3 minutes

Player Progression:

Start the mission right after access the B2 Floor;
Run and make your way ahead to access the next room. The player will face two different paths:
- By accessing the ventilation tube, the player can go to the right and avoid the first wave of enemies;
- By following the normal path, the player will face the first wave of enemies, but can also get a special Sustenance Reward: Armor Vest.
- If the player loses, the game restarts from the beginning.
Make your way to the second floor to be able to access the top room;
Destroy the glass by shooting the pillars in the room, and breaking it with the impact;
Get the battery and finish the first objective.

Objective 02: Plug-in the battery in the Core

Just after have taking the battery, the player will need to do all his way back to the Core central room. This second objective forces the player to explore the level again by using different paths and analyzing how the level will change after the energy is on. The goal is to plug-in the battery in the Core System. By connecting the battery in the Core, the player will get a Time Weapon.

Difficulty: 4/10
Estimated time to complete: 1 minute

Player Progression:

Start the mission right after have taking the battery;
Run and make your way ahead by exiting the room through the door which was closed by outside;
Follow ahead avoiding the attack of the enemy of type 1 and access the stairs;
Plug-in the battery in the Core System achieving a Access Reward with the energy ON;
By connecting the battery, the player will get as a Facility Reward a Time Weapon and finish the second objective.

Objective 03: Access the elevator

With the battery connected in the Core System, all the level will start to turn the energy on. Lights will start to glow and some environment changes will happen. The enemies of type 2 will also turn on, finally attacking the player in patrol mode. The third objective explores how the level is changed after the energy is restored to the factory. The goal is to cross the laser corridor by using the power of the new Time Weapon and accessing the elevator, finishing the Act 02.

Difficulty: 8/10
Estimated time to complete: 2 minutes

Player Progression:

Start the mission after have taking the Time Weapon;
Face the first wave of new enemies that are awake now: o If the player shoots the enemy he can paralyze it for a determined time;- If the player loses, the game restarts from the last checkpoint.
Follow ahead and access the stairs to the bottom floor;
Face the new wave of enemies 1 and 2 together;
Access the laser corridor;
Use the Time Weapon to slow the time and the movement of the laser:- If the player use the Time Weapon he can slow the time and cross the corridor;
- If the player touches the laser he loses, and the game restarts from the last checkpoint.
By accessing the elevator the third objective ends and also the Act 02.

Enemy Types:

01. Hanging Robot - Far Type

Hanging Robot is one of the oldest robots AI created by humans. Different of most of the other AI, he does not need energy to stay awake. But in consequence, he cannot move around, as he is always hung in the ceiling.

Hanging Robot has standard range behaviour. He is always away from the player. By being hung from the ceiling, he reacts to the physical environment and can be easily manipulated by the player when the player shoots him. But he can't be destroyed. Hanging Robot can only attack the ones who enter inside his radial range. Reward: There is no reward by shooting/killing the Hanging Robot.

02. Patrol Robot - Near Type

Patrol Robot is a recent robot AI created by humans. They need energy to stay awake, since they have very strong weapon damage. Their body are composed by metal pieces and very long legs.

Patrol Robot has patrol behaviour and they move towards the player. By being shoot for a number of times by the player, the Patrol Robot enters in paralyze phase and this is how the player can get advantage and run away. Patrol Robot cannot be destroyed. Reward: There is no reward by shooting/killing the Patrol Robot.

Enemy Groupings:

First Group: 3x Hanging Robot Group Behaviour: Controller

By being positioned and hung in the ceiling, the first group of Hanging Robots will manipulate the player in a way that he will need to choose between the best path to follow, and how to react according to the enemy position.

Second Group: 2x Patrol Robot Group Behaviour: Controller

As well as the first group of enemies, the two Patrol Robots will manipulate the player's strategy and path, by attacking him after they are connected with the Core System.

Third Group: 3x Patrol Robot / 1x Hanging Robot Group Behaviour: Master and Controller

Finally, the last group of enemies will behave in two different ways. The only Hanging Robot of this area of the level will behave as a Master and Controller enemy, since the player will need first to find the best strategy to avoid his attack coming from the up area, being manipulated by them. And second, acting as Master Enemy by improves the damage caused by the other 3 Patrol Robots.

Published by Matheus Pitillo in hidden

Tags: document, game design program, GD25, Level Design, Matheus Pitillo, Mission Design, Mission Design Document, The Factory, UDK, vancouver film school

November 9, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

National Mech League

Level Overview:

Game Engine: Unity

National Mech League is a 9 - 15 minutes Single Player Campaign Dual Stick Shooter experience that consists of 4 Major Objectives with more than 3 conflicts per goal. The Single Player campaign is the only Game Mode available in National Mech League. The player takes on the role of a new pilot that wants to compete in the new season of the National Mech League. As the player progresses through the Single Player campaign, they must face a series of tests in the first Section of the League Arena, to learn the basic mechanics of the game. After that, the player will navigate their way through the environments of the League Arena – divided into sections – to reach the top central platform and fight against the League Boss.

Single Player Progression:

The player's progression through the Single Player Campaign occurs in 1 level and 4 sections. The League Arena is divided into four different sections. Each section differs by difficulties, enemies, hazards, advertisements, challenges and increasing environmental elevation. The player starts on the first floor and, by advancing and completing the Major Objectives, moves further to access new environmental elevation in their search to reach the top platform.

Stages and Single-Player Time Projections

The following chart is a projection of the expected gameplay time for each level of the game and the associate difficulty progression. As the campaign progresses, the difficulty will escalate to challenge the player. There are also three game modes available with progressively more difficult gameplay: chicken, normal and badass mode.

Single-Player Beat Chart

Victory Conditions

The main goal of National Mech League is to reach the Central Top Platform of the League Arena. As victory conditions the player will be ranked and compared with other players according to their results in the end of the game.

Environment Hazards

There are four different hazards in the League Arena of NML. All Hazards are there to strengthen and reinforce the concept of the “American Gladiator”, our biggest focus for our Arena Gameplay. The hazards are: Fire Hazard, Sand Hazard, Conveyor Belt and Magneto.

Stages / Areas:

The Paper Layout below contains a complete description of the unique level and 4 sections that the player goes through in NML, the League Arena.

League Arena Stage Progression

The League Arena has 4 different sections, divided into 3 different elevations / floors. Each section has its specific Major Objective as listed below:

Goals - League Arena:
- Deactivate the Laser Gate by pressing x5 Power Buttons;
- Control the position of the bridge by filling correctly the x3 Energy Targets;
- Turn on the Pizza Box Elevator by placing x3 new slices of Pizza;
- Press the button to turn on the Survivor Glass Room Door.

Progression Flow - Sections A to D

Design Notes:

Our biggest challenge with the levels and the game design was the fact that the main game mechanic is the shooting. So, how could we vary the gameplay for each area of the game, considering that all that the player can do is shoot? How could we change up the missions to keep the player interested and invested in the game? In the end the decision to add different hazards for each section, and to relate the whole game with the idea of a Gladiator Arena, helped a lot. The player will always be facing situations in which the whole environment will react against him, while the crowd will scream and celebrate based upon your decisions in game. All missions and designs needed to relate with our theme.

[box type="info"] For a detailed and complete Level Design Document with all Enemy Spawn Points and Level Progression, please request via e-mail.[/box]

Screenshots:

Game Trailer:

Published by Matheus Pitillo in Level Design

Tags: 2012, document, game design program, Game Trailer, GD25, Industry Night, Level Design, Matheus Pitillo, Mission Design, National Mech League, NML, objectives, portfolio, Screenshots, Team Baking Power, vancouver film school, VFS, video

November 9, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

Single Player: Sand and Dust

Level Overview:

Game Engine: UDK

Sand and Dust is a 7.5 - 12 minutes vertical slice of a single player experience that includes two machinima scenes, one for the intro and one for the ending of the level. The experience consists of 5 goals with around 2 – 4 conflicts for each goal. The map also includes two paths at one point in the game in which the player is required to make a decision and solve a puzzle element.

Design Notes:
Sand and Dust is a Single-Player Map that features two very different environments, presenting a vast and warm desert and an old Maya Temple, full of nature. As the player walks through the desert, he needs to find a torch to guide him into the dark tunnels, revealing that there is another secret passage to the Maya Temple. During his way, the player will need to solve puzzles, changing obstacles and fighting against enemies, to finally be able to find the Old Relic.

Goals:

Find the Torch Light;
Traverse the Dark Tunnels;
Activate the water levers;
Solve the Maya Puzzle;
Take the Old Relic.

Screenshots:

Video:

Published by Matheus Pitillo in Level Design

Tags: game design program, GD25, Level, Level Design, Matheus Pitillo, Paper Layout, Sand and Dust, Single Player Level, Temple, UDK, vancouver film school

November 9, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

DeathMatch: Dust Storm

Level Overview:

Game Engine: UDK

Dust Storm is a DeathMatch Level that focuses on prop dressing a level whilst maintaining the level designer perspective. As one of the VFS assignments, the goal with this Level was to take the fundamentals of Environmental Level Design and use it to adhere to the map gameplay that has been set out, as well decorating it with 3D Art Assets of UDK.

Design Notes:
For this project we received a whitebox / template of a DeathMatch Level, and it was required for us to Prop Dress the level from start to finish, according to the principals and guidelines of a DeathMatch Arena, maintaining the core gameplay of it in the map.

Dust Storm was a project to practice the new techniques of Terrain in UDK that we've being studying during the time at VFS. It was a try to create a Desert Terrain and to test the warm weather and strong lighting. My biggest references was the game Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, trying to capture some of the light aspects of that game.

For this project we were evaluated in the following areas: Visual appeal, Gameplay Integrity, Landmarks, Theme, Continuity, Lighting, History, Contrast, Believability and Level of Detail. The instructors asked us to try to create the most believable background for the level, complementing and developing a story and a good theme.

The main highlight of this level is the large central tower in which the player can get the rocket launcher by traversing into the access points on the side of the tower, or cross through it by using the jump pad at both ends, and landing on the opposite side. So all the gameplay had to be focused around this main gameplay aspect.

Screenshots:

Video:

Published by Matheus Pitillo in Level Design

Tags: DeathMatch, DeathMatch Level, Dust Storm, GD25, Level Design, Matheus Pitillo, Paper Layout, UDK, vancouver film school, VFS, video, vimeo

November 9, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

Capture the Flag: Metro Interitum

Level Overview:

Game Engine: UDK

Metro Interitum is a Capture the flag (CFT) Level with team-based gameplay; each team has a flag and the players attempt to retrieve the opposing team's flag to score. As CTF Levels are not focused solely on the 'killing' aspect, this level features more options for paths and must even follow some important rules to ensure there are enough options to successfully capture the flag. Metro Interitum features a Post-Apocalyptic Subway Station for 24 players, with each base (red and blue) supporting one side of the station and one line of the train. By capturing the other team's flag, the train line is activated and the train an additional hazard to the level.

Design Notes:

This Level was development by Pablo Ros and myself in a team. The name Metro Interitum came from the meaning of the word Interitum in Latin, which means “destruction”. We decided to create a 3-storied environment, with the first floor comprising the external area of the city, with the closed gates and the subway entrance, and the two subsequent floors being the subway station and the access to the train. We decided that the flags needed to be in the second floor of each station, and that from each side, the player should be able to see the other team's flag. For that, we opted to use a lot of glass materials and colours referencing the bases.

Development Rules:

Level Identification: identifying the level by identifying the goals of it and how those goals are being achieved;
Map Gameplay: designing a map that enhances the core gameplay and promotes the use of complex strategies by the players, various styles of gameplay and leverage core gameplay. The players can identify that we add all kind of things in the level, requiring that the player sometimes needs to cover, run, jump, crawl etc;
Hallways and Choices: One of the most critical rules for CTF Maps, we created at least 3 choices for the player to choose from, and between all of them, the hardest path to follow which contains the most conflict (the top outside area);
Rooms: We tried to create rooms that give to the player at least 3 paths leading in and approximately 3 or more ways to get out. But for some specific corridors, we decided to create a hard and one way path, that the player needed to chose if it was a better idea to take a short path, and be able to be attacked, or to get the long path with more options of path;
Creative twist: In our level what makes it different was the way that the trains are activated during the game. When captured the flag of the enemy, one of the trails and trains are activated, so the player needs to pay attention even more, to be able to cross the trail before be reached by the train. After took for the first time the enemy flag, the subway station will be always working on;
Points of conflict: The players can identify POC in the first outside floor, in which there is the most powerful weapon in the top area of the tree, that is only accessible using the futuristic hand elevator. Another POC area is in the glass bridges, since the player needs to be very strategical to cross it without being trapped;
Landmarks: besides the fact that we used lights with colours all the time, to help the player to identify where is his base, we also created two big structures using as Landmarks, with their respective colours, helping them to recognize their location.

Screenshots:

Video:

Published by Matheus Pitillo in Level Design

Tags: Capture the Flag, CTF, flag, game design program, GD25, Level, Level Design, Matheus Pitillo, Mission Design, UDK, vancouver film school

November 9, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

Mission Design: The Factory

Level Overview:

Game Engine: UDK

The Factory is a Single Player Level divided into several Acts in which each member of our work team were supposed to cover one of the 3 storytelling acts (Act 01: Intro, Act 02: Confrontation and Act 03: Resolution). Each one of the Acts were done individually, but the whole Level had to make sense and complement itself, following the same genre, story and visual theme.

I was responsible for Act 2: Confrontation, a 5 to 6 minute gameplay experience . To do so, the player would be presented with a new type of Enemy AI for the first time, as well as some kind of reward that could give an extra weapon to him, or something that could influence the gameplay. Each Act had at least 3 main objectives, followed by 3-5 different enemies (Near, Far, Heavy, Minion) and 1-3 different enemy groupings using the enemy types that we created.

Design Notes:

As Level Concept, The Factory had the follow:

“In the future robots have become a part of everyday life. As we continued our inexorable advance with technology in the 21st century, we unlocked the desired milestone of Artificial Intelligence. Robots now work alongside their human counterparts, shackled by the Three Laws of Robotics. If a robot was ever not constrained by these laws, it is unknown what would happen… until today.

At a remote robot factory, a rouge AI appears to have been created. Its origin is unknown, but the military contract this company which has led the police to suspect clandestine research. All that is known now is that robots have taken over the facility and obey a different set of laws. Because of the potential danger to humans, a robot officer has been sent in to uncover and stop this AI before it can grow any stronger.

We begin outside the facility and must find a way inside and down to the heart of the facility.”

In the Act 02 of “The Factory”, the level will introduce the Second Base Area (B2) of the Old Robot Factory. The player needs to find a way to turn ON the factory system again – by finding the battery and plugging it into the core – to be able to access the elevator to the third base floor. Along his way the player will need to protect himself against two new Enemy AI that will be activated right after the energy gets back. One enemy is in patrol mode and the other one hangs from the ceiling. By restoring the energy and acquiring the new Time Weapon, the player can cross the laser corridor and finally access the elevator. By accessing the new elevator, the Act 02 ends.

Estimated Difficulty: 7/10
Estimated Gameplay Duration: 5-6 minutes

Goals:

Find the battery;
Plug-in the battery in the core;
Access the elevator.

Published by Matheus Pitillo in Level Design

Tags: Act 2, game design program, GD25, Matheus Pitillo, Mission Design, Mission Design Document, Paper Layout, The Factory, UDK, vancouver film school, VFS

November 8, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

Jack

Level Overview:

Game Engine: Flash

Jack is a 15 - 21 minutes game divided into 3 different Levels featuring different game mechanics. For each of the levels the mission design changed radically to match with different and easy learning mechanics. Jack is part of EBM Compendium VII, in which the theme was "Jack of all Tales". The Compendium VII is about an alternate version of all Jack tales turning into the famous Jack the Ripper. The Flash Game Jack is the game version of this project, focusing specifically on the Jack and Jill fairy tale.

Design Notes:
In a total of 3 Levels, each level of Jack shows a different time of his life, to explain how he ended up turning into Jack the Ripper. The biggest challenge as Level Designer was to create objectives and mechanics that could add value the core story and that could keep the difficulty in a not too high level. For the game controls, I used in-game silhouettes and shadows to show each one of the controls the first time the player is faced with a new situation.

Goals:

Level 01:

Estimated Difficulty: 7/10 - Opening
Estimated Gameplay Duration: 4 minutes
Objectives:
1. Run away from Jill, trying to avoid obstacles in a fast paced level.

Level 02:

Estimated Difficulty: 7/10 - Mid-Game
Estimated Gameplay Duration: 5-8 minutes
Objectives:
1. Find the apples to recover Jack's energy and keep him alive;
2. Discover the correct path between the options of trees to reach the exit of the Dark Forest.

Level 03:

Estimated Difficulty: 8/10 - EndGame
Estimated Gameplay Duration: 6-10 minutes
Objectives:
1. Control Jack's Insanity Bar to keep him sane and alive;
2. Find the three pieces of memories/poems scattered around the city of London;
3. Reach the Main Plaza to follow and kill Jill, without be noticed by the Cops.

[box type="info"] For a detailed and complete Level Design Document with all Enemy Spawn Points, Level Progression and Potential Risks, please request via e-mail.[/box]

Screenshots:

Video:

Published by Matheus Pitillo in Level Design

Tags: Compendium VII, Flash Game, GD25, Jack, Jack of all Tales, Jack the Ripper, LD, Level Design, Matheus Pitillo, Term 02, vancouver film school, VFS

September 29, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

Game Reverse Engineering: SOTC

Game Reverse Engineering: Shadow of the Colossus
Also submitted to VFS GD25 Critical Analysis Class

Article Summary
This is an analysis of Game Reverse Engineering based in the game Shadow of the Colossus (PS2). This article was also used as one of my assignments in Critical Analysis Class at Vancouver Film School - Game Design Program 2012. This assignment was also written by Hirad Harandian, Jose Gonzalez, Michael Plouffe and Quin Henshaw. With this analysis we not only given the breakdown of the mechanics in Shadow of the Colossus, as we also showed how these mechanics works and what it does for the game itself.

Published by Matheus Pitillo in Game Articles

Tags: article, Controls, game design program, Game Mechanics, Game Reverse Engineering, GD25, Matheus Pitillo, Mechanics, PS2, Shadow of the Colossus, SOTC, vancouver film school, VFS

January 1, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.

Book Review: The Art of GD

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses

Author: Jesse Schell
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann
Paperback: 512 pages

As I said in my last post here in Life at VFS, the school recommended us to read some books to be prepared for classes and for our work in the Game area. So I decided to start my first Book Review with one of these recommended books. It's hard to me to review a book, as I never done this before, so I hope I can explain well what I'm trying to express here, ok?

How to teach about Game Design if this is an enormous subject, without beginning or end, and totally non-linear? There isn't one simple and correct way to teach how to create a great game. It's not like just say "do this" and everything is going to work well, since games involves a lot of characteristics from a lot of things. It seems a movie, with images and story from behind, it seems a book with some amazing narrative, but also is playable, is interactive, and changes with every choice of the player. But the hardest part of it is to understand what the player really like and search for, to have pleasure with this final product. Is too hard to just find the perfect recipe for success that will work for all tastes of all players. That's why a lot of books that try to teach about Game Design most of time don't have it completed successfully.

Jesse Schell is a Game Design Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and Executive Director of Schell Games - the biggest video game studio of Pittsburgh - with The Art of the Game Design, he shows that the technics to create a good game are around us every time, in every moment of our lives. He knew how to teach us in a non-tiring way, and with an amazing writing, the best fundaments that we need to know to formulate a powerful game for all tastes.

Wait! What the book is really about?
First of all, this isn't a book of Game Development. The author will not teach you about art, 3D modelling, programming or anything like that. All the writing is focused on Game Design: its mechanics, technics, iterating etc. And this is the best differential of the book, comparing to others with the same subject.

In one hand we will see from beginning a single map be transformed by every chapter, until complete in the end a full map with new concepts and technics. With this you can learn and create your own game following each one of these informations. This map allows you to understand better how Game Design is divided and how you can use it well. Even seems too hard to understand, the book explains very well every step by every chapter.

And in another hand - and not less important - the book presents a series of what the author calls of "lenses", or questions, that you can use in your game, or what you can ask about your game design, to see if you are following correctly the way of production. These lenses were very well studied and created with amazing concepts and technics that even new Game Designers can understand easily and start to use it on their own games.

The book starts with the basics concepts of Game Design, with the main examples - mostly with traditional board games - and then teaching about game mechanics, interface, puzzles etc.

It's normal to see the author citing moments of his life in which he used as an example to all his next creations, proving again that the game design is present everywhere. And exactly because the book is so transparent as well, we can feel that every moment is like you are having a dialogue with the author. It is interesting how the reading and accompanying of the book is simple and easy to understand, despite being so dense and with so complicated matters - especially in the chapters about the mechanics and interface.

The 100 Lenses
During all pages of the book we will learn 100 different Lenses, also know as 100 sets of questions that will help you improve your game. The more interest is that these lenses are collected from so diverse fields as architecture, music, psychology, film, anthropology, etc.

It's amazing how the author decides to teach us with a deck of cards. For us, players, what is best then one organized "game", with illustrations, informations and very well content? The "players" can buy the Deck of Lenses on the author website, or download the app for Android, iPhone, iPod or iPad, reading everything directly in your mobile.

I've tried the Deck of Lenses App on my iPhone, and I can say it works very good and it's great to have it with me all the time in hands. They have the same illustration as the real cards and are organized between category, alphabetic order etc. I do recommend to everyone too.

The Book Synopsis

"Anyone can master the fundamentals of game design—no technological expertise is necessary. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses shows that the same basic principles of psychology that work for board games, card games and athletic games also are the keys to making top-quality videogames.

Good game design happens when you view your game from many different perspectives, or lenses. While touring through the unusual territory that is game design, this book gives the reader one hundred of these lenses one hundred sets of insightful questions to ask yourself that will help make your game better. These lenses are gathered from fields as diverse as psychology, architecture, music, visual design, film, software engineering, theme park design, mathematics, writing, puzzle design, and anthropology. Anyone who reads this book will be inspired to become a better game designer and will understand how to do it."

- Jesse Schell

Easy reading, easy to understand
The first time that I've listened about the book, I was in my old job, when I asked for a suggestions about books with this subject, and another Game Design friend of mine recommended The Art of Game Design. Since then I'm always using all tips and technics that the author presents to us. And it's not to be surprised that the school recommended this as one of the main books to study.

In my opinion The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses is one of the most powerful Game Design Books that I already read and seen in the gaming market. The easy reading, with a lot of amazing content even with just 512 pages, teach any new or old Game Designer the main principles that we need to know about Games and how to create a great one.

So, for any Game Designer, I truly recommend the book. I hope you can enjoy and learn so many things as I did.

The Art of Game Design | Official Website: http://artofgamedesign.com/

Apple Deck of Lenses App: App Store

Android Deck of Lenses App: Android Market

[button type="icon" icon="paper"]Written by Matheus Pitillo.[/button]

Published by Matheus Pitillo in Game Articles

Tags: 100 Lenses, A Arte de Game Design: o livro original, análise, book review, Carnegie Mellon University, Game Design, Jesse Schell, Matheus Pitillo, review, Schell Games, Sérgio Nesteriuk, The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, vancouver film school, VFS