Introduction to Level Design for PC Games (Broché)

Introduction to Level Design for PC Games is one of the best ways to get started. It teaches you everything you need to know about the fundamentals of game creation, so that the assets you create will work well with your favorite game. The focus throughout the book is on creating and texturing geometry for levels, but the concepts you learn and the tools covered in gmax can easily be applied to all types of asset creation. Plus, you’ll begin to make the transition from player to creator, by learning many of the fundamental skills needed to become a marketable level designer. If you want to make game levels that many others will enjoy, you need to start with multiplayer levels, so the book covers popular multiplayer games, particularly First Per son Shooters (FPS). Working through the tutorials, you’ll create a complete level and many of its objects. You’ll find out everything you need to know to create all the elements of a level --geometry, textures, and exporting. And once you’ve mastered these skills, you can explore game industry jobs and salary ranges to see if this is your future!

SKILLS NEEDED

To get the most out of this book, you should be technically proficient with software so that you can install and configure gmax and Tempest. You should also be familiar with compression software such as WinZip, and a text editor (Wordpad or Notepad). Some 3D experience is desirable but not essential, because detailed instructions are given in the tutorials.

On The CD!
* Full version of gmax 1.2
* Trial version of Photoshop 7
* Finished versions of the tutorial files
* Completed levels for Unreal Tournament 2003 and Quake III Arena
* Textures referred to in the tutorials
* Color figures by chapter
* Additional configuration information
* Guide to Internet game level creation sites

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Windows® 2000/XP, Intel®, or AMD processor at 300 MHz, 128MB RAM and 300MB swap space, Graphics card supporting 1024 x 768 x 16-bit color (OpenGL and Direct3D hardware acceleration supported), Windows-compliant pointing device, CD-ROM drive, Internet Explorer 5.0 (IE 5.5 recommended and available for download), Macromedia Flash Player (included with the gmax installer). gmax and Tempest correctly installed, and Photoshop 7 (trial version included) and Photoshop Targa Plug-in (available for download). To run the level produced in Chapter 10, Quake III Arena must be installed on your computer. To run the games mentioned in the tutorials, you need a full copy of the game.