Classic Game Design

You too can learn to design and develop classic arcade video games like "Pong", "Pacman", "Space Invaders", and "Galaxian". Collision detection, extra lives, power ups, and countless other essential design elements were invented by the mostly anonymous designers at the early pioneering companies that produced these simple games. In this book you'll go step by step, using modern, free software tools such as Unity3D to create clones of five classic games: "Pong", "Breakout", "Space Invaders", "Galaxian", and "Pacman". All the source code and art sources of the clone versions are freely available on the companion DVD or at the book's Web site. You'll discover the fun of making your own games, putting in your own 4-color graphics, adjusting the scoring, coding the AI, and playing with sound effects. You'll gain a deep understanding of the roots of modern video game design: the classics of the seventies and eighties. It features: uses five Unity3D projects to allow for quick experimentation with classic game concepts; 4-color throughout with companion DVD that includes source code, art, and clone version projects; includes historical anecdotes direct from one of the fabled Atari coin-op programmers; and, contains unique insights on applying classic game design concepts to modern games.