54 of the most important and high-impact ideas in modern game design, presented in easy to understand summary cards and explained in full detail on the facing page. This is a practical book aimed at helping you to understand and implement F2P systems that will make your game profitable, successful and, most of all, fun. Perfect for those embarking on their first F2P project and experienced developers seeking to refine their techniques alike, The F2P Toolbox draws on years of experience of F2P games and businesses to give you no-nonsense advice and guidelines that will improve your business and delight your players.

Game design is changing. The emergence of service games on PC, mobile and console has created new expectations amongst consumers and requires new techniques from game makers. In The Pyramid of Game Design, Nicholas Lovell identifies and explains the frameworks and techniques you need to deliver fun, profitable games. Using examples of games ranging from modern free-to-play titles to the earliest arcade games, via PC strategy and traditional boxed titles, Lovell shows how game development has evolved, and provides game makers with the tools to evolve with it. Harness the Base, Retention and Superfan Layers to create a powerful Core Loop. Design the player Session to keep players playing while being respectful of their time. Accept that there are few fixed rules: just trade-offs with consequences. Adopt Agile and Lean techniques to "learn what you need you learn" quickly Use analytics, paired with design skills and player feedback, to improve the fun, engagement and profitability of your games. Adapt your marketing techniques to the reality of the service game era Consider the ethics of game design in a rapidly changing world. Lovell shows how service games require all the skills of product game development, and more. He provides a toolset for game makers of all varieties to create fun, profitable games. Filled with practical advice, memorable anecdotes and a wealth of game knowledge, the Pyramid of Game Design is a must-read for all game developers.

“ Will’s knowledge of F2P comes from years of building games, as well as writing about and consulting with developers on the model. All the topics covered in this book—economics, gameplay, monetization, analytics and marketing—are important to consider when you’re building an F2P game, and Will covers each with an easy-to-digest style.” —Ian Marsh, co-founder, NimbleBit Free-to-Play: Making Money From Games You Give Away is an accessible and complete guide to the business model that has revolutionized the videogames industry, creating huge hits, multi-billion-dollar startups and a new deal for players: Play for free, spend on what you like. Written by respected game designer and consultant Will Luton, Free-to-Play gives you the in-the-trenches insight you need to build, run and make money from games you give away. In it you’ll find: Psychology behind player decisions and the motivations to play Simple and accessible explanations of the math and economic theories behind F2P, including working examples Processes for capturing and using player data to improve your game Marketing tips on positioning your game and attracting players Plus: A downloadable F2P spreadsheet, articles from the author, a foreword by NimbleBit co-founder Ian Marsh and an interview with Zynga CEO, Mark Pincus.

'The curve' means accepting that millions of people now expect your product for free - because a small number of high spenders are enough to build a profitable business. In games, free is the norm, but some fans now spend thousands of dollars while playing a single title. That means the focus is no longer how many units you can sell. It is how you can satisfy those users who are happy to pay for things they value. 'The curve' shows you how to forge relationships with your biggest fans and sustain long-term success.

Despite its significant growth over the past five years, the mobile and social videogame industry is still maturing at a rapid rate. Due to various storage and visual and sound asset restrictions, mobile and social gaming must have innovative storytelling techniques. Narrative Tactics grants readers practical advice for improving narrative design and game writing for mobile and social games, and helps them rise to the challenge of mobile game storytelling. The first half of the book covers general storytelling techniques, including worldbuilding, character design, dialogue, and quests. In the second half, leading experts in the field explore various genres and types of mobile and social games, including educational games, licensed IP, games for specific demographics, branding games, and free to play (F2P). Key Features The only book dedicated to narrative design and game writing in social and mobile games, an explosive market overtaking the console gaming market. Provides tips for narrative design and writing tailored specifically for mobile and social game markets. Guides readers along with conclusions that include questions to help the reader in narrative design and/or writing. Explores real games to illustrate theory and best practices with analyses of game case studies per chapter, covering indie, social/mobile, and AAA games. Includes checklists to help readers critique their own narrative design/writing.

An elementary first course for students in mathematics and engineering Practical in approach: examples of code are provided for students to debug, and tasks – with full solutions – are provided at the end of each chapter Includes a glossary of useful terms, with each term supported by an example of the syntaxes commonly encountered

The Unity Engine Tutorial for Any Game Creator ¿ Unity is now the world’s #1 game engine, thanks to its affordability, continuous improvements, and amazing global community. With Unity, you can design, code, and author your game once, and then deploy it to multiple platforms, reaching huge audiences and earning maximum returns. Learning 2D Game Development with Unity® will help you master Unity and build powerful skills for success in today’s game industry. It also includes a bonus rundown of the new GUI tools introduced in Unity’s version 4.6 beta. ¿ With this indispensable guide, you’ll gain a solid, practical understanding of the Unity engine as you build a complete, 2D platform-style game, hands-on. The step-by-step project will get you started fast, whether you’re moving to Unity from other engines or are new to game development. ¿ This tutorial covers the entire development process, from initial concept, plans, and designs to the final steps of building and deploying your game. It illuminates Unity’s newly integrated 2D toolset, covering sprites, 2D physics, game scripts, audio, and animations. Throughout, it focuses on the simplest and lowest-cost approaches to game development, relying on free software and assets. Everything you’ll need is provided. ¿ Register your book at informit.com/title/9780321957726 to access assets, code listings, and video tutorials on the companion website. ¿ Learn How To Set up your Unity development environment and navigate its tools Create and import assets and packages you can add to your game Set up game sprites and create atlas sheets using the new Unity 2D tools Animate sprites using keyframes, animation controllers, and scripting Build a 2D game world from beginning to end Establish player control Construct movements that “feel right” Set up player physics and colliders Create and apply classic gameplay systems Implement hazards and tune difficulty Apply audio and particle effects to the game Create intuitive game menus and interface elements Debug code and provide smooth error handling Organize game resources and optimize game performance Publish your game to the web for others to see and play ¿