Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games (Premier Press Game Development) [Paperback]

Neal Hallford (Author), Jana Hallford (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761532994 | ISBN-13: 978-0761532996 | Publication Date: June 7, 2001 | Edition: 1

Never in the history of gaming have role-playing titles been more popular. PC DATA reports that leading role-playing titles, like "Diablo," have sold over one million units, and many others, like "Baldur's Gate," have sold over 500,000. Research by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, on behalf of the Interactive Digital Software Association, states that 145 million Americans regularly play video games. This book will allow this audience to decipher the arcane mysteries behind game development tools like plot trees, world bibles, design documents, and game scripts. Readers will also receive sage advice from game gurus like John Cutter (Betrayal at Kondor), Jon Van Caneghem (Might & Magic), Chris Taylor (Dungeon Siege), Sarah Stocker (Pools of Radiance), Carly Staehlin (Ultima Online), and more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Neal Hallford has been a professional game designer for more than ten years and has led several best-selling computer role-playing titles. He co-authored the story Krondor: the Betrayal which became a New York Times best-selling novel and has created stories and designs for hit computer role-playing games (RPGs) such as Planet's Edge, Betryal at Kondor, and Might & Magic III:Isles of Terra.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (June 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761532994
• ISBN-13: 978-0761532996
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most detailed game design book I've ever read, July 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games (Premier Press Game Development) (Paperback)

This book is focused on designing role playing games, but covers so much information about the game industry that it is applicable for any type of game. Whether you are interested in the subject peripherally, are in the industry, are a gamer, or a programmer, you will find this book to be an enjoyable read. It is not a technical book, but rather a marketing book, filled with humorous anecdotes from an insider's view of the game industry. The artwork was very professionally done, as were the figures. This book is just an enjoyable read overall. It includes a complete game design proposal (by one of the author's games) for an actual game that was accepted by a game publisher. The author designed games like Betrayal at Krondor, and many more, so he knows what he is talking about! Reading about what took place to bring many popular games to market was very interesting. Towards the end, there are several interviews with actual game designers (such as the designer of Ultima Online and others). This section was fascinating. The book does get into the details too, talking about assembling a development team, project life cycle, testing, and so on. Jam packed with tons of cool facts and information.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, October 3, 2003

By 

Dave Astle (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games (Premier Press Game Development) (Paperback)

This book has been out for a few years, and unfortunately, it has never really received the attention it so richly deserves. From the title, you might infer that it teaches how to design role-playing games, which it does, but what might not be immediately obvious is that the information contained in it can be applied to games from any genre.

This book discusses everything from product life cycles, to plot design, to team roles, to world building, to gameplay issues, and much more. Each topic is covered in detail, with advice and examples. The book includes in-depth interviews with people behind some of the top role-playing games (e.g. Dungeon Siege and Neverwinter Nights), as well as copies of real design documents from leading games (e.g. the world layout from Fallout and the design document from Nox).

The Halfords' writing style is colorful without being condescending. Neal's experience shows through as he is able to back up all of his advice with real-world experience on major titles.

This is quite simply one of the best game design books on the market, and an entertaining read to boot. I give it my highest recommendation.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For All Game Designers, September 11, 2002

By 

Wynne E. Mclaughlin (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games (Premier Press Game Development) (Paperback)

Neal's (& Jana's) book is not only comprehensive and up-to-date (which no small task in the game industry!) but it's also enjoyable as hell. His well documented history of the gaming industry alone is worth the price of the book, but Swords & Circuitry is also full of incredibly valuable information presented in an well thought-out manner, and with a sense of humor.

The book covers world building, game balance, effective team building, resource management, game proposals, design documents, user interfaces, game writing and much, much more. And, as a bonus, the second half of the book contains recent interviews with some of the hottest developers in the industry.

If you're a designer, or a would-be designer, do yourself a favor and pick it up. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Wynne McLaughlin
Game Designer - NCsoft