Game Guru: Strategy Games (Paperback)

by Dave Morris (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"Game Guru: Strategy Games" cover the origins of strategy games--both turn-based (Civilization, X-Com, etc.) and realtime (Ancient Art of War, Dune 2, and beyond). You'll cover not only the play intent of a strategy game—the balance between the core gameplay factors in this genre such as empire-building, resource management, defense, and offense but you'll also analyze these factors in detail. With hundreds of examples and in-depth interviews with the experts, this book reveals the secrets of what makes great games compelling and successful. Whether you are a professional or a hobbyist, you'll enjoy the comprehensive coverage and the clear analysis of play balance, character and level design, learning curves, risk versus reward, puzzles, scale and scope, catch-up effects, symmetry, and many other aspects of game theory. Enrich your gaming experience with "Game Guru: Strategy Games".

Covers the practicalities of how to design, plan, and build a game.

Gives readers fascinating insights of the world of today's leading game creators.

Readers can enjoy games in a new light by understanding the core underlying principles.

Includes hundreds of examples and in-depth interviews with industry experts.

About the Author
Dave Morris is a prolific author of fantasy gaming books and the creator of the acclaimed realtime strategy PC game, Warrior Kings. He has worked in both the videogame and TV industry. He holds a M.A. in Physics from Oxford University and has worked as a best-selling author and game designer for 15 years. He is the co-author of both Game Guru: Role-Playing Games (1592002544) and Game Guru: Strategy Games (1592002536).

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (October 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592002536
• ISBN-13: 978-1592002535
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,607,822 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, March 2, 2006

By	gerryg (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

I'm still reading it but skimmed the whole thing. Lots of color, lots of screenshots of varying sizes, some diagrams. Wish there was more description of what's happening in the screenshots. The text is good but maybe a little short, and the screenshots don't actually get referred to in the text - they're just kinda there and are sometimes applicable but a lot of times you wonder why it's there. But overall it's a nice book and covers the strategy topic well, if not in excruciating detail. Worth the price, for me.