This in-depth resource teaches you to craft mechanics that generate challenging, enjoyable, and well-balanced gameplay. You'll discover at what stages to prototype, test, and implement mechanics in games and learn how to visualize and simulate game mechanics in order to design better games. Along the way, you'll practice what you've learned with hands-on lessons. A free downloadable simulation tool developed by Joris Dormans is also available in order to follow along with exercises in the book in an easy-to-use graphical environment. In Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design, you'll learn how to: * Design and balance game mechanics to create emergent gameplay before you write a single line of code. * Visualize the internal economy so that you can immediately see what goes on in a complex game. * Use novel prototyping techniques that let you simulate games and collect vast quantities of gameplay data on the first day of development. * Apply design patterns for game mechanics-from a library in this book-to improve your game designs. * Explore the delicate balance between game mechanics and level design to create compelling, long-lasting game experiences. * Replace fixed, scripted events in your game with dynamic progression systems to give your players a new experience every time they play. "I've been waiting for a book like this for ten years: packed with game design goodness that tackles the science without undermining the art." --Richard Bartle, University of Essex, co-author of the first MMORPG "Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design by Joris Dormans & Ernest Adams formalizes game grammar quite well. Not sure I need to write a next book now!" -- Raph Koster, author of A Theory of Fun for Game Design.

Ernest W. Adams是一名美国游戏设计顾问，现定居于英国。除顾问工作外，他还开办游戏设计研讨班，并在各种会议和大学中发表演讲，广受欢迎。Adams先生从1989年起就在互动娱乐行业中工作，并在1994年成立了国际游戏开发者协会（International Game Developers’ Association）。他最近一次任职是在牛蛙公司（Bullfrog Productions）担任主设计师。在那之前的若干年中，他在美国艺电（Electronic Arts）担任《Madden NFL》系列橄榄球游戏的音效和视觉制作人。在早期职业生涯中，他曾担任软件工程师，开发过网络游戏、电脑游戏和游戏机平台的游戏，涉及平台从IBM360大型机到当今的游戏设备。Adams还是其他四本书的作者，包括与本书联系紧密的著作《Fundamentals of Game Design》。他还为Gamasutra网站上面向游戏开发者的网络杂志撰写“Designer’s Notebook”系列专栏。他的专业网站是www.designersnotebook.com。

Joris Dormans博士是一名荷兰讲师、研究员和游戏可玩性工程师，现居住于荷兰阿姆斯特丹。他从2005年起就在游戏行业和高等教育行业中工作。过去四年中，他一直致力于研究可用于游戏机制设计的规范化工具和方法。他的另一个研究领域是如何通过标准化的设计方法来有序地构建出游戏。Dormans博士在许多学术和行业会议中发表论文并主办研讨班。作为一名自由的独立游戏设计师，他已经发表了多个电子游戏和桌上游戏作品，包括故事驱动型冒险游戏、物理平台游戏以及一个政治讽刺题材的卡牌游戏。他还参加了迄今为止的每一届Global Game Jam活动。他的专业网站是www.jorisdormans.nl。