The Game Maker's Companion

This book has not yet been released.
(see bottom for sources & credit)

The Game Maker’s Companion is the long-awaited sequel to The Game Maker’s Apprentice: the beginner’s guide to game development that has become a staple of the bedrooms and classrooms of hobbyist game developers all around the world. It picks up exactly where the last book left off, advancing your game development journey with a range of awe-inspiring Game Maker projects. This time the book focuses on the diverse theme of platform games: the game genre that defined the 2D era.

• Introduces a platform game extension to Game Maker that allows sophisticated platform games to be programmed quickly and easily using drag-and-drop programming
• Shows you how to recreate classic ’90s games like Zool, using resources from the original game (and interviews with the original designer)
• Uses adventure-based platform games to teach you to create compelling storylines and convincing characters that will add enormously to the appeal of your games
• Includes the new 8.0 version of Game Maker and makes full use of its latest features, and offers inside information from the creator of Game Maker itself

What You’ll Learn

• How to use the platform game extension to create simple platform games
• How to create more elaborate platform games using Zool as a practical example
• How to make a level editor that allows you to play and edit your games at the same time
• How to create the basic game mechanics for a pirate platform game
• How to use storylines to provide flow and a sense of purpose to the game
• How to design game characters that have depth and believability
• How to modify game artwork for your own games
• Bring together a number of example levels alongside the story
• How to create simple hierarchies (using the WiiWare game Outnumb3r3d as an example)
• How to build a thrilling, action-packed conclusion to your game

Who this book is for
This book is for Game Maker’s Apprentice readers, along with other game developers in general.

About the Author
Jacob Habgood worked in the UK Games Industry for seven years, writing console games for Gremlin Interactive and Infogrames/Atari. During this time he contributed to a wide range of titles and lead the programming teams on MicroMachines (PS2, X-Box and Game Cube) and Hogs of War (PlayStation). Jacob is now a doctoral student at the University of Nottingham, researching the educational potential of computer games. As part of this research, Jacob runs clubs and workshops teaching children and teenagers how to make their own computer games, providing free activities and resourcesthrough his website: www.gamelearning.net.

Where do I pre-order this book?
It can be found on Amazon. U.S. / U.K.

The book will be available April 23, 2010. The current price is $32.57 / £24.01 with free SAH.

Sources & Credit: Game Maker Blog & Amazon