book background cg progress course - how to draw parts and scenes for games

What is the background of a game?

The background is what sets the stage for the player, and knowing how to create great-looking backgrounds will improve your value as a designer. We will take a look at basic game design concepts, and then design two tileable game backgrounds using Adobe Illustrator.

How do you write a game progress report?

Think of this as a regular progress report. You can even add some milestones for you and the team to complete to get an idea or roadmap of the project better. For example, a milestone can be completing the outline of a dungeon or developing a boss character. A particularly useful milestone is actual game completion and launch date!

What is the Ultimate Guide to video game writing and design?

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design is a must-have for any aspiring game designers who also see themselves deeply involved in the storytelling side of development. Readers will learn the advanced techniques and knowledge needed for integrating a story into any game to craft a captivating, emotional experience.

What are the topics covered in the game development book?

Topics covered by the book include writing the story, game script, game bible, design document, and technical content for your game. The authors are Flint Dille and John Zurr, two experienced game developers who also added samples of their own work for readers to learn from.

Designing from story to screen

In this courses students will cover: composition, prop design, designing a focal point and building layouts around it, style exploration, layout construction, and design principles. By the end of the course students will have a strong grasp of the job of a Layout Artist/Background Designer.

The more you know, the better

Designing a Main Focal point | BMS and BvS (how to populate Layouts fast) | Build a Layout around a Focal point.

Prepare to meet your master

Jon Hoekstra is a Matte Painter, Concept Artist, and Visual Development Artist who has worked for companies such as Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, eclipse, and Walt Disney Imagineering. He has previously taught at Art Center College of Design, from which he received his BA in Illustration - Entertainment Arts in 2013.

What You'll Learn

Tuts+ instructor Gary Simon will take you through the basics of environment design and tiling backgrounds, as well as exploring the differences between vector and non-vector approaches.

Watch the Introduction

You can take our new course straight away with a subscription to Envato Elements. For a single low monthly fee, you get access not only to this course, but also to our growing library of over 1,000 video courses and industry-leading eBooks on Envato Tuts+.

What is the book you can expect to be assigned while studying in a college game design program?

If there’s one book you can expect to be assigned while studying in a college game design program, it’s Rules of Play.

Who wrote the challenge for game designers?

Challenges for Game Designers was written by Brenda Brathwaite, an award-winning game developer with more than 30 years of industry experience, and Ian Schreiber, a game design professor at Ohio University who has also helped program and design several published game titles.

What is a game feel?

A unique entry on this list, Game Feel attempts to give readers a look at how game designers create “feel”, the meta-sensation of a player’s involvement with a game.

What is GameDesigning.org?

GameDesigning.org is reader support. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More.

What is a theory of fun for game design?

The complete opposite of our previous entry in terms of size, A Theory of Fun for Game Design is a small but effective game design book that challenges readers to figure out why games appeal to human beings.

What do readers learn in a game?

Readers will learn the advanced techniques and knowledge needed for integrating a story into any game to craft a captivating, emotional experience.

What is the art of game design?

The Art of Game Design is a unique book in that it emphasizes studying game design from several different perspectives. Calling these perspectives ‘lenses’, the author covers basic game design principles that are useful for games of all genres and platforms.

Why do you make a game design document?

Because no one wants to read a boring manual. If you make the game design document a reflection of the fun behind the game and personality of your team, your team will be more willing to reference it. No one wants to open a document that’s going to suck the fun out of them.

What is the role of concept art in a game?

Words aren’t always the best way to do this, so don’t be afraid to supplement your explanations with visual material. Concept art, for example, plays a vital role in the game design document. Storyboard art can help describe scenes or the feeling of the game.

What did Dustin do after college?

Initially focused on web dev, Dustin was introduced to game design by a friend after college and was immediately attracted to the combination of technical skill and creativity required to make an awesome game.

Do you need to describe your game design document at once?

Now, just because your game design document should be thorough doesn’t mean you need to have it all described at once. This document is your map, but it’s a map that can grow and change with your game (like the Minecraft map).

Is a game design document an industry standard?

Game design documents have been an industry standard for a long time. More recently, arguments against the game design document have begun to surface.

Is it harder to put together a puzzle?

A puzzle is a lot harder to put together when you have six puzzles’ worth of pieces and no picture to look at for reference. When it’s done right, a game design document gives you both a picture for reference and only the relevant puzzle pieces.

Is encouraging new ideas worthwhile?

Encouraging new ideas is a worthwhile endeavor throughout the entirety of your game design process. You don’t really know what’s going to work well before you try it.

Who hosts character design challenges?

YouTuber Istebrak hosts character design challenges on her YouTube account. She’ll give you parameters, and you need to design a character that fits within them. Then you can submit the characters you want to be critiqued.

What is a text based game?

Text-based games are a great way to practice your storytelling. Twine is an open-source game design tool for text-based games. It’s an excellent tool for practicing weaving story threads and keeping the narrative intact as players make different choices in your game.

How long is the Unreal Engine training video?

Once you know your way around the Unreal Engine, you can hop over to this landscape training video. It’s close to two hours of design walkthrough and advice from Andrew Hurley, an Engine Support Technician. This video is also hosted by the official Unreal Engine YouTube Channel.

How many video tutorials are there in Storytelling?

50 Video Tutorials in Storytelling, Character, Level, and Game Design. Bonus: Learn the Tips & Tricks on How to Level-Up Your Skills.

How long does a designer spend on submissions?

She spends about an hour going over the submissions, talking about how well you matched the provided brief, and critiquing you on your design. Submitting would be most beneficial, but simply watching to see what other artists create and how she critiques them would be helpful too.

Who is the senior designer of Unreal Engine?

This video from the official Unreal Engine YouTube channel provides an intro to level design using UE. Jim Brown, the senior designer, shows you tips and tricks using the then-new UE4 toolset.

Who is the creator of Darkest Dungeon?

Looking to make an RPG of your own? A bit nervous about getting started? This video features RPG game design tips from Tyler Sigman, the creator of Darkest Dungeon. (Let us know when you finish, we want to play!)