Game mechanics are the rules, processes, and data at the heart of a game. They define how play progresses, what happens when, and what conditions determine victory or defeat. Now two leading authorities in game design–Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans–are here to teach game designers and students alike the essentials of game mechanics.<br><br>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. <br><br>In Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design, you'll learn how to:<br><br>* Design and balance game mechanics to create emergent gameplay before you write a single line of code.<br>* Visualize the internal economy so that you can immediately see what goes on in a complex game.<br>* Use novel prototyping techniques that let you simulate games and collect vast quantities of gameplay data on the first day of development.<br>* Apply design patterns for game mechanics–from a library in this book–to improve your game designs.<br>* Explore the delicate balance between game mechanics and level design to create compelling, long-lasting game experiences.<br>* Replace fixed, scripted events in your game with dynamic progression systems to give your players a new experience every time they play.<br><br>"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."<br>--Richard Bartle, University of Essex, co-author of the first MMORPG<br><br><br>