General Game Design: Strategy Games
- Sid Meier, Firaxis
- Bill Roper, Blizzard North
- Brian Reynolds, Big Huge Games
- Bruce C. Shelley, Ensemble Studios
- Peter Molyneux, Lionhead Studios
- Alex Garden, Relic Entertainment
- Louis Castle, Electronic Arts/Westwood Studios
- Chris Sawyer, Freelance
- Rick Goodman, Stainless Steel Studios
- Phil Steinmeyer, PopTop Software
- Ed Del Castillo, Liquid Entertainment
The Experts
Sid Meier, Firaxis
Bill Roper, Blizzard North
Brian Reynolds, Big Huge Games
Bruce C. Shelley, Ensemble Studios
Peter Molyneux, Lionhead Studios
Alex Garden, Relic Entertainment
Louis Castle, Electronic Arts/Westwood Studios
Chris Sawyer, Freelance
Rick Goodman, Stainless Steel Studios
Phil Steinmeyer, PopTop Software
Ed Del Castillo, Liquid Entertainment
Sid Meier, Firaxis
There's a very good reason why Sid Meier is one of the most accomplished and respected game designers in the business. He pioneered the industry with a number of unprecedented instant classics, such as the very first combat flight simulator, F-15 Strike Eagle; then Pirates, Railroad Tycoon, and of course, a game often voted the number one game of all time, Civilization. Meier has contributed to a number of chapters in this book, but here he offers a few words on game inspiration.
"Find something you as a designer are excited about," begins Meier. "If not, it will likely show through your work." Meier also reminds designers that this is a project that they'll be working on for about two years, and designers have to ask themselves whether this is something they want to work on every day for that length of time. From a practical point of view, Meier says, "You probably don't want to get into a genre that's overly exhausted."
To Meier, it all boils back down to passion:
Be sure to read Meier's advice on programming, artificial intelligence, proper game testing, breaking into the industry, and more in later chapters.