Product Description
Interactivity is one of the most important anddistinguishable features of a game. Designing effective interactivity,however, can be a challenge for even the most experienced gamedeveloper. This is especially true in the design process ofmultiplayer online games, so it is critical that developers have asolid understanding of game design and interactivity. Online GameInteractivity Theory is about online game design—its concepts,techniques, and tools. It guides you through the design process formultiplayer online games, beginning with discussions of online gamehistory, the differences between single-player games and online games,and how the various categories of online games affect design. Theemphasis throughout the process is on interactivity—how to defineit, how to cope with its complexity, and how to integrate it into yourdesigns.

Online Game Interactivity Theory defines interactivity on threedifferent levels: player-to-computer, player-to-player, andplayer-to-game. By understanding the key factors of the three types ofinteractivity, you will gain insights into how a game’s level ofinteractivity can influence its potential for success, and what youcan do to improve it. Methods for applying interactivity to youronline game designs are discussed, and techniques for"designing" it into your games are provided. Details onmultiplayer game design issues are also discussed along withguidelines and suggestions for integrating these issues into yourgames. These guidelines range from community design to the uniqueimportance of a player’s avatar. The book concludes with discussionsof valuable tools and strategies that will help improve yourworkflow. Interviews with some of the most influential people in thecomputer game industry are also included, to provide insight intotheir thoughts on online games, the unique features of online gamedesign, and various interpretations of interactivity.

*****ON THE CD-ROM******
Demos and Tryout Versions of Popular Programs including:
* 3D Games Studio/A5 Trial Version 5.12
-Conitec Corporation
* Alchemy Artist Pack
-Intrinsic Graphics
*AniMeter Tuner
–LIPSinc
* Atmosphere
- Adobe Systems, Inc.
* Auran Jet 1.0
–Auran
* Avatar Lab
- Curious Labs Incorporated
* Cluster-O-Matic 1.0
- DI-O-Matic Incorporated
* Conveyor and Eterna
–Quazal
* FaceGen Modeller 2.0
- Singular Inversions, Inc.
* gmax 1.1
–Discreet Logic
* Life Forms Studio 3.9
- Credo Interactive, Inc.
.* Director 8.5, Shockwave Studio, Flash MX
- Macromedia, Inc.
* Mimic
–LIPSinc
* Morph-O-Matic 1.02
- DI-O-Matic Incorporated
* Net-Z 2.5 Beta 1–Quazal
* Photoshop 6.0
- Adobe Systems, Inc.
* Poser Pro Pack
- Curious Labs Incorporated
* Visual Intercept Enterprise
- Elsinore Technologies, Inc.
* Vue d’Esprit 4
- e-on software, inc.
* Web Driver SDK 2.2 & Multiplayer Toolkit 1.0
- WildTangent, Inc.

******SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS******
WINDOWS ONLY: Intel Pentium Processor (class III recommended), Microsoft Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows 2000, 128 MB RAM (192 MB recommended), Hard Drive / CD-ROM Drive, and a Video Display Card supporting 1024 x 768 x 16-bit color or greater. Individual demos may also have requirements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

game design theory
The book is, as the titles suggests, theory and there are no code listings... The book is about game design and you can hope to learn fundamental lessons in how to design the programming libraries, but you're not going to learn the actual source code that does the job.

It is nicely divided up to cover the major interactivity types - player-player, player-game, player-computer... It also covers the other necessary theory - tools and the development process. These are done very well.

It also covers the pure theory behind why humans play games in the "anthropology and playology" section. On face value, it's something you would actually expect in a psychology or philosophy text book... but this makes you realize that issues like that are a part of the game design process too... and the book teaches you those fundamentals...

One of the best features of this book is the inclusion of examples. In the tools section there are several recognizable illustrations of recent popular games. They are also referenced in the actual text. Doing this, the author makes his book on theory become more practical by letting the reader easily relate the text to a real-world experience.

Another great tie-in: interviews and opinions which are covered in the book's last section. After the author has had his say, in this section he invites other prominent figures - game designers, game industry insiders and game theorists - to offer their views and experiences on the subject. This opens up the floor to the theory of not just one, but many individuals.

Great insight into theoretical principles of game design!
Friedl provides extremely helpful insight for those interested in learning game design theory.Although there are many practical guides to game design, to my knowledge, no other book addresses theory.I found this to be very well written and organized with in depth coverage of material within each chapter. I highly recommend Online Game Interactivity Theory and cannot wait for more books from this author! ... Read more

Product Description
1993 VERSION. CD-ROM VIDEO GAME FOR PC COMPUTERS.Product DescriptionKing's Quest VI is truly captivating. The game follows Prince Alexander, son of the King of Daventry, as he searches for Princess Cassima, whom he fell in love with at the end of King's Quest V. An evil man, known as the Viziar, has taken over Princess Cassima's land of the Green Isles (upon the accidental' death of her parents) and wishes to marry her. Prince Alexander looked vigorously for Cassima's home, but cannot find it. One night, Prince Alexander sees a vision in the family's magic mirror, and notices the stars above Cassima's image. He takes his ship, and sets off to the Land of the Green Isles, only to be shipwrecked there. The story goes on to add doubt as to whether Cassima is truly in love with Alexander. This is something the player must find out throughout the game. This game is truly a winner. This game is recommended to anyone who is searching for a fantastic adventure. Be warned, you will be working on this one for a long time to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

marvelous game
This is one of my favorite computer games of all time. It requires thinking and all the literature that comes with it. The plights of Prince Alexander are well-documented in this adventure game that will keep you hooked. The Isle of Wonder scenes are hilarious, and the vizier's genie has rather creative ways of trying to lure Alexander to his death. There are two main endings to the game and several variations on them, so there is plenty to play for. I enjoyed this game a lot. The interactions with the other characters (such as the pawn shop owner, bookstore operator, Jollo, and the ferryman) are essential, and the literary allusions are fun. All in all, a great game for anyone.

King's Quest VI = VERY AWESOME.
This is one of my very favorite computer games from when I was a kid. The storyline is creative and interesting, and will keep you playing until you win! There are also two different endings to this game so you can play it many times without getting bored. I can't recommend this game enough, it. is. amazing. It is quite a long game, and if you buy it for your children they may need some help because some difficult puzzles are involved and they might get stuck. And as some other reviewers have said, you DO NEED the booklet that comes with the CD case, it contains the Winged Ones alphabet that you will need to use to solve some riddles. But don't fret if you've lost it, it can be found on the internet along with many walkthroughs to help you-- it's a long game and you have to go to lots of places in the right order to finish!

People who play new computer games may not be thrilled by the graphics, but remember it is from the '90s and the coolness of the game makes up for anything the graphics my lack. Buy it!

The games Genius!
I beat the game today and started it yesterday, but i must tell you, its not a short game. I spent all day playing it, its a very long game. If you like crazy adventures, this is your game! You practically need the manual to beat the game though. This game is full of hard puzzles, so if you do not like puzzle games then this games probably not for you. I really reccomend people who are into puzzle/adventure games to get this...

A way to figure things out!
This game is very simple minded. However, it also takes a lot of skill to go through the whole game and places that are needed to beat this game.Overall, a must play!

This Game Rocks But......
Be warned, King's Quest VI cannot be won with out the "Alphebet Translator" located in the "Guide to the Green Isle" booklet. If this booklet is not icluded in you purchase, you will not be able to advance very far. This was Sierra's form of purchase protection. ... Read more

Product Description
A casual game is a video game or online game targeted at or used by a mass audience of casual gamers. Casual games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre. They are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games. They require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play, and there are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer. Casual games typically are played on a personal computer online in web browsers, although they now are starting to become popular on game consoles, too. Casual gaming demographics also vary greatly from those of traditional computer games, as the typical casual gamer is olderand more predominantly female, with over 74% of those purchasing casual games being women. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is a journal article from Computers in Human Behavior, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
This study considered whether the distinction between core and peripheral criteria for behavioral addiction, previously drawn with respect to computing activities in general, applies in the specific area of Massively Multiplayer Online Game playing. Questionnaire items were administered over the Internet to 442 game players. Factor-analysis of the data supported the previous findings for computing in general. An addiction factor loaded on items tapping previously identified core criteria (conflict, withdrawal symptoms, relapse and reinstatement and behavioral salience) and a (non-pathological) engagement factor loaded on items tapping previously identified peripheral criteria (cognitive salience, tolerance and euphoria). Analysis of response frequencies supported the existence of a developmental process whereby peripheral criteria are met before core criteria. Players who might be considered addicted using a monothetic classification system involving only the core criteria were shown to spend a significantly greater amount of time playing per week than those endorsing only the peripheral criteria. It is concluded that the study supports the idea that it is inappropriate to use some of the previously used criteria for addiction when researching or diagnosing computer-related addictions. Implications of the present findings for Internet-mediated data collection methodologies are also discussed. ... Read more

Product Description
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Regnum Online is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by NGD Studios, a game development studio located in Argentina. In addition to usual character development present in other games of the genre, the game focuses on the conflict of 3 realms in which players take part, fighting against characters of opposing factions and capturing fortresses and castles aside from the usual player vs monster combats. ... Read more

Product Description
Nexon Corporation. Role-playing game, Massively multiplayer online role-playing game , 3D computer graphics, Platform game, AsiaSoft, Wizet, MapleStory, Experience point, Top- down perspective, Guild Wars (series), Mu Online ... Read more

Product Description
Commercial computer games have significantly evolvedin the recent decade. Current games feature vast andhighly detailed virtual environments with realisticphysics, complex and highly dynamic gameplay as wellas complex multi-player game modes. Therefore, thecreation of sophisticated and intelligent game agentsthat oppose or collaborate with the player has becomea considerable challenge in terms of competitiveperformance and fast adaptation, but also concerningthe believability of the shown behaviour. This bookgives a general introduction into the field ofartificial intelligence in computer games and proposes several approaches to create intelligentgame characters for a computer game. The focus ofthese approaches is to create competitive and quicklyadapting game agents that show sophisticated,human-like behaviours. The proposed methods are basedon the imitation of other players and the usage of apopulation of several agents that collaborate toaccelerate the learning process. The foundation ofthe presented work lies in the utilisation ofpowerful adaptation and learning techniques likeevolutionary algorithms, reinforcement learning andsocial learning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

fun and funnier
this a great game. I wish it was series because I loved playing it. one of my all time favorites

Josh Mandel and Al Lowe did a great job!
This game combines the best of Josh Mandel with the unusual humor of Al Lowe!

Great game!

The Best Adventure Game Ever
You might think that this is sort a departure for Al Lowe to make a western game, but it's a lot funnier than his Leisure Suit Larry games, and the puzzles are the best I've ever seen in an adventure game. ... Read more