Game Design and the Last 10%

KEY TOPICS

• The Last 10%
• Elements of Game Design
• Creating a Map Editor
• Debugging
• Protecting Code
• Game Deployment
• Game Deployment with Java Web Start
• Game Deployment with Native Compilation
• Updates and Patches
• Bandwidth Issues
• Getting Feedback and Beta Testing
• Making Money
• Putting It All Together
• Summary

"I've made my game, now what?" Okay, so you've made a game. It's fun and challenging, and has fantastic graphics and sound. But what happens next? What you do next with your game depends on what you want to accomplish. You might want to share it with a few friends or use it as a demo to help get yourself a job. Or, you might want to release it on DVD or over to the web and try to make money off of it. If you decide to release it, you're going to want to refine the game as much as possible. The refining might be the last 10% of the game, but be warned: Sometimes it takes 50% of development time to finish the last 10% of the game. This chapter discusses what to add to your game to polish it up a bit. This chapter also includes some implementations of techniques such as creating a game state machine and distributing your game using Java Web Start.