Dan here, just wanted to let you know that the book "Creating 3DGamestudio Games That Succeed" is now in progress. I will update this topic to say how far along with the book I am. So far everything up to and the table of contents is complete. I have begun the introduction. Here is the basic table of contents :

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INTRODUCTION

PART 1

-CHAPTER 1
OVERALL HOW A GAME IS CREATED
WHO MAKES THE GAME?
WHAT SKILLS ARE NEEDED?
WHAT HARDWARE IS NEEDED?
IS GAME DESIGNING RIGHT FOR YOU?

-CHAPTER 2
CREATING IDEAS
DOCUMENTING IDEAS
DESIGN DOCUMENT

-CHAPTER 3
ASSEMBLING A TEAM ONLINE
MANAGING THE TEAM ONLINE
RECEIVING WORK FROM THE TEAM ONLINE
COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR TEAM

-CHAPTER 4
ESTABLISHING A COMPANY
ESTABLISHING A WEB PRESENCE

PART 2

-CHAPTER 5
INTRODUCTION TO THE 3DGAMESTUDIO SOFTWARE
INTRODUCTION TO MED
INTRODUCTION TO WED

-CHAPTER 6
MAKING YOUR FIRST MODEL
MAKING YOUR FIRST SKIN
ANIMATING YOUR MODEL

-CHAPTER 7
MAKING YOUR FIRST LEVEL
TEXTURING YOUR LEVEL
LIGHTING YOUR LEVEL

-CHAPTER 8
ADDING A GUN
ADDING ENEMIES
ADDING SPRITES

-CHAPTER 9
CREATING TERRAIN
CREATING A SKY
CREATING A POND
CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT
EXTERIOR DETAILS

-CHAPTER 10
MORE ADVANCED LEVEL DESIGN
MORE ADVANCED TEXTURING
MORE ADVANCED LIGHTING

-CHAPTER 11
CREATING A VEHICLE MODEL MESH
SKINNING YOUR VEHICLE MODEL
MAKING YOUR VEHICLE GO
DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE

-CHAPTER 12
ADDING PHYSICS TO YOUR GAMES
ADDING PHYSICS TO OBJECTS
ADDING PHYSICS TO VEHICLES
ADDING PHYSICS TO CHARACTERS


-CHAPTER 13
INTRODUCTION TO SED
INTRODUCTION TO WDL SCRIPTING
SCRIPTING SOME EXTRAS FOR YOUR LEVEL

-CHAPTER 14
USING MED TO CREATE A SMALL HUT
USING WED TO POSITION THE HUT IN THE LEVEL
USING SED TO SCRIPT SMOKE FROM CHIMNEY

-CHAPTER 15
CREATING A LARGE INDOOR LEVEL
INDOOR LIGHTING
INTERIOR DETAILS

-CHAPTER 16
CREATING THE HUD
CREATING MENUS

-CHAPTER 17
FINISHING OFF THE GAME
MAKING AN INSTALLER

PART 3

-CHAPTER 18
TESTING THE GAME OUT
POSTING DEMOS ON WEBSITES

-CHAPTER 19
SEARCHING FOR PUBLISHERS
CONTACTING A PUBLISHER

-CHAPTER 20
SETTING UP YOUR ONLINE STORE
SELLING GAMES, PLUGINS, AND SOFTWARE ONLINE

PART 4

-CHAPTER 21
SETTING UP A 3DGAMESTUDIO TEAM
MANAGING THE TEAM

-CHAPTER 22
LEVEL DESIGNING TIPS INTERIOR
LEVEL DESIGNING TIPS EXTERIOR

-CHAPTER 23
MODELLING TIPS WEAPONS
MODELLING TIPS VEHICLES


APPENDIX A – SAMPLE DESIGN DOCUMENT

APPENDIX B – 3DGAMESTUDIO RESOURCES

ABOUT THE CD

INDEX

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The book would also come with a CD with tutorials, resources, example levels, plus the A6 Trial Version. It would also have a bunch of stuff not available for free anywhere else.

So I will continue to update this saying how far along the book is, then when it's done, if we're getting a publisher or not. If we don't get a publisher, then I can sell the book on CafePress, and you can have an option to buy the CD for an extra 5-10 bucks or so.

The book would be for noobs or for more advanced users of 3DGamestudio, it would be a good book for every 3DGS user to have layin around the house somewhere if you need it for reference, better than any online 3DGS manual.

Let me know who's interested

Sounds ambitious...how much time you giving yourself?

Hey, that's good! When you're done, can you make it available as E-Book format? The reason is I'm visually impaired and if I read a boook, my eye will get very close to the book and I will have to squint my eyes to be able to see it. I do have Adobe Reader and Microsoft Reader but I may be thinking that Adobe Reader is one of the most commanly used program used for reading E-Books.

So if you can make it available in E-Book format, then that would be great as I don't have to worry about moving my back forward to read the book that is in a table or desk.

Thanks.

I am actually writing the book and everytime i'm done for the night, i save it as .pdf format, so yes i will have an e-book version available. I have tons of projects right now.. school work (reading books and writing essays), working on a game called Rage Kage Online with some people, working on my game, Battlefields of Stalingrad with my team, making models and levels a lot now.. now i have this book.

by the way:

Introduction is now complete!

p.s. someone asked me this question:

Q: is german version going to be available?
A: hopefully! if i can't translate it all my self, then i can even get my german teacher to do it perhaps hehe..


-dan

Man sounds like it will be an awesome book Dan! This is exactly what 3dgs needs, a really complete and informitive book. Good luck with it!

CHAPTER 1 COMPLETE

On Page 20 out of 400 goal! Only 380 pages to go

Sounds really cool. I hope you finish it!

Creating 3DGamestudio Games That Succeed, that sounds really good.... a lot of us can really use a book like this!

Only one question that crossed my mind, do you have any succesfull games which we can have a look at, to back up the claims made in the book. I mean I'd love to see some of your games created with 3DGS so I can see what the standard the book has and if it is a book for me to look forward too or not. Don't view this as some critisism though, but with such a title you at least must have some good proof for it.

Heya Red,

I think this would be an awesome addition to 3DGS as well as a profitable, provided you can pull it off. It is in this regards that I, playing my eternal role of devils advocate, would have to ponder:

1) You never said how long you were giving yourself for this. One month? Two months? YOu stated " I have tons of projects right now.. school work (reading books and writing essays), working on a game called Rage Kage Online with some people, working on my game, Battlefields of Stalingrad with my team, making models and levels a lot now". With all your other projects, it seems like you have ALOT to do already.

2) Your title implies that this is based off a game that your book contains all the elemenst to make a successful 3DGS game. By implication, this would mean that you have made a succesful game which covers all fo the below (web presense, publisher, etc) Which game is that? What are it's successes and how much of your book is based on that game? A little bit of personal background would go along way to putting some weight behind your words.

2) YOur table of contents leaves me questioning:
- why is SED in chapter 13, after levels, sprites,sking, enemies and physics ??!! This doesnt' sound right at all. How can you introduce enemies before scripting...??
-as per an earlier post, chapters 3, 4, 18, 19, 20 are really contingent on your past success and credentials; what RL meat is there to these chapters?
-you've set up four parts, but no labeling nor designation to what these parts represent as part of the larger narrative
- The topics seem to lack focus: how is chapter 21 diffrent from chapter 4? both deal with team development. How can you do the last two sections of chapter 11 (making car go and driving car) without the subsequesnt physics and Hud chapters? You state "The book would be for noobs or for more advanced users of 3DGamestudio"...There is no way that you can write such a text in under 1000 pages. To cover the Noob needs and Advanced needs would require SOOO much more than you have listed here. Every book I have ever read has focused on one or the other. I have never read any book that could tackle both needs within one tretise.


Ok let me take off my devils advocate suit....phew...it was getting too hot!!!
Red, I think your intention is noble if a bit unfocuses. I get the impression you don't have a firm idea of the nature of this enterprise. Mind you this is an impression purely born of your statements and your provided TOC, so if I'm off the mark with any of my comments, then I apologize. However, if what I say above rings true, you should take some time to beter summarize to yourself exactly what your are tring to accomplish. Just by stating that you are aiming at boths noobs and advanced users alike tells me this isn't a well thought out book and that you may be biting more than you can (or want) to chew.
Again, if I'm way off the mark, I'm sorry. But if I'm not, then think of why I'm not off the mark.

Hí,

it is a great project and I can't wait to get this book
But I have to say, that your book is out of balance - why?

The book has 23 Chapters but only one chapter is dedicated to scripting!
Ok, Game Physic is a scripting part, too - but why would you introduce physics before scripting?

Most of the gameplay is in the code, if you stick to the templates - you will not be
able to earn a lot of money with that game.

Maybe you need to change the order in your table of contents.

-- slacer