Overview

Golden Tee LIVE isn’t your average coin-op video game. Its golf courses span the world and are open for live competition 24/7. Ever-new courses feature seasonal shifts and weather variations to keep the game fresh every time you play it.The game even offers interactive video commentary and in-game help from the pros! Deconstructing Golden Tee LIVE takes you into the trenches with the Golden Tee LIVE developers. It’s part behind-the-scenes tour and part developer’s-eye-view of the game’s creation. Starting from its genesis on a single sheet of paper, watch LIVE come to life, including: Sculpting virtual golf courses more challenging than the real thing Landscaping courses with incredible 3D objects without overtaxing the hardware Making a virtual golfer swing like a pro using motion capture technology Empowering players to personalize their golfers with special attire Building a global, wireless, always-on and secure tournament system Implementing a savvy business model to maximize revenue Learning from the pros–tips, tricks, and techniques from the game design masters Whether you’re a fan of the game, a game developer, or a curious entrepreneur who’s looking for an intriguing success story, you’ll find the inside information and insights you’re looking for in Deconstructing Golden Tee LIVE.

Full Product Details

Author:   Incredible Technologies ,  Joe E. Kraynak
Publisher:   Pearson Education (US)
Imprint:   Que Corporation,U.S.
Dimensions:   Width: 23.10cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 17.90cm
Weight:   0.540kg
ISBN:  

9780789733535

ISBN 10:   0789733536
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   10 November 2005
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION. 1. UNVEILING GOLDEN TEE GOLF.     Getting Into the Game     Discovering Golden Tee LIVE     Dipping Into Golden Tee's History       Witnessing the Birth of Incredible Technologies       Golden Tee Golf Tees Off       Hitting the Hard Times: The Trilogy of Death       Returning to the Street Market       Heating Up the Competition       Overcoming the Resistance to Change       Taking a Leap of Faith     Meeting the People Behind Golden Tee's Success       The Visionaries       Development's Cast and Crew       The Celebrities and Other Outside Talent       The Players       The Distributors, Operators, and Location Owners       The Marketers and the Media       All-Important Customer Support     Getting Down to Business with Golden Tee Golf     The Game's the Thing 2. EXPLORING THE GOLDEN TEE MYSTIQUE.     Taking Turns     Getting Into the Swing of Golden Tee       Adding a New Spin to the Game       Manipulating Camera Angles and Fly-Bys     Getting Immersed in the Game       Keeping the Game Simple, Yet Challenging       The Visual Draw       The Audio Attraction       The Tactile Feel     Stroking Players: The Reward System       Crowning Players with Fame and Glory       Paying Out Cash and Prizes       Delivering Subtle Strokes Inside the Game       Reaping Rewards Outside the Game     Cultivating a Player Community     Making It Look Easy 3. THE GRAND VISION FOR GOLDEN TEE LIVE.     Designing for the Needs of the Coin-Op Market     Going Online All the Time in Real Time     Restructuring the Tournament System     Introducing Player Customizations and Other Options     Offering a Helping Hand     Animating the Golfer with Motion Capture Technology     Making the Game a Little More Interesting with Hole-N-Win     Selling the Idea Back Home 4. BUILDING AND IMPLEMENTING A VIABLE BUSINESS MODEL.     Following the Cash Flow     Keeping Players Keyed in to Golden Tee     Teaming Up with the Operators       Taking Care of the Guy on the Street       Educating the Guy on the Street     Catering to the Location Owners     Collecting the Cash and Other Forms of Payment       Paying with Plastic       Managing Player Accounts     Delivering the Biggest Bang for the Buck       Cutting Costs with Standard PC Components       Optimizing Human Resources       Reining in Development       Increasing the Life of LIVE     Dealing with the Competition 5. GEARING UP FOR GOLDEN TEE LIVE.     Redesigning the Cabinet     Getting the Hardware Platform Up and Running     Implementing the Linux Operating System     Assessing Connectivity and Security Options     Retooling the Graphics Engine       Casting Shadows       Reflecting Images Off the Water       Filtering Light Through the Trees       Generating Particle Systems     Retooling the Sound Engine     Porting Over the Previous Code     Making the Tools That Make the Game     Gathering Media and Other Assets     Piquing Interest in the Game     Staying Focused 6. OVERHAULING THE CABINET.     Dreaming Sleek and Chic     Giving the Traditional Cabinet a More Chiseled Look     Designing for Player Safety and Comfort     Designing for Operator Convenience and Mobility     Adding Curb Appeal with Dual Monitors     Building a Robust Cabinet for the Street Market     Revamping the Control Panel       Retooling the Trackball       Adding a Couple Helpful Buttons       Redesigning and Redesigning the Overlay     Putting It All Together 7. RECONSTRUCTING THE HARDWARE PLATFORM.     Touring the Hardware That Powers Golden Tee LIVE     Going Modular with Standard PC Components     Adding Muscle and Longevity with a PCI Express Video Card     Selecting and Programming the Hard Drive     Cranking Up the Volume     Keeping Cool When the Game Heats Up     Interfacing with the Player Through the I/O Board     Staying Connected with a Wireless Modem     Upgrading the Card Reader     Giving the Cabinet a Unique ID     Going the Linux Route 8. DESIGNING AND BUILDING GOLDEN TEE GOLF COURSES.     The Philosophy That Drives the Course Design       Focusing on the Approach Shot       Making the Second Shot as Interesting as the First       Forcing Players to Make Tough Decisions       Keeping Courses Fresh       Appealing to New Players     Feeding the Idea Mill     Scripting an 18-Hole Drama     Sketching a Preliminary Design by Hand     Top-Down Hole Design in Photoshop     Meshing the Hole in 3ds Max     Molding Hills, Valleys, and Other Terrain     Adding Tees and Pins     Getting the Hole in the Game     Handing Off the Hole to the Artists     Unveiling Kangaroo Trail, Hole 5 9. ENHANCING THE GAME WITH COOL GRAPHICS.     Crafting the Scenery for the Courses       Building a Reference Library       Modeling Objects for the Game       Applying Texture Maps       Applying Material to Objects to Control Their Behavior     Maintaining the Delicate Balance Between Appearance and Performance       Packing Several Textures on a Single Map       Conserving Polygon Counts with Bump Maps       Controlling the Lighting with Normal Maps       Tracking the Polygon Counts     Tackling the Tree Problem     Adding Rain, Fog, and Other Special Effects     Building the JumboTrons     Getting Graphics into the Game 10. BUILDING AND ANIMATING THE GOLFER AND OTHER LIFE FORMS.     Designing and Building Customizable Golfers       Modeling a Male and Female Golfer       Giving the Model Some Skin     Designing the Golfer's Wardrobe     Modeling Golf Clubs and Other Equipment     Getting into the Swing: Animating the Golfer       Scripting the Golf Swings       Filming the Golf Swings       Building the Skeletons       Cleaning Up the Motion Capture       Rigging a Wireframe Model to the Skeleton     Creating Other Life Forms 11. ROLL 'EM: ENHANCING GOLDEN TEE WITH AUDIO AND VIDEO.     Enhancing the Game with Musical Accompaniment     Adding to the Realism with Sound Effects       Recording and Enhancing the Crowd Sounds       Sounding Out on the Golf Course     Getting the Sounds into the Game     Adding Color Commentary...and a Dash of Corny Humor       Pooling the Talent       Composing the Announcer Scripts       Taping the Celebrity Announcers       Stripping Out the Green Screen       Building the Set 12. DESIGNING AND BUILDING USEABLE SELECTION SCREENS.     Envisioning the Interface Design and Color Scheme     Building Better Player Selection Screens       Sketching Conceptual Designs       Creating the Screens in Photoshop and 3ds Max       Adding More Options Without Overwhelming Players       Designing Additional Objects for the User Interface       Fine-Tuning the Designs     Designing Accessible Operator Selection Screens       Targeting the Needs of the Operator       Listing and Arranging Available Options       Building the Selection Screens     Adding Functionality to the Selection Screens INTERMISSION. 14. BUILDING AND HOSTING REAL-TIME COMPETITIONS.     Revisiting the Original Tournament System     Leveling the Playing Field     Understanding How the ITS Tournament System Works     Building ITNet's Massively Parallel Infrastructure     Exchanging Data Between the Game and the Server     Making an Unreliable System Reliable     Implementing a Database in Golden Tee LIVE     Streamlining the Database     Securing the Connection and Data Transfers     Managing the Costs of Broadband     Pulling It All Together 15. PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER IN PROGRAMMING.     What's Code and What's Not?     Preparing Game Code     Automating the Flow of Content into the Game     Creating a Build 16. TESTING GOLDEN TEE LIVE IN-HOUSE AND OUT.     Finding Game Testers with the Right Stuff     Preparing the Pre-Flight Checklist: The Posterity List     Differentiating Between Bugs and RFEs     Logging Bugs and RFEs     Performing Whitebox Testing     Remaining Sensitive to the Unexpected     Testing Golden Tee LIVE on Location       Learning the Tough Lessons and Making Adjustments       Broadening the Field Test     Testing the Game in the Long Term 17. INTEGRATING IT'S WEB COMPONENT.     Creating Synergies with the Web Component       Empowering Players at GoldenTee.com       Equipping Operators with Powerful Tools       Bringing Marketing and Customer Service Online       Assisting International Partners     Reaching Beyond Simple Web Page Creation     Improving Efficiency with Generic Code 18. SHIP IT! MANUFACTURING AND SHIPPING GOLDEN TEE LIVE.     Building the Game     Moving Forward with Gold Master Production     Briefing Customer Service     Ship It!     Continuing Development 19. THE 19TH HOLE.     Get Your Head in the Game     Innovate     Get Organized     Learn to Play as a Team     Remain Open to the Simple Solutions     Don't Resist Necessary Changes     Persevere INDEX.  

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Author Information

Incredible Technologies®, Inc. is celebrating 20 years as a successful video game company with more than 115 creative employees dedicated to crafting innovative, affordable, high earning products for the on-premise entertainment industry. Joe Kraynak is a professional writer who has authored and co-authored more than 50 books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Computer Basics, Master VISUALLY Optimizing PC Performance, and Bipolar Disorder For Dummies.

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