Deconstructing Golden Tee LIVE
Published on 10. November 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-0-7897-3353-5 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Pearson Education (US)
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 179 mm
Width: 231 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7897-3353-5 (9780789733535)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Incredible Technologies (R), 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.
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.
Content
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.
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.