FEATURES

Postmortem: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

Ratchet & Clank was Insomniac's second PlayStation 3 game, and indeed one of the first second-generation PS3 titles period. From scope woes to preproduction pitfalls, this postmortem illuminates some of the process behind this "second party" development cycle.

Difficulty is Difficult

If done well, difficulty can make a game quite addictive. If done poorly, the game can become an abject failure for consumers. This design article dissects various elements of difficulty tuning, and proposes potential solutions.

Big Waves

Game Developer has featured articles on water before, but never massive, interactive waves. Building off a primer for general in-game water creation, this technical piece shows practical techniques for the creation, smoothing, and perfection of big waves in-game, as seen in Ubisoft's Surf's Up.

Community Roundtable

Community management straddles the line between developer and fanbase, and as a result is often misunderstood. Herein, your questions are answered by community professionals, as their jobs become more important to game development.

Halo 3 Difficulty Q&A

Continuing the difficulty discussion, Dan Boutros speaks to Halo 3 gameplay designer Francois Boucher-Genesse.

DEPARTMENTS/COLUMNS