Reverse Design: Half-Life in Bloomington, MN

The
Reverse Design
series looks at all of the design decisions that went into classic video games. This is the fourth installment in the Reverse Design series, looking at
Half Life
. Written in a readable format, it is broken down into six sections examining some of the most important topics to the game:
How
Half-Life
is a key step in the evolution from the composite style of videogame design to the set piece style of design.
defined almost all of the core concepts of the cover-based shooter, and redefined the level architecture of the FPS genre
The small tricks and flourishes that
used to tell a story through its mechanics, AI and environments
Key Features
Comprehensive definitions of key concepts and terms, introducing the reader to the basic knowledge about the study of FPS design
Summary of historical context of
, how it emerged from arena shooters like
Doom
and
Quake
, and how it influenced other games
Extensive collections of data and data visualizations explaining how systems like enemy movement, cover design and platformer physics work