Today I'm writing a review on a very special book: Google SketchUp for Game Design: Beginner's Guide, by Robin de Jongh, Packt Publishing. I really enjoyed this book, and to be clear and organized, I'll write my review as definite points (as usual =) ).
Pros:
- As the book title mentioned, it is a guide for game design and beginners. So the book did not only go from bottom up in Google SketchUp, but also went to explain the basics of other applications that can get involved in the game design process like GIMP, and even introduced one of the best game engines: Unity.
- All tools and websites introduced are free, or have trial versions/accounts.
- The book author stressed on a very important thing: honesty, and the cover image is an example of this honesty. Because what you see on this cover is what you get and can do yourself using what you learned in Google SketchUp.
- The way the author explains is not boring or lengthy. But on the contrary, it was very smooth, interesting, and straight to the point.
- The author stressed on introducing the basic and important features of each applications without getting deep, which I considered it a very nice method in dealing with a beginner in any application. Beside some tips and tricks, and notes on how bigger companies do this work and manage such tasks.
- The book in general was like a quick tour in the world of assets and game design, opening some doors I might not see if I just go to learn Google SketchUp alone.
Cons:
- The websites and links provided inside the book were not all working. Some links were removed and some had different sub-directories, but somehow I managed to get to most of them by a quick search.
- The author sometimes missed some small details that -for a lazy beginner- can be crucial to get a step done. Some small details like the order of marking objects or how to use a certain tool. But the athor has indicated that this book needs some work, so there is no place for laziness.
All in all, I would recommend this book for reading, whether you are using Google SketchUp for game asset design, game level design, or even as an architect.
