Acknowledgments

This story began in San Francisco at the GDC convention back in the spring of 2013. In a moment of serendipity, of being at the right place at the right time, the concept that ultimately became this book was born.

I admit that the road to getting these pages out was not an easy task. It was a challenge, which at times seemed insurmountable. Yet finally seeing the end result that you, Dear Reader, are holding in your hands—I can honestly say it was worth every second of it.

Many have said that writing is a lonely endeavor, and it is a fact I will not refute. Yet I could not have written this book without acknowledging the support and assistance of the following people who were involved in its creation:

First, I want to thank the Focal Press team—Sean Connelly, Lauren Mattos and Haley Swan—who got the ball rolling with this project and helped me navigate the rapids involved in writing these pages. Thank you for your patience and guidance throughout.

Thank you to Rae Morris, my technical editor, who pored over the manuscript and gave timely feedback and suggestions.

To the countless members of the 3D and coding communities, who provided a wealth of knowledge, information and solutions to the constant challenges of producing a video game and insights into the art of good coding practices.

To my college students (current and former) who, through the years, provided me a platform to share my knowledge and who kept asking me the hard questions. I thank you for that opportunity. The great thing about teaching is that in almost every class, I had the occasion to approach a topic that I went over endless times, but often was made to look at it with new set of eyes. Curiosity is a good thing, regardless of what they say about the cat.

Thank you to my fellow professors at George Brown College and Durham College as well as my work colleagues at Arc Productions, who provided advice and were great sounding boards throughout the writing of these pages.

Thanks also to J. P. Amore, Phil Bonner, Kent Martin, Cathy Feraday Miller and Celso Teixeira for sharing their support, technical knowledge and enthusiasm, as well as to Bruno Amezcua, Anthony Harrison, Joseph Kim and David Su for their creative contributions.

A special thank you goes to Ryan Miller, who helped me decipher the intricacies of Unity and shared his wealth of game-making knowledge with me.

To the incredible core team of gals and guys who helped me get this project off the ground and shared endless hours making the world of Tin a reality with their creative and technical talents: Erika Fantinic, Josh Kay, Daniel Kim, Galen Manuel, Billy Tremaine, Scott Uminga, Ashley Vanchu and John Yau. Thank you all! I would not have achieved this without you.

To the Assaf and Liao families, who supported and believed in me throughout from near and far. You’re the best.

To Yvette, my partner and island of calm, who stood by my side and offered her patience, encouragement, love and unconditional support while these pages slowly came to life.

And finally, to my wonderful, amazing daughter Liran, who was the inspiration behind the writing of this book. The character of Leaf and the world of Tin would not have been realized if it weren’t for you. You inspired me to create and imagine a magical world and to rediscover the joys of daydreaming. This book is for you.

Eyal Assaf, March 2015

“Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get.”

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz