Introduction

Depending on the particular game, the gap between simulation and reality may be quite large indeed, as the costs involved in both producing and running a highly accurate simulation may be significant and, possibly unintuitively, lead to a game that is less fun.

The trick is to find a level of simulation that matches your game's and its player's needs. This chapter is all about keeping things simple by providing just enough realism to make the player feel comfortable, but not so much as to trip either the player or ourselves up with unneeded complexity.