Acknowledgments

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and raises the number of points needed to advance to the next level. This might keep players 
on their toes, but without modification, a skilled player can keep playing indefinitely. To 
make the game harder and harder as time goes by, the point gap between levels increases 
each time the player advances. Eventually, even the best jewel swapper fails to gather enough 
points in the allotted time.
Identifying Game Stages
The game-playing stage of the application is by far the most complicated stage and is where 
the player will be spending most of his or her time. You do need a few additional stages, how-
ever, because you shouldn’t dump the player straight into the game.
Splash screen
The very first thing the player sees is a splash screen. This screen serves two purposes: First, 
it introduces the player to the game by displaying the game logo front and center. Second, by 
adding a progress bar, it provides a nice waiting area while the game’s assets are preloaded 
behind the curtain. Not all assets need to be preloaded right away, but it creates a better 
impression if all the graphics for the next stage are immediately available when the stage is 
activated. Figure 2-1 shows a sketch of what the splash screen will look like.
Figure 2-1: 
This mock up shows the splash screen with preloader.

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Main menu
After the player clicks through the splash screen, she is taken to the main menu. This is a 
simple menu with just a few items. Most importantly, the menu gives access to the actual 
game but also features buttons for displaying the high score, more info about the game, and 
an option to exit the game. If the player selects a new or previous game, the game begins 
right away. Figure 2-2 shows a sketch of the main menu.