Subject to Change
Week
Date
 Topics PDF Notes/Assignment
1
01/06-08
  1. Tu: Course introduction
  2. W: Brief History of Games
  3. Th: Part 1: Movie about the game industry (Th), several famous gamers are depicted in the movie.
 [PDF]
2014-2015 Academic Calendar
UG/GRAD drop/add last day (Fri, Jan 09)
Homework [H1], posted in column left (may be updated until Wednesday evening).
2
01/13-15
  1. Tu/We: History of games, and HTML5/Canvas introduction:
    1. HTML
    2. Canvas
    3. Java Script
    4. Animation
    5. Physics (next week)
  2. We: Picture class (end of class)
  3. Th : Part 2: Movie Minecraft movie.
[PDF]

A preview of first Project [P1] is available, see column on left, it will be due Wednesday January 28, 2015 (there may be changes of definition until We). You will need to demonstrate your game in class using a laptop.

Required Reading/History: Wikipedia ( URL ), also look at side bar (review genres & consoles) .
3
01/20-22
  1. HTML5 & Java Script continue
  2. Starting: a simple
  3. game to more complex 2D Games
    • Breakout
    • A Pong like Game
    • Platformer Game
 [PDF]

Check out HTML5 colors ( here ) W3 naming ( here )
Monday, Jan 19, MLK Day
Recommended Book: "Core HTML5 Canvas", by David Greary, Paper copy $32.00.

tutorial
tutorial2
4
01/27-29
  1. More on Collision
  2. We: Demo Day Projects laptops required.
  3. Structured game programming
 [PDF]

Demo P1 in class (Wednesday)
Required Game Engine: ImpactJS ($99) educational licenses will be provided (with constraints that will be discussed in class).
Required Book: "Introducing HTML5 Game Development", Jesse Freeman (electronic copies are available, $8.00-$9.99 for the electronic version). This book is on the ImpactJS engine.

Grades: Hackathon 1 ( Street Sign)
Grades: Hackathon 2 ( Spider Ball )
Grades: Assignment 1 (HW1) ( Introduction )

Collision detection (modular) (here)

Grade Summary Sheet ( here )

5
02/03-05
  1. ImpactJS license distribute.
  2. We/Th: Adding a 2D game engine: ImpactJS
  

Hand out license code, and form that needs to be signed.
Photoshop (pencil tool pixel setup - here )
Gimp ( here , here ), GrafX ( here ), various ( here )
P2 (post Thursday Friday) Impact JS Platform Game.
Read Chapters 1, 2 and 4. ([optional] skim Ch 3)
Weltmeister (tutorial)
Pong (tutorial)
Chapter 1-2 (setup of ImpacJS, and sprites).
6
02/10-12
  1. ImpactJS continue
  2. Camera View, Levels,
  3. Weltmeister (here)
  4. Parallax ( here )
  

Read : Chapter 3 (Skim).
Read: Chapter 4 Finish Reading, and practicing by Friday.

For hackathon TH, make sure you read up to "Camera View" (not inclusive).

Project 1 Grades (here) posted 02/11
7
02/17-19
  1. ImpactJS continue
  2. W: Working with the bio-pack, trigger etc.
  

 

Tue:

Finish 4, then Chapter 5,6,7 (HW read)

 
8
02/24-26
  1. Tu: Reflecting on game design: The Spore Ted Talk, Game Design (a day in the life of a game designer), Level Design (2 videos)
  2. Tu: Impact JS Shares.
  3. WE: Begin Indie Game Movie (35 minutes)
  4. Th: Guest speaker. Movie. (The Indie Game movie the rest).
  5. Th: P2 Project Due (midnight).
  

Eames Power of 10: ( here )
Spore: B irth of a game : ( here ) 17 min
Gaming can make a better world : ( here ) 20 min
Day in the life of a game designer : ( here ) [start on paper] 13 min
Back to the basics Level Design and Mario ( here )
Level Design first person shooter ( here )

----
Are games better than games? ( here )

Chapter 8,9

HW by TH: All of Ch5 by TH, and especially make sure you understand the Grenade Explosion Section.
9
03/03-05
  1. Tue: Exam 1 (laptops required), Html5/Canvas, Collision Techniques, Elastic, and Inellastic Collisions, ImpactJs Techniques.]
  2. We:
  3. Th: Demo P2 in class.
   Wednesday March 04, 2015 - New Due Date for Project 2.
10
03/09-13
  Spring Break (Mar 09-Mar 13)
11
03/17-19
  1. Tue: Showcase Project 2
  2. We grading issue.. will be late today, running late.
  3. Th: Finish up platformer gaming with reflecting on Level Design.
  4. Settings & Environments
  5. Mechanics
  6. Difficulty
  7. Execution
  

Grade Summary Sheet ( here )
Hackathon 3 ( here )
Hackathon 4 ( here )
Hackathon 5 ( here )
HW2 ( here )

Exam1 ( here )

Project 2 (1/2 done with grading) ( here )

Project 2 (pass 1 - have not addressed issues raised yesterda, Wed yet, or/and some of the late turn-ins) ( here)

Withdrawal Deadline: Thu, Mar 19, 2015

Level Design:
Super Mario
Super Meat Boy

Difficulty/Depth/Complexity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVL4st0blGU

Objectives:
Feeling Accomplished ( here )
Growing Stronger ( here )
Teaching without Teaching ( here )
Gamification ( here )
Pacing ( here )

12
03/24-26
  1. Tu: Overview: AI in Gaming: Path planning and Behavior Models of Path Planning.
  2. AI Path Planning
  3. A*, D* PyGame (pointers only).
  4. Th: Dijstra pantplanning (using a graph - not grid since we did not get to it We, and draw an FSM of an entity)
 [PDF]

[PDF]
[PDF]

Summary Sheet ( here )
Project 2 final ( here )

A* Project (10 days) same as last year's Project 3 (posted for now on left), people enjoyed this project. Note the choices of platforms.
We will go over the tutorial link and draw out the algorithm on the board.

Amit Patel's Path planning tutorial

Patrick Lester's A* tutorial for beginners

Biological Agent Based FSM

13
03/31-02
  1. Tu: AI Behavior Models
  2. We: Finish up AI in Games.
  

Unity Project (Get Started)!!!! 3D GAMING Please gets softcopy of the Unity book.
14
[P4]
04/07-09
  1. Tu: News: P3 Demo Thursday, please include a video demo (3-5 minutes, make sure to highlight embelishment (s) and quickly touch on that you covered the grade criteria see P3 page).
  2. We: Volunteer for P3 and Chapter 2.
  3. Th: Path Planning project, will include showcases at the same time (please submit a short video as part of you submission)
  


Discuss:
** P4: combination of checkpoints,
** Exam 2
** Final project (Unity), and
** Final Exam (Unity)
** Presentations

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2G38QPP

Download Unity ( here ) 30-40 minutes
Get.Started: http://www.virtualgamelab.com/unity-resources.html

http://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials/modules
(editor --> interface overview)

Chapter 2 : Breaking Wall exercise will be check pointed Wednesday (shouldn't take about 1-2 hours).

Required book: ($25.40)
https://www.packtpub.com/unity-3-x-game-development-essentials-with-c-and-javascript-will-goldstone/book

You may request to be checkpointed earlier

15
[FE]
04/14-16
  1. Tu: Check point Ch2, 3, 5 (due date)
  2. We: Check point Ch 6
  3. Th: Exam II (theme: create a Unity Game in 30-40 minutes). Goal of Exam is to demonstrate that you can quickly create (proto type) a game. Need to submit a video.
  

* Unity 3D Project (this will be the last project) See link marked FE in the 2nd column on this row.

Practice Exam Games Practice:
* Driving game 10-15 minutes ( here )
* Racing Game
* Pong game in Unity
* 3D Platform Jumper.
* Snake Game 20 minutes ( here )
* Sport (e.g., Javelin, Shot put).
* Simulate Player Skills such as: Shooting a
target, jumping, climbing, flying,
simulate lifting, rolling heavy ojects, bouncing,
jumping, climbing.

16
04/21-23
  1. Tu: Exam 2 (see above)
  2. We: Demo Exam 2 demo (couldn't get some to work that were emailed).
  3. We: Showcase
  4. We: Check point 7, 8
  5. We: Loose ends.
  6. Unity 3D Show Case
 

Last two Hackathon Grades:
* Hackathon 6 (BFS and DFS)
* Hackathon 7 (A Star)
* Current Grade Sheet
HW: Before Tu's class finish Chapters 5/6
* Ch 7 Instatiations,
* Ch 8 Particle Systems
* Ch 10 Animation Basics (final exam resource)
17
04/28-30
  1. Tu: Reading Day (No Class)
   Mon April 27, Last day of Classes
Tuesday April 29 Reading Day

Project 3: Path Planning Grades: ( see here, please email TA for clarification).
Exam 2: Unity Grades : (see here )
Project 4: Unity Checkpoints: (see here )

18
05/05-07
  1. Last Week of Finals
  2. Tue: 05/05 Our Final Exam/Project.
    12:00 - 3:00 pm
 

gradeSummaryBeforeFinal.htm

Graduation Friday May 08, 2015
19
05/12-15
  Monday, May 11, 5 PM, Grades Due
    05/20-