2016 (subject to change). Structure is similar to the 2015 class, and some notes are left from last year in schedule below, these notes will change as class progresseses.

Subject to Change
Week
Date
 Topics PDF Notes/Assignment
1
01/12
  1. Tu: Course introduction, is this the right course for you? (short class)
  2. W: Brief History of Games, View projects from last year.
  3. Th: Part 1: Movie about the game industry (Th), several famous gamers are depicted in the movie (Minecraft Movie)

[PDF]

[PDF]

 2015-2016 Academic Calendar
UG/GRAD drop/add last day (Fri, Jan 15)
Homework [H1], posted in column left (may be updated until Wednesday evening).

History: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games
2
01/19
  1. Tu/We: History of games, and HTML5/Canvas introduction:
    1. HTML
    2. Canvas
    3. Java Script
    4. Animation
    5. Simpl ePhysics (next week), Gravity, Friction
  2. We : Part 2: Movie Minecraft movie.
  3. Th: Hackathon 1 (logo)

[PDF]

[PDF]

1st Hackathon Wednesday(moving to Thursday)
A preview of first Project [P1] is available, see column on left, it will be due Wednesday February 10, 2016 (there may be changes of definition until We 1/20). You will need to demonstrate your game in class using a laptop.

If you are not present to demonstrate your program then there is at least a 1 letter grade point deduction.

Required Reading/History: Wikipedia ( URL ), also look at side bar (review genres & consoles) .
3
01/26
  1. HTML5 & Java Script continue
  2. Starting: a simple game animation, interaction
  3. Th: Hackathon 2: Physics (climbing, sliding)
 [PDF]


Check out project 1: later due date, due to being 1 week off from last year.

Check out HTML5 colors ( here ) W3 naming ( here )

Recommended Book: "Core HTML5 Canvas", by David Greary, Paper copy $32.00.

tutorial
tutorial2
4
02/02
  1. Game to more complex 2D Games
  2. Tu: Breakout (finish)
  3. We: Sprites, and Sprite Sheets
  4. Th: Hackathon 3: Bouncing, collision detection, mouse.
 [PDF] [PDF]

 

Grades: Hackathon 1 ( App Logo) {posted}
Grades: Assignment 1 (HW1) ( Introduction ) {posted}

Collision detection (modular) (here)

animate-sprite.zip
5
02/09
  1. Parallax
  2. More on Collision
  3. *** We: Demo Day Projects laptops required.
  4. ** We: ImpactJS license code.
  5. Level Design, Structured game programming, Platformer discussion
  6. Th: Hackathon 4 (30 minute hackathon, parallax, elastic collision). {H2} due before end of class.
  

000p-Parallax.zip

Required Game Engine: ImpactJS ($99).
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.

Demo P1 in class (Wednesday)

We: Hand out license code on Wendesday, you will need to sign this form and turn it in.

Photoshop (pencil tool pixel setup - here )
Gimp ( here , here ), GrafX ( here ), various ( here )


https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/project1-game
6
02/16
  1. Tu: Showcase/and Impact JS intro/ Class lab work. Strategize on reading book/tutorial
  2. We/Th: Adding a 2D game engine: ImpactJS
  3. Camera View, Levels,
  4. Weltmeister (here)
  5. We: Photoshop Tricks
  6. Parallax in ImpactJS ( here)
  

Read Chapters 1, 2 and 4. ([optional] skim Ch 3)


Chapter 1-2 (setup of ImpacJS, and sprites).

By We: Read : Chapter 3 (Skim).
By We: Read: Chapter 4 Finish Reading, and practicing by Thursday.

2016: P2 is posted (hardest part is to use weltmeister, create the art work, and come up with the story).

Th/Fr: (Book is easy to read) finish 4, then Chapter 5,6,7 (HW read)
7
02/23
  1. ImpactJS continue
  2. We: Working with the bio-pack, trigger etc.
  3. Level Design
  4. We: We will try pictures again weather permitting, clouds OK, rain not OK (supposed to be a patch of no rain during our class time)
  

 


** Pong (tutorial) please watch.

Eames Power of 10: ( here ) Seeing things.
Working with triggers -
            ** Weltmeister and buidling triggers:
                      (tutorial, full page video, 6:09)

Back to the basics Level Design and Mario ( here ) 6 min
from the designer of Super Mario (5 min)
Level Design first person shooter ( here ) 15 min

Super Meat Boy ( 6 1/2 min)
Difficulty/Depth/Complexity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVL4st0blGU (6 1/2)

Chapter 8,9
Art tools: piskel , pro motion, inkscape, mapeditor

Day in the life of a game designer : ( here ) 4 min
HW: Spore: Birth of a game : ( here ) 17 min
HW: Gaming can make a better world : ( here ) 20 min

 
8
03/01
  1. Tu: Project 2 (2016) Due
  2. Th: Exam 1 (laptops required), Html5/Canvas, Collision Techniques, Elastic, and Inellastic Collisions, ImpactJs Techniques.
  

Are games better than life? ( here )

Project1: Some needs a re-grade please see TA (here)
Hackathon 2: Physics ( here )
Hackathon 3: Collision Detection ( here )
Hackathon 3.5: Impact Install ( here )
Hackathon 4: Collosal G ( here )
Hackathon 5: Zombie Trigger/Chem & Fire Pits ( here )
HW2 TBG.

Contest from H1 and HW1 has not yet been applied.

9
03/08
  Spring Break (Mar 07-Mar 11)
10
03/15
  1. Th: WE: Begin Indie Game Movie (35 minutes)
  2. We: Blake Hi-Rez Studios
  3. Th: Finish Movie

 

 

Exam 1 grades ( here )
Grade Sheet ( here ) [updated 3/18,
                             still doing a few more regrades]
Project 2 Grades ( here )
HW2 (collision) and HW3 (Box2D & Design) ( here )
11
03/22
  1. Tu: Box2D, Showcase
  2. Th: Box2D Hackathon
  3. Settings & Environments
  4. Mechanics
  5. Difficulty
  6. Execution
  

Grade Sheet ( here ) [updated 3/21 ]

Withdrawal Deadline: Tu, Mar 22, 2016

Box2D and Game Design Focus

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

12

[ P3 ]

03/29
  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 path planning (using a graph - not grid since we did not get to it We, and draw an FSM of an entity).
  5. Ath Game Jam(1/2 pt to final grade)
 [PDF]

[PDF]
[PDF]

We did A* Project (10 days) in 2015 Project 3 (posted for now on left), people enjoyed this project. We are considering D* this year. Note the choices of platforms.

We will go over the tutorial link and draw out all the pat planning algorithms on the board (Depth First, Best First, Dijskstra, A* and D*).

Amit Patel's Path planning tutorial

Patrick Lester's A* tutorial for beginners

Biological Agent Based FSM

{2016 there may be some variations to path planning and intelligent behavior lectures and tutorials}.
13
04/05
  1. Tu: Blender Tutorial, Chris, Annie.
  2. We: Finish up AI in Games.
  3. Th: Hackathon Path Planning
 [PDF]

Unity Project (Get Started)!!!! 3D GAMING Please gets softcopy of the Unity book (see here).

 
14
[P4*]
04/12
  1. News: P3 Demo Thursday, please include a video demo published on youtube private link (3-5 minutes, make sure to highlight embellishment (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 your submission, you may submit the video part Tue 4/19 without penalty).
  

Final Grade of Project 2 end contest period grades ( here )
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).

You may request to be checkpointed earlier

15

HW6

[FE]
04/19
  1. Tu: Check point1. Ch2, 3 (due date).
  2. We: Check point Ch5, 6
  3. Th: Check point. & Hackathon (practice for test)
  

Grade Sheet (4/19) ( here )
HW4 & HW 5 ( here )

 

* 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
04/26
  1. Tu: Exam 2 (see above on how to practice, create a unity game 30-60 minutes, demonstrate you can quickly prototype a game - within the class period.
  2. We: Showcase s
  3. We: Check point 7, 8
  4. We: Loose ends.
  5. Unity 3D Show Case
  6. Th: Check points remaining items.
  

Hackathon 7: path planning (not great) (here)
Exam 2 Grades ( here )
* Ch 7 Instatiations,
* Ch 8 Particle Systems (Goldstone, the author e has a video on this on youtube).
* Ch 10 Animation Basics (final exam resource)

Hackathon 6 (inclass only), Box2D ( here )
Hackathon 8 Unity Playground ( here )
All Hackathons are now graded.

P3- Pathplanning - as discussed the primary grade criteria is that the algorithms work given different environments or context, not the look of it. Note we discussed this in class numerous times.
17
05/03
  1. Tu: Reading Day (No Class)
  2. Thu: 05/05 Our Final Exam/Project (2016)
    12:00 - 3:00 pm
 

 

project 4 ( grades )
HW6 ( grades )
project 3 ( XXX regraded below ) [** some low grades, note primary objective is that you have the algorithms correctly implemented, and of-course that you have a working program ]

project 3 (regraded here by MH if you have questions and if you are in light green please contact instructor instead of TA).

Grade Sheet ( grades )

Mon May 02, Last day of Classes
Tue May 03 Reading Day

 
18
05/10
  1. Last Week of finals (May 10 is last day of finals 2016)
   Friday May 13 Graduation
19
05/17
 

 

*** Final Grade Sheet All grades ( here )

Sunday, May 15, 5 PM, Grades Due 2016.