GMAP/CS 345: Game Development: Foundations

Winter 2017

Santiago Ontañón, santi@cs.drexel.edu

Rob Lloyd, reml@drexel.edu

Office Hours: By Appointment

Course Description

This course introduces students to the computer game design process. Students also learn how the individual skills of modeling, animation, scripting, interface design and story telling are coordinated to produce interactive media experiences for various markets, devices and purposes.

Course Purpose

This course will introduce students to the digital game design process. Students will learn how the individual skills of modeling, animation, storytelling, programming, user interface design, etc. are coordinated to produce interactive media experiences for various markets, devices, and purposes. Students will work in small teams to create or repurpose digital assets and scripts for one or more game engines.

Expected Learning Outcomes

This course will teach the asset pipeline for getting content into the game engine, and the use of scripting to implement game logic and connect to the imported assets.

Format

Classes will be a combination of:

• • instruction and tutorial

  • class discussions

  • individual and group assignments

  • lab and presentation period

Class participation is an important part of your evaluation and grade. In addition, students will be required to work in teams outside of class in the computer labs, doing research online and in books and journals, and hands-on exposure to various video games.

Assignments

Assignments must be done individually (depending on your section, assignment 2 might be different, ask your instructor).

• • Assignment 1: Unity Introduction (5%) (Due week 3)

  • Assignment 2: FPS Target Gallery (5%) / Assignment 2: 2D Game (5%) (Due week 4)

  • Assignment 3: Pac Man - AI & States (5%) (Due week 5)

Project

The term project will be done in groups. The initial proposal presentation will be given to the class. Each week after the proposal, the group will give a brief 5-10 presentation to their instructor on what they've accomplished the previous week, showing off new features, highlighting what worked well, what they have trouble on, and collecting feedback. Each week, the instructor will be looking for progress based on the previous week's feedback. The final project will be presented to the class as well.

• • Project Proposal (5%) (Due week 6)

  • Project Status Reports (30%) (Due Week 7, 8, 9)

  • Final Project (30%) and Presentation (20%) (Due Week 10)

Submission

For individual assignments, create a web-playable version of your game. Upload it to the web. Email your instructor a link to the game with the subject line "CS/GMAP 345 <ASSIGNMENT NUMBER> - <YOUR NAME>".

Grading

• • 15% - Assignments (1-3)

  • 35% - Project Assessments

  • 50% - Project Demo Presentation

Attendance

You are expected to attend all classes. Class participation is an important part of your grade. Missing 3 classes results in automatic failure. If a student must miss class, it is the student's responsibility to contact me by email the day prior to the missed class. Students will also be responsible for getting missed notes from the other students.

Additional Requirements for Students of GMAP 545

Students of GMAP 545 are required to develop an innovative project that utilizes game engine technology in their graduate research area of interest. Examples include the use of Unity in gamification applications or the integration of novel user interface technologies for creating new game experiences.

Cheating/Plagarism

Copying text, artwork, models, or animations without credit, whether copyrighted or made freely available on the web, is considered plagiarism for the purposes of this class (as it is in industry) and is forbidden. One illegal asset can open an employer up to litigation.

Having another student perform your tasks for you is considered cheating. Group evaluations, class participation, and project debriefings are a very effective means of determining this type of cheating, so do not cheat.

Cheating will result in at minimum a failing of the assignment and an automatic decrease of one letter grade for your final grade, and may result in your failing the course. Cheating and plagiarism are often done not due to sinister intentions, but because of laziness, fear, lack of preparation, overloaded schedule, or other reasons. If you are having a problem in class and are fearful that your grade may suffer, please, please come talk to me about it rather than attempting some shortcut. I am always eager to try to help, and I do not want to have to fail anyone. See Drexel policies below for more information.

Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, and Cheating Policy

http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/academic_dishonesty.asp

Drexel University Student Handbook

http://drexel.edu/studentaffairs/community_standards/studentHandbook/

Students with Disability Statement

http://drexel.edu/ods/student_reg.html

Course Drop Policy

http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/course_drop.asp

Course Change Policy

The instructor reserves the right to change the course during the term at his or her discretion. These changes will be communicated to students via the syllabus, website announcement, or email.

Schedule

Week 1: Intro to Unity

In class:

• • Course kick-off

  • Unity Interface, Controls, GameObjects, Components

  • Tutorial 1

  • Unity Package

    • Guide:

Due next week: Nothing, enjoy!

Week 2: Scripting

In class:

• • Writing your own scripts, basic debugging.

  • Publishing: http://unity3d.com/support/documentation/Manual/Publishing%20Builds.html

  • Tutorial 2

  • Unity Package

    • Guide:

Due next week: Assignment 1: Unity Introduction

Week 3: Vectors

Due: Assignment 1

In class:

• • All the wonderful things that Vectors can do

  • Get started on Tutorial 3

  • Unity Package

    • Guide:

Due next week: Assignment 2: FPS Target Gallery

Week 4: Simple AI, Animations, Pathfinding

Due: Assignment 2

• • How game objects "think"

  • Making and playing (2D) animations in Unity

  • How to get from point A to point B

  • Finish Tutorial 3

Due next week: Assignment 3: Pac Man - AI States

Other Resources:

• • A* explanation: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3317/smart_move_intelligent_.php?page=1

  • A* algorithm: http://wiki.gamegardens.com/Path_Finding_Tutorial

  • A* demo and code: http://briangrinstead.com/files/astar/

  • Planning algorithms: http://planning.cs.uiuc.edu/

  • Alternatives to A*: http://aigamedev.com/open/tutorials/theta-star-any-angle-paths/

  • Unity3D waypoint tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oytm0eYCQw4&feature=channel

  • http://www.burgzergarcade.com/hack-slash-rpg-unity3d-game-engine-tutorial (lessons 003-004, 108-110)

• http://www.burgzergarcade.com/blogs/petey/finite-state-machine-brief-example

Week 5: GUI

Due: Assignment 3

In class:

• • Unity GUI system

  • Final group formation

  • Final project brainstorming

Due Next Week: Project Proposal

Design and develop a central gameplay concept. Be creative! Be experimental! For next class, have prepared:

• 1-page game proposal document (emailed to your instructor)

• 5-10 minute presentation to be given next class

Possible topics include:

• • A story-driven game and dialog system

  • A novel game concept such as Portal or Katamari

  • Re-imagining of old game (8-bit video game, board game, kids game, etc.)

  • Unique controller mapped to gameplay

  • Whatever you can think of!

Week 6: Audio

Due: Project Proposal

In class:

• Project Proposal Presentations

• Proposal Feedback

• How to make beautiful music with Unity

• Lab time to work on your final project

Due next week: Alpha

First version of your final project. Simple build of the basic essence of your game. Crude models, simplified gameplay. Is it fun?

Week 7: Graphics

Due: Project Alpha

In class:

• Unity's Rendering pipeline, shaders, image effects

• Review of the current state of final projects

• Lab time to work on your final project

Due next week: Nothing!

However, your progress on your final project will be evaluated.

Other Resources:

• http://artis.imag.fr/Members/Xavier.Decoret/teaching/MasterIVR/Visibility/

• http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-837-computer-graphics-fall-2003/lecture-notes/15_raster.pdf

• http://www.cgchannel.com/2010/11/cg-science-for-artists-part-2-the-real-time-rendering-pipeline/

• http://www.burgzergarcade.com/blogs/petey/images-effects-and-going-blind

Week 8: Testing

Due: Project Checkin

In class:

• Overview of modern testing techniques

• Testing as a small team

• Review of the current state of final projects

• Lab time to work on your final project

Due next week: Beta

Prepare the beta build of your final project. Have some animations, most of the assets, functionality and tweaked to your liking in the game. The game should be functionally finished, but lacking polish.

Other Resources:

• Presentation: Game System Engineering Lecture: Game Metrics

• View more presentations from Lennart Nacke.

• Presentation: Making a game "Just Right" through testing and play balancing

• View more presentations from Julio Gorgé.

• Half-Life 2: Episode Two Stats: http://www.steampowered.com/status/ep2/ep2_stats.php

• Day Of Defeat Stats: http://www.dayofdefeat.com/stats/

• Playlog session recording tools: http://www.buildintime.com/playlog/

• iBeta: QA facility: http://www.ibeta.com/ie_gameplay.html

• Halo Science of Play: http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/magazine/15-09/ff_halo

• Microsoft Play Testing: http://www.microsoft.com/playtest/FAQ.aspx

• EA Testing: http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/27212424.html

Week 9: Performance

Due: Project Beta

In class:

• • How to keep your Unity game running smoothly

• Review of the current state of final projects

• Lab time to work on your final project

Due next week: Final

• Final Project "Gold Master"

• Final Project Presentations

Week 10: Networking

Due: Final Presentation

In class:

• Making Unity games that are networked

• Final project presentations