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Learning Godot and Piskel
Learning Advanced Game Tools
L2 Game Design
L2 Game Development
Summary External
About
About
Welcome to your second-year in game design and development! This course is your chance to unleash your creativity and transform your game ideas into reality. Whether you aspire to become a game developer, enjoy crafting stunning visuals, or simply want to dive deeper into the world of game creation, this is the place to be.
This year is your opportunity to spread out and experiment within the video game design space. This course is designed to be less scaffolded than last year now that you understand the basics. It is also a great opportunity to try out working in a team. Video games have a lot of moving parts so having a good programmer, and an artist is essential.
~~~ OVERVIEW OF COURSE ~~~
~~~ OVERVIEW OF COURSE ~~~
This course can be taught in a couple of ways and your teacher will tell you which one you are doing.
Students will learn more advanced skills this year following on from the fundamentals that they developed last year. The major change is that students may be encouraged to work in groups. There are usually three to a group, a programmer, a level designer, and an artist. One of these three should also be the Project Manager/Coordinator. One of them also needs to be in charge of the Git Repository and make sure that they game is regularly backed up and new features merged.
~~~ TIMELINE ~~~
~~~ TIMELINE ~~~
~~~ COURSE MATERIAL ~~~
~~~ COURSE MATERIAL ~~~
Learning Advanced Game Tools
Unit 1: Skill Development (approximately 5 or 8 weeks)
For students new to Game Development they can do a crash course in the Basic Skills. If students are planning to work in teams, they should focus on skills related to their strengths and expertise. This is a chance for them to experiment and practice in a mini-jam setting. It’s also a great opportunity to experience teamwork and decide if they want to continue working with the same teammates during the major project in Term 2 and Term 3.
Advanced Game Design
Unit 2: Design (approximately 3 weeks)
This unit can be done as a stand alone or as part of the Inquiry unit.
Based on their research into teamwork, students will work together to brainstorm game ideas, choose one based on feedback, and create a Game Design Document. This document will outline the design of their game for the year. At the end of the unit, students will write a short report about their game design, which will be assessed for credits.
AS91891 - Apply conventions to develop a design for a digital technologies outcome (3 Credits)
Advanced Game Development
Unit 3: Development (approximately 12 weeks)
In this unit students work to build a video game over 3 x 4 week sprints. They may be part of the National Game Jam for this. At the end of each sprint they will gather feedback and use that to develop their game.
AS91897 - Use advanced processes to develop a digital technologies outcome (4 Credits)
AS91893 - Use advanced techniques to develop a digital media outcome (6 Credits)
Optional
AS91357 - Undertake effective development to make and trial a prototype (6 Credits)
Summary External
Unit 4: Summary External (approximately 3 weeks)
AS91899 - Present a summary of developing a digital outcome (External, 3 Credits)
Important Software Notes!
Important Software Notes!
All the tutorials below use Godot 4. If you are using 3.5 then please utilise other resources.
This course utilities itch.io for playtesting purposes which your school may or may not allow.
Using Godot 4, in order to export it in a HTML playable state you must make your game in compatibility mode at the moment. It will also not work on macOS computers. Godot 3.5 currently has better HTML support but is missing a lot of the other features. For a full explanation check out the current docs or list of current HTML 5 issues on Github.
Godot works on Android, Linux, MacOS, Windows, and even an experimental HTML build
~~~ Big Ideas in Game Design ~~~
~~~ Big Ideas in Game Design ~~~
The discipline of Digital Technologies embodies whanaungatanga. Outcomes are made by people, for people, within cultural, social, and environmental contexts
The discipline of Digital Technologies embodies whanaungatanga. Outcomes are made by people, for people, within cultural, social, and environmental contexts
It's all about creating connections and relationships. In the world of video game design, this idea is essential. Games are made by people, like artists, programmers, and storytellers, for people like you, within unique cultural, social, and environmental settings. The characters, stories, and worlds in video games reflect the creativity, values, and perspectives of their creators. When you play a game, you're connecting with the minds and cultures behind it.
Digital outcomes are created for a purpose by following established processes
Digital outcomes are created for a purpose by following established processes
This connects to the idea that digital outcomes are made by following established processes. Game designers follow a series of steps to bring their ideas to life. They plan, sketch, program, and test their games to make sure they work well. These processes help ensure that the games serve a purpose, whether it's to entertain, educate, or tell a powerful story.
The discipline of Digital Technologies embodies auahatanga. Outcomes solve problems and enhance and expand human possibilities.
The discipline of Digital Technologies embodies auahatanga. Outcomes solve problems and enhance and expand human possibilities.
Video games are more than just fun and entertainment. They can challenge your problem-solving skills, enhance your creativity, and let you experience amazing worlds and adventures you might not encounter in real life. Video games are like interactive stories that empower you to make choices, overcome challenges, and explore your potential.
All digital technologies are underpinned by algorithms and computer science principles
All digital technologies are underpinned by algorithms and computer science principles
These are the secret codes that make the digital world tick. In video games, algorithms help determine how characters move, how the environment behaves, and how the game responds to your actions. Understanding these principles can unlock the door to endless possibilities in creating and enjoying games.
NZ CURRICULUM
NZ CURRICULUM
Digital Technologies Progress Outcomes
Digital Technologies Progress Outcomes
CTDT: Progress outcome 7
CTDT: Progress outcome 7
Within authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students analyse concepts in digital technologies (for example, information systems, encryption, error control, complexity and tractability, autonomous control) by explaining the relevant mechanisms that underpin them, how they are used in real world applications, and the key problems or issues related to them.
Students discuss the purpose of a selection of data structures and evaluate their use in terms of trade-offs between performance and storage requirements and their suitability for different algorithms. They use an iterative process to design, develop, document and test advanced computer programs.
DDDO: Progress outcome 5
DDDO: Progress outcome 5
In authentic contexts and with support, students investigate a specialised digital technologies area (for example, digital media, digital information, electronic environments, user experience design, digital systems) and propose possible solutions to issues they identify. They independently apply an iterative process to design, develop, store and test digital outcomes that enable their solutions, identifying, evaluating, prioritising and responding to relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations. They use information from testing and, with increasing confidence, optimise tools, techniques, procedures and protocols to improve the quality of the outcomes. They apply evaluative processes to ensure the outcomes are fit-for-purpose and meet end-user requirements.
Teachers Notes
Teachers Notes
There are two possible ways to teach this course. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
The make 2 games course students make one smaller game in Term 1 and then a larger one in Term 2/3. This means they have two shots at the standards and if they ace it in the first game then they can be a lot more creative and try harder concepts (such as VR games, 3D, etc.) with no real jeopardy. This is done by including the Generic Technology Prototype Standard instead of Inquiry. This is possibly best done with low literacy and game development only classes. The major disadvantage of this system is that it makes Scholarship a much harder prospect in year 13.
Engineering design process they do 8ish weeks of skill development and then start their Inquiry that snowballs into their projects. If you are doing game design in conjunction with other Digital Technology strands this method is highly advisable as it follows the timeline across all of Techquity's courses.
With regard to group work, Limit group sizes to three, the only exception to this should be if you are going to allow a fourth to do the music for the game. Though they will be working as a group all assessment material needs to be done independently. This includes the Inquiry, Design Report, and Development log. Students need to make sure that they include only aspects they have worked on in these documents. They also need to get specific feedback related to things they have worked on. For example in their feedback form you should include a specific question about an aspect for each member of the group.
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