Design and Programming of Computer Games

TDDD23

Introduction to TDDD23

• Course overview• Games from last year• Course pedagogy• Game design / SE• Course Goals / Tasks• Lab 1.

Game Feast

• Last year games examples

Theory on Higher Education

• Students can handle reading and performing educational tasks them selves

• Students need help with reflection and conceptual change

• In-depth studies are more important than subject coverage

You drive, we help you steer

What is a computer game

• Interactive entertainment• Competition? Sports? Social

Interaction? • Cinematic? Literature? Social

interaction• Strategic, Reactive, puzzles, plot

• What is entertaining and engaging?

What is development of computer games

• Very-large software project• Testing-based development

– No known standards?

• Experience-based software– Extreme usability and design

• Large game-world projects

• What is fun for others?

Games SE

• Testing• Polishing• Usability• Simplicity• Uniqueness / Identity• Ultimate Localization• From the absolute bottom up (engine)• Art/story/IP-driven Publisher market

Course Goals

• Learn about the largest and most specialized software development task in the history of man – well maybe not….

• Understand how the fun factor affect development

• Learn the importance of testing, polishing, attention to detail…

• Hands-on game building – build a preproduction demonstrator

Forum, forum, forum…(student_id and password)

How we work in the course

• Go to lectures, do tasks, do reviews, discuss on forum and complete project

• You build games … win the prize

• Labs times are resources for students – no assistance in these labs

Lectures

• This introduction lecture• Guest lectures

Literature

• Examples are provided on the web page – find something you like

• Requirement: read to motivate your design

• Requirement: motivate your project design with literature

Examination

• Individual examination – – work alone or in teams. – Understand everything, answer everything

Success factors

• How to pass and get a good grade– Quality of completed project. (what is quality:

consistency in look and feel, well tested high quality working game - before since and features)

– Ability to adapt game-design knowledge into final project.

– Review contributions– Handing in on time.

Your Tasks

• Project – your own game idea, design and implementation (back up with literature)

• Game Workshop, Oral exam, Screen Cast

• Review groups participation (individual)

Game Maker 8

• 2D (3D) Game Editor– Both advanced visual editor and programming

language – RAD but real

• Mark Overmars– Prof. at Utrecht University – Large community– Windows

XNA Game StudioUnity 3D

Resources: Graphics and sound

• GM-forum has a lot of resources – find it there.

• Essential to games but not the main aspect of the course

Task 1

• Playing Continous Game

• Analyzing game mechanics and game play – uncover the game design

• Think about controls

• What is fun?