Technical Game Development

Catalog description

Introduction to the tools and techniques required to implement games in a virtual environment. GAME 250 / CMPSC 208 Technical Game Development. First, students learn about game and player elements by creating characters and objects and the means of user interactivity. Both orthographic and perspective views are introduced to assist in character design. Objects and characters are created using fundamental geometric primitives like scale, rotation, translation and extrusion. The set operations, union, intersection, and subtraction, are applied to create compound objects. Bezier and NURB curves are introduced to create objects with irregular contours. Students also learn to design graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and handle mouse and keyboard events to support user interactions. Second, students are introduced to methods of storytelling and guide them to build narratives for games. Methods of proximity and collision detection in the environment are studied for both static and dynamic objects. Dynamic objects are programmed to move and behave in a deterministically, random, or probabilistically under a variety of lighting methods including ambient, directional, point and diffuse lights are introduced. A number of particle systems are developed with different considerations of randomness, vector direction and velocity. The concept of linear interpolation is illustrated and applied to texture mapping to improve the look and feel of objects. Third, students are introduced to functions, propositional logic, loops, and randomness to model game behavior. Students will learn to combine a series of primitive actions into a function for control and reuse. Propositional logic will guide students to define conditions and develop game rules. Loops are introduced to simplify the implementation of repeated game behavior. Randomness enables the simulation of many life-like object movements. Students will learn and practice how to write concurrent, event drive and sequential processing algorithms for game objects. Fourth, students are introduced to the game development process of pre-production, production and post-condition phases and have them apply it to their own project. The topic of maintenance will be introduced with an emphasis on refactoring techniques, critical to improving the quality of game and providing flexibility for future updates. This course has a significant applied element. Game engine tools are used to develop prototypes of games and playtest them. Lab assignments are given throughout the semester and a final project requires students to demonstrate mastery of all aspects of the course.