Prerequisite: B100 or I101 or A201 or C112: a programming 1 course in any language.

Reference Books:

• D. Vrajitoru (2013): The 2D Games Journey, Creative Space. Kindle edition Print edition.
• A. Godbold, S. Jackson (2016): Mastering Unity 2D Game Development. 2nd Edition, Packt Publishing, or any recent Unity book.
• K. Salen, E. Zimmerman (2003): Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals, MIT Press.
• E. Angel (2008): Interactive Computer Graphics: A Top-Down Approach Using OpenGL, 5th edition, Addison Wesley, or any recent computer graphics reference book.

Grading system:

• About 10 homework assignments     20 points each
• Midterm essay     30 points
• Project or Final     50 points
• Class participation items     up to 30 points
• Achievements     up to 12 extra credit points

Note. Taking a final exam can be requested no later than the last lecture of the semester. Otherwise, an end of semester project will be expected.

Guidelines for assignments:

• •Game Engine: Godot, including its scripting language GDScript.
• The assignments, slides, and quizes will be posted to Canvas.
• The assignments are due at midnight of the due date.
• All assignments must be submitted to Canvas. Written homework can be scanned or typed using MS Word or other appropriate applications.
• No homework accepted after 1 week from the due date. A late homework loses 10% of the points per day, up to 50% of the points.
• Reasonable expectations concerning the program structure and clarity: functions should be commented and should not contain more than 20 lines of code. Multiple source files are expected when appropriate.
• All the assignments are individual. Consulting with colleagues is acceptable, but programs that are too similar can be penalized or rejected. No credit will be given for programs obtained from external sources unless explicitly allowed. Do not share significant parts of the assignments with classmates. Please consult my extended plagiarism policy in the general campus syllabus.

Course Outline

• Introduction, motivation, history of games
• Introduction to Godot and GDScript
• Game loop
• Terminology: mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics
• Game Objects, events in a game
• Reactive Games
• World/Map Representation
• Elements of a Graphical User Interface
• No Memory Games
• Animated Game Loops
• Object Selection Games
• Rules and Goals in a Game
• Sound Integration in a Game
• Elements of Game Design
• Project presentations

More Documentation

M. Morrison (2004): Beginning Game Programming, Sams.

A. Kirmse (2004): Game Programming Gems 4, Charles River Media.

M. Collins (2001): Linux game programming, Prima Tech.

J. R. Hall, Loki Software (2001): Programming Linux Games, Loki Software Inc., No Starch.

J. D. Funge (2004): AI for Games and Animation, A. K. Peters, Natick, Massachusetts.

J. H. Conway (2000): On Numbers and Games, 2^nd edition, A. K. Peters, Wellesley, Massachusetts.

G. Maestri (1999): Digital Character Animation 2, New Riders.