CMI 3373 (Spring 2023)
A downloadable class
Let's Make Games Together
Weekly Tasks
Due Sundays by 11:59pm — Post gif to Work in Progress
Each week, in order to share what you've been working on, you'll record a short gif of your project in action to post on Teams.
Even the simplest thing is worth posting! Did you make a color changing circle? Post it! Did you figure out how to use a sprite? Post it! Is something totally broken and therefore funny but you plan to fix it? Post it!
Along with your GIF, tell us one accomplishment and one struggle from this past week. (Even just one sentence is fine.)
You're earning points for merely posting so don't worry about how "good" the work is.
Q: "Is this a ploy to get us to start our a few days before it's due?" A: Not entirely, but it's a positive side effect.
Due Thursdays by 11:59pm – Post "Game Snack"
Schedule
Week 1
In preparation: Read the syllabus and come to class!
January 11 (Wed.) 🔰 Dev Camp 1: What Code Does
We're getting started right away!
In-class: sign up for a p5.js account
Start Exercise #1: Draw at least three different shapes with different colors to the screen and get them to move in different directions. It's okay if they go offscreen and never come back.
January 15 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 2
In preparation: Read Anthropy and Clark Chapter 1 - Language and Miguel Sicart on "Game Mechanics"
January 16 (Mon.) MLK Day - No Class
Due Jan. 17 (Tues.) by 11:59pm — Exercise #1: Submit 'Moving Shapes' link to Teams assignment
January 18 (Wed.) 🔰 Dev Camp 2: Variables and Conditionals
Here's the sketch we made in class with the color changing rectangle: https://editor.p5js.org/bscomc/sketches/vVqTSJ47K
Start on Exercise #2: "Bouncing Ball"
January 19 (Thurs.) Game Snack #1
January 22 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 3
In preparation: Read Anthropy and Clark Chapter 2 - Verbs & Objects and Chapter 3 - Scenes
January 23 (Mon.) 🔰 Dev Camp 3: More Conditionals
Due Exercise #2: "A ball that bounces back and forth" (link due to Teams before class)
- Challenge 1: The ball hits the right side of the screen and then moves back to the left
- Challenge 2: The ball reverses direction each time it hits the edge of the screen
- Challenge 3: Use variables so you can change the diameter of the ball and it will always bounce when it touches the edge.
If you accomplish challenge 1, try out challenge 2! And, if you feel comfortable with challenge 2, try out challenge 3! (Due Monday to Teams Assignment before class)
January 25 (Wed.) 🔎 Simple Interactions
Start on Exercise #3: Click and hold the mouse button on a p5.play sprite to drag it around the cavnas. Then try to get it so if it overlaps with another big square, a score goes up. And then, if you're feeling adventerous, try to figure out a way so that the score only goes up one point until they stop overlapping. Kind of like a soccer ball scores only one point when it goes into the goal, despite physically being in the goal until the goalie picks it up and removes it.
January 26 (Thurs.) Game Snack #2
January 29 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 4
In preparation: Read from Williams' History of Digital Games Chatpter 3 on Early Commercialized Digital Games and watch "Design Icons: Space Invaders" (Game Maker's Toolkit)
January 30 (Mon.) 🔰 Dev Camp 4: Collisions / Click and Drag Due
February 1 (Wed.) - Class Cancelled (Snow Day)
Start on Exercise #4: "A spaceship that shoots"
February 2 (Thurs.) Game Snack #3
February 5 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 5
In preparation: Read from Williams' History of Digital Games Chapter 4 The Golden Age of Arcade. Then watch "What Pac-Man Brought to Game Design" (Game Maker's Toolkit)
February 6 (Mon.) 🖥️ Studio
Due Exercise #4: "A spaceship that shoots" (link due to Teams before class)
- Challenge 1: A little spaceship at the bottom and you can press spacebar to shoot missiles upwards
- Challenge 2: The spaceship moves left and right and shoots
- Challenge 3: Add in some little alien enemies (green squares are fine) to destroy with the missiles
February 8 (Wed.) 🔎 Analyzing Arcade Game Loops
In-class, we'll review Anthropy and Clark and then play some arcade games to think about what went into programming them.
Begin thinking about an idea for a little arcade game for your project.
February 9 (Thurs.) Game Snack #4
February 12 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 6
In preparation: Read Anthropy and Clark Chapter 4 - Context and watch Patrick Holleman's Game Design Extracts series on Arcade and Composite game design (stop when "Set Piece Design" is discussed at 15:22)
February 13 (Mon.) Verbs and Mechanics
Build a little game based on a verb.
February 15 (Wed.) 🔎 An Arcade-Style Foundation / 🔰 Game Manager
Time to get started on your Arcade Project!
February 16 (Thurs.) Game Snack #5
February 19 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 7
In prepration: Read Anthropy and Clark Chapter 6 - Resistance
February 20 (Mon.) 🖥️ Studio
Bring in a prototype of your arcade game's interaction. What's the player doing? What's one thing in the scene that we're interacting with?
February 22 (Wed.) 🔰 Graphics
February 23 (Thurs.) Game Snack #6
February 26 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 8
In preparation: Watch "Game Feel" from Game Makers Toolkit
February 27 (Mon.) 🔎 Arcade Game "Structurally" Complete & Game Feel
The first two rounds of your game should be complete. And finishing the first round should advance the player to the second round. Placeholder graphics are still fine but this is a good point to have assembled assets you would like to use.
March 1 (Wed.) 🖥️ Studio
March 2 (Thurs.) Game Snack #7
March 5 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 9
No readings this week.
March 6 (Mon.) 🖥️ Studio
March 8 (Wed.) (No Class)
✅ Arcade Game "Formally" Complete due to Itch and Teams for review by the end of the day (five levels that work)
You'll need an Itch.io account. (If you already have one from another class, you can use it!) You don't have to use your real name. Need inspiration for an account? Try the Game Studio Name Generator.
Instructions for uploading are here on Itch.
March 9 (Thurs.) No Game Snack.
March 13 (Mon.) SPRING BREAK
Week 11
No readings this week. Just work on your arcade game!
March 20 (Mon.) 🖥️ Studio
Finished arcade games are due to Itch.io and Teams by 11:59pm Tuesday. We'll play them in class.
March 22 (Wed.) Arcade Game Play Date
March 23 (Thurs.) No Game Snack.
March 26 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF (something from your completed game)
Week 12
In preparation: watch Jeremy Parish's Game Boy Retrospective. Then, watch a few videos from his Game Boy Works series.
March 27 (Mon.) 🔰 Introducing GB Studio
Make sure to bookmark the new GB Studio Resources Page on Itch. (You can also see it from the main wreckem.itch.io page )
March 29 (Wed.) 🔎 Analyzing Game Boy Games
Exercise due Monday April 3: Use Triggers to move an animated player actor from one room to another and back again. Add collision barriers to the tiles in the world. Mess around with other actors!
March 30 (Thurs.) Game Snack #8
April 2 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 13
In prepration: Watch How Graphics worked on the Nintendo Game Boy, and Sprite Analysis | Pokémon: Top-Down RPG Pixel Art, and Pixelart 101 FREE College Course "Game Boy"
April 3 (Mon.) 🔰 Introducing Pixel Graphics
April 5 (Wed.) No Class (Dr. S is at a Conference)
Start on the next GB Studio Challenge: Use Piskel and Tiled to make some art for a game! For Piskel, try either creating a character sprite from scratch or editing some existing ones. Try one static, one two frame animated, and then a six frame animated (using forward, upward, and right-facing states). The goal with Tiled to practice and get comfortable using the an existing tileset.
The video guide is posted to Teams.
April 6 (Thurs.) Game Snack #9
April 9 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 14
In preparation: Watch Super Mario 3D World's 4 Step Level Design and then read Chris Totten Zen and the Art of Retro Level Design in “Kudzu” GB Studio guide.
April 10 (Mon.) No Class (University Holiday)
April 12 (Wed.) 🔰 GB Studio Scripting
Submit your Piskel/Tiled practice to Teams by 3:00pm before class.
April 13 (Thurs.) Game Snack #10
April 16 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 15
In prepration: Read An Architectural Approach to Level Design Ch. 7: Storytelling in Gamespace by Chris Totten and watch Applying 3D Level Design Skills to the 2D World of Hyper Light Drifter
April 17 (Mon.) 🔭 Level Design
April 19 (Wed.) 🖥️ Studio
April 20 (Thurs.) Game Snack #11 (Optional)
April 23 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 16
In preparation: Watch "Downwell's Dual Purpose Design," then "The Secret of Mario's Jump (and other Versatile Verbs)"
April 24 (Mon.) 🖥️ Pairs Studio
April 26 (Wed.) 🖥️ Playtest
April 27 (Thurs.) Game Snack #12 (Optional)
April 30 (Sun.) #SharingSunday GIF
Week 17
May 1 (Mon.) 🖥️ Studio
May 8 (Final Projects Due)
