New York University
Tisch School of the Arts
Intro to Game Production 1
Course Syllabus – Spring 2009
H95.1601.001 (Undergrad Students) / H95.2601.001 (Grad Students)
4 credits
Course Creator: Jean-Marc Gauthier
Instructor: Peter Birdsall
Email: pfb206@nyu.edu
Google Groups address: nyu-gaming-prod-class@googlegroups.com
Thursdays 2:00pm 721 Broadway, Room 944
Lab Blocks: Mondays/Wednesdays 6:00pm-9:00pm
Instructor Office Hours: Mondays 6-9 (in Lab)
ASSIGNMENTS:
Week 1:
Reading: Text from Roger Caillois “Man, Play and Games”
Assignment: Create a video tutorial explaining the rules of a board game. Videotape a group of people playing a board game (one that involves taking turns) for example
"Risk" or "Villa Plalladio". Record the game play, the game flow, and interactions
between players. Present your video footage as a short tutorial about the game.
Week 2:
Reading: Choose Borges " The Library of Babel" or “The Garden of Forking Paths”
Assignment: Draw a digital flat plan and build a cardboard three dimensional structure according to the description in one of Borges texts "The Library of Babel" or “The Garden of Forking Paths”. Choose only one text. Borges texts outline game design principles taking place inside labyrinths. Create versions of the same labyrinth as a 2D flat drawing and as a three dimensional physical model. Explore spatial experiences and choices that may be offered to players. This is a team assignment, though solo is permissible if preferred.
Week 3:
Reading: "Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals" by Katie Salen, Eric Zimmerman
-This text is availabile via BobCat at
BobCat
• Ch. 7 - Defining Games
• Ch. 8 - Defining Digital Games
• Ch. 11 - Defining Rules
SHORT Writing Assignment:
Choose an existing game that could be described in the following list
• Treasure hunting
• Mission completing a mission before someone else who wants to achieve the same thing.
• Capture the flag
• Speed game give each team tactical objectives to achieve during the match and the first
team to do so wins
• Co-op mode where players work together and help each other to complete a mission
Make note of game’s rules and the context of the game. Describe two scenes and the nature
of the challenges encountered by the player. Define the player's short term and
long term goals. Draw a tree of possibilities. Make reference to the lecture and/or reading material.
Production Assignment: The assignment includes the following steps in order to create a gaming environment:
1- In Photoshop, creating simple top and side views (digital pictures or drawings) of the physical model of gaming environment.
• We covered this in class today. Remember: perform this step in Photoshop, NOT Illustrator
2- In Maya, extract paths and import the curves in Maya.
Download Tutorial - creating a terrain for storytelling.
• this is what we covered today in class
• Remember: do this tutorial up through the 3D Paint step. Do NOT do the lighting/VirTools portion - we will cover that in the next lecture.
Week 4:
Assignment recap/reminder.... we looked at 2 tutorials:
http://www.tinkering.net/pdf/pathmaya2virtools.pdf - Creating 3D terrain, alternate technique, paths in Maya
http://www.tinkering.net/pdf/maya2virtools.pdf - Creating a 3D racetrack in maya, paths in VirTools
The first tutorial was done in class as a demo - you aren't on the hook for a deliverable with this, but should practicethe geometry sculpting technique and the curve generation tools.
Production Assignment:The second tutorial is what you will be generating this week's deliverable off of. We did the Maya portion in class, and will attempt the VirTools portion in lab. Consequently, you will not be responsible for the VirTools portion this coming Thursday, but will be expected to have the Maya portion completely done and ready for export.
The Perrault reading handed out in class (and available at http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0333.html) is worth the read for its vivid description of a scenario laid out in branching time/space - think about it in the context of a Tree of Possibilities, as well as in terms of the physical layout of the terrain described. However, contrary to what is stated in the syllabus, you will not be turning in work based directly off of this story.
Week 5:
Writing Assignment: Creating a level design document
Before commencing the production portion of this week's assignment, create a level design document describing in detail the space that you intend to create and outlining a sequence of goals organized along one or several paths inside the game. The document will show how to map elements of narration on visual and audio elements of your game. Referencing the gaming environment you are generating for the production portion of this assignment, create a written scenario for the sequence of goals that the player will pursue, likely (but not necessarily) organized along a path. The text will be illustrated with 2D drawings (traditional or Photoshop) and with screen captures taken in the camera viewpoint. If you construct any physical models as per our earlier assignment, please include pictures even if they wind up being slightly different from your digital environment - physical models are always worthwhile for a design document OR a designer's portfolio.
Production Assignment: Creating a level design document
In Maya and Virtools, Create a labyrinthine game environment utilizing techniques learned to date. Based on your 2D documentation and level design doc, create a 3D game level comprising discrete spaces and obstacles and lay the groundwork for what will evenutally become a game based on the geometry of the space. Exercise creativity - the labyrinth can be a traditional Pac-Man-esque set of walls and corridors, or something more exotic (trees? waterways? blood vessels? circuitry? etc. etc.)
As part of the digital model, you may utilize your existing 3D terrain in some fashion or start fresh. Create a player object and place it under player control. Create a sequence of enclosed spaces and and make them constrain the player object utilizing the simple 2D grid collision system reviewed in this week's tutorial. Think about the eventual placement of 3d objects, textures and sound nodes that the player can perceive as part of the level design (and document these in the writing assignment). Explore several options and possibilities. As we have not yet explored object modeling in detail, you can use 3D primitives such as cubes/spheres/pac-men shapes as placeholders
Reading Assignment: Reading: Text from Pierre Molyneux, creator of “Black and White” and “Fable”
Week 6:
Portfolio Assignment: Prepare a first-draft portfolio presentation of the game-design work that you created so far for this class
Basically, neaten up your work. Type up anything handwritten. Try to present in a common format. Include screenshots of digital work. This is in preparation for the Portfolio Review before Spring Break.
Production Assignment: Creating a level design document
1-Model and rig for animation a simple 3D character. Build a character’s identity and design the environment surrounding a character’s ‘life‘. This can be a new and separate digital environment, or an extension of the level you designed last week with placeholder characters. Ideally, the cg work should be preceded by sketches and/or documentation showing your development process- valuable material for inclusion in the Portfolio.
Reference tutorials about creating a basic Pacman character and
a biped character\\
Optional: check the first part of the tutorial about the character “go to” behavior. This will provide an alternate, click-based mechanism for moving your character around, if you so desire.
2– Using the character and its small environment, demonstrate game mechanics using character movement and collision detection in Virtools, expanding on the ideas from last week's deliverable.
Reference Tutorial game mechanics - collisions
Week 7 - Midterm Portfolio:
As you know from class, this week's assignment is the production of your Midterm Portfolio for in-class review next week. The template for the presentation of your Final Project game idea is attached to this email - that same template, suitably modified, can be used as a baseline for the Portfolio if you so desire (or, feel free to use your own design.) To recap some particulars:
- The Portfolio should include the following sections (or some variant thereof, so long as there is an equivalent amount of work shown.) Not all portfolios will necessarily include all sections:
-Game Overview/Description
-Level Design/Modeling
-Pre-Production - scenario diagrams, sketches, models, etc.
-Game Mechanics
-Paths and Pathing
-Character Design/Modeling
-Character Rigging and Animation
- You may utilize any permutation of the work you have done in class to date, as well as new work produced expressly for this Review -- feel free to emphasize your best work, and deemphasize material that you are less than thrilled with
- Each section should be illustrated with scans of paper-work, 2D digital illustrations, photographs and (most crucially) screen captures - as appropriate
- Please present the Portfolio both on paper and digitally
- Please be prepared to demo any of the work documented in the Portfolio
The Portfolio will be reviewed in class on Thursday March 12th. Our guest for the day, Frank Lantz of the NYU Gaming Center, will contribute to the review process. The Portfolio review, along with your individual grades for each interim assignment, will account for the first 40% of your final grade.
These grades will be made available immediately after Spring Break.
TUTORIALS in pdf format:
basic Maya object modeling
creating a basic Pacman character and
a biped character
animating simple walk cycles
the character “go to” behavior
interactive character moving inside a high resolution rendering of a landscape
game mechanics - collisions
Creating a ride and export Maya to Virtools.
creating a terrain for 3D games.
creating a terrain for storytelling. The terrain is generated from several imaginary 2D maps in order to create
environments for several moments of a story.
Introduction to Autodesk Maya
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This class exposes students to the creation of games, exploring the relationships between play, design and interaction. Students observe the "look and feel" of games before creating prototypes and demos of their own including rules of game play and simple interactivity. During the second part of the class, students work in teams in order to create a computer game using elements of programming and game design, characters, visuals, animations, sounds and player interaction.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- create an immersive experience, a player's experience inside of a game
- sketch up the conceptual design of a game in relationship with rules, game play,
- game flow, and interactivity
- develop a narrative for a game
- extend a narrative into visual and sound environments
- program interactive scripts and objects with behaviors
- design game characters that include interactive animations, goals and dialogues
- design an interactive interface
- conduct user testing
- work in teams
- produce fast prototypes of games
GRADING
- Weekly production assignments and presentation of portfolio on week 9 40%
- Reading assignments posted on the class blog 30%
- Final project 30% starting on week 9, rapid prototyping due on week 11, final prototype due on week 14
TEACHING STYLE
Each class is divided in three sections: lecture, tutorial and review of student assignments. The class focuses on concepts, ideas and input from students. The software and technical demos presented in class are available on the lab workstations. The tutorials can be downloaded in pdf format. They are also covered in-depth during the weekly one-hour-tutorial. I spend at least one hour every week with each team of students. Student reading and viewing assignments are posted on the class wiki on the day the assignment is given in class. Discussion of the readings and course material will play a major role.
TEAM-WORK
This class encourages team work based on collaborative work and interdisciplinary teams. Although the work is collective, the contribution of each member remains identifiable.
SYLLABUS Intro to Game Production
COURSE DRIVE
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class/KEY!
directory": 2009 Game Class
Create a subdirectory: First Initial_LastName
Extras:
VirTools Handbook A blog devoted to VirTools troubleshooting
Todd Shelton Virtools Export Tutorial An excellent external tutorial on exporting from Maya to Virtools
Maya Data Management PluginHelps with moving projects between workstations
GAMEHEADZ A Look At the History of Video Gaming