This course will provide students with theory and practical skills in game engine design topic areas such as understanding the graphics pipeline as it influences engine design, hardware principles and the relationship to game engine design construction,

CIS568: Game Design Practicum

Instructor: Stephen Lane

Prerequisites:

CIS462/562: Computer Animation

CIS277 or CIS460/560: Computer Graphics

CIS564: Computer Game Design and Development

Co-requisites:

CIS564: Computer Game Design and Development

The objective of the game design practicum is to provide students with hands on experience designing and developing 3D computer games. Working in teams of three or four, students will brainstorm an original game concept, write a formal game design document then develop a fully functional prototype consisting of a playable level of the game. In addition to creation of original art and animation assets for the game, technical features to be designed and implemented include a novel game mechanic and/or user interaction model, game physics (i.e. particle systems and rigid body dynamics), character animation, game AI (i.e. movement control, path planning, decision making, etc.), sound effects and background music, 2D graphical user interface (GUI) design and optional multiplayer networking capabilities. Consistent with standard industry practices, game code and logic will be written using C++ and popular scripting languages such as Python and C#. State-of-the-art game and physics engine middleware also will be used to expose student to commercial-grade software, production methodologies and art asset pipelines. As a result of their game development efforts, students will learn first hand about the creative process, design documentation, object-oriented software design and engineering, project management (including effective team collaboration and communication techniques), design iteration through user feedback and play-testing, and most importantly, what makes a game fun to play.