As always, your digital prototype is due by 7:00 PM before class begins on Feb. 27 in the comments section of this post.

Next week we will also be discussing your midterm so please attend class!

As usual, this prototype is due by the beginning of class on Feb. 20. Please remember to turn in your file as a .exe or an html file so we can easily play them in class.

I would also like you to read this article by Spellunky creator Derek Yu entitled “Finishing A Game“. We will talk about it in class so please be prepared to discuss it. You can find it by following the link or simply by going to the readings page.

If you have any questions please email me.

If you have any questions you can email me or post your question in the comment section of this post.

Your prototype is due by the beginning of class on Feb. 13. Please remember to turn in either a .exe or an html 5 file so that we can play them in class. Try to keep scope in mind and think about what you can accomplish so you don’t bite off more than you can chew!

Happy prototyping!

Try and have fun with this one and show me a bit of your game design skills. Don’t be afraid to go beyond the tutorial and add some things or play with it a bit.

I forgot to mention it in class, but I also have a reading I would like you to take a look at. We’ll go over it a bit briefly in class next week, so please be familiar with it. It’s a write up on creativity, and you can find it here or on the readings page.

It also would not be a bad idea to take a look at some of the news that is being generated by Spry Fox suing 6Waves LOLAPPS over their apparent copying of Triple Town. We’ll probably take the opportunity to talk about copyrights since its a timely topic at the moment and we have a great example of what appears to be copyright infringement (Triple Town vs. Yeti Town).

Welcome to a new semester of Rapid Prototyping for Digital Games (ATEC 4367).  I’m looking forward to a great semester filled with lots of great prototypes.

First of all, I want to turn your attention to the resource page, where everything you need to get started is located. I have provided links to all of my recommended game creation tools along with some tutorials to help you get started on your journey. You can also find the class syllabus there or simply click on this link to download it.

Your first assignment (The Hello World Game) is due by 7:00 PM on January the 29th in the comments section of this blog post. If you post the prototype and don’t see the post show up right away, don’t freak out. I have to approve new posters so it might take a minute or two.

Your first reading assignment can be found on the Readings page or by clicking this link. It’s a post done by the original Experimental Gameplay Project team that this class is based off of and should shed some light on why some of the processes are the way they are. Have this read by the beginning of class next week and be ready to discuss it

Rubric for the Final - This has what you’ll need for the 2-3 page Pitch Document. LOOK AT IT!

So, I’m dumb. Really dumb. I made a mistake and I apologize for it. Your finals are not due on the 19th. The last day of finals is on Dec. 14th so your finals are actually due on the 12th, not the 19th like I originally thought. Somehow in the shuffle of things I managed to convince myself (and put on my syllabus) that our class final was on the 19th. This is not the case.

The good news is that means next class is the last day of class (yay!). The bad news is I need everyone to turn in their prototype before the 19th so I can get grades in on time (boo!). Due to this I need everyone to come to class on Dec. 12th so that I know everyone is aware of the situation at hand. It will be a short class but your attendance is VITAL.

To make up for the fact that I am an idiot I am going to let you turn in your final prototype and 2-3 page pitch document by midnight on December 18th. You also no longer have to give a 3 minute presentation of your game and I will no longer be grading you on completing your 3rd milestone or requiring you to write a post mortem about your game.

So, just to sum up all this, your final prototype and 2-3 page pitch document must be posted to this post’s comment section by midnight on Dec. 18. Our last class is December 12th and I want everyone to be there so that I know you all understand what is going on and can get any questions answered.

Again, I apologize for the mix up and confusion. This has been a rather interesting semester for me (and probably all of you) so I’m sorry if I have seemed a bit unprepared or unprofessional.

If you have any questions email me [jacob(DOT)naasz(AT)gmail(DOT)com].

Please post your first milestone in the comment section of this post before class. If you want people to play your prototype and give you feedback please say so in your post. I think it goes without saying, but if someone asks for feedback give them some.

The end is in sight! You’ve made it this far now and now you get to do the fun stuff. For your final project you are going to be reworking one of your eight prototypes into a polished prototype that you will present to the class for your final. If you are not sure which one you would like to work on come with a few ideas and we’ll figure it out.

To prepare for this I will be meeting with each of you one on one next class to discuss which project you want to do and the direction you want to go with it. Those of you that were in class on Monday signed up for a time to meet with me. Those of you that weren’t there, I assigned you a time below. You only have to show up for your hour block, but be on time! I will barely have enough time to get to everyone so I cannot stress punctuality enough. I will add the list to the end of the post in case you have forgotten when you signed up. I cannot stress how important punctuality is for this weeks class. PLEASE be on time to your hour block.

We will be discussing which game you want to work on for the next three weeks and set out your milestones that you will deliver on for the following classes. Be thinking about what you want to do with your game and how you can deliver on it. You are setting the pace which will determine your grade. Put some thought in it or you’ll make yourself look silly.

Also, please be thinking about these questions concerning your prototype. I will be asking them to you so have answers prepared.

1. What do you want the player to experience when playing your game? - answering this question will help you focus your design and guide you when you need to make cuts and decisions about your game
2. Who will be playing your game? – remember that it is important to think about your audience. You can make a game much harder to play to various groups through game mechanics or content.
3. What do you want to improve about your game? – each prototype has good and bad things all of which could be improved. How are you going to do that?
4. What are you going to add to your game? – the polished prototype should be about a 3+ minute experience. If you make a 30 second experience that keeps me wanting to play over and over that qualifies in my book as 3+ minutes. How are you going to achieve that?
5. Can you describe your game to me in 30 seconds? – if the answer is no then you need to trim the fat. Content and story are nice, but you need to be able to clearly state what your game is to someone. Remember the elevator speech!

Bonus Question: How are you going to get people to play your game? - Getting people to play your games is just as important as making them. How or where would you go to get people to play it?

One-on-One signup

Order is not as important as being in class during your time block. Please be on time!

7:00-8:00

• 7:00 – Chris Petit
• 7:10 – Max Preaux
• 7:20 – Michael Sanford
• 7:30 – Bradford Williams
• 7:40 – Leighton Luckey
• 7:50 – Carlos Avila

8:00 – 9:00

• 8:00 – Zack Duffer
• 8:10 – Jonathan Buchanan
• 8:20 – Tyler Kuhlman
• 8:30 – Chris Casey
• 8:40 - Austin House
• 8:50 – John Hoffman

9:00 – 9:45

• 9:00 – Michael Howell
• 9:10 – Kyle Mathis
• 9:20 – Open for further discussion if needed
• 9:30 - Open for further discussion if needed
• 9:40 - Open for further discussion if needed

Your prompt this week is Wedding. Like last week, this one is more open ended to challenge you to push the boundaries of what games are and mean to you. I look forward to playing your prototypes when you turn them in by the beginning of class on Nov. 21 at 7PM.

As was mentioned before, please be thinking about which prototype you are going to make into your final project. For those of you who have missed a few of the assignments you are only allowed to pick from the prototypes you turned in. We will discuss the final more in the coming class so this is more of a heads up than anything else.

As usual, your prototype is due by the beginning of class (7PM) on Nov. 14.