Giant

This week your prompt is to make a game using Giant as your source of inspiration. Have fun with this one! Be creative, let’s see some awesome games!

You also have your midterm failure analysis due. This will end up being a 2-3 page paper in which you discuss one of your prototypes and examine where it failed and what you could to do improve it.

Both the prototype and failure anaylsis paper are due on March 5 by 7PM. Please email the paper to me and post your prototype here.

As a reminder, we are not going to have class on March 5th since I will be out of town. You still have to turn your stuff in though, (so turn it in please)!

Since we won’t meet for 2 weeks and you don’t have anything due when we meet again after Spring Break I thought I’d take the opportunity to give you a chance to ask me some questions that you would like to discuss. You can either post them with your game or come to class with them on March 12.

Down

This week your prompt is down. I want you all to focus on making games that utilize down as the primary direction the player is going. Think about what it means to travel down and how that will make your game different than a game that travels from left to right or even bottom to top.

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!

Loop(s)

Your prompt for this week is Loop. For this assignment I want you to think about loops and how you can utilize this basic function of computing (and nature) to create a fun and interesting experience for the player. You can find the prompt document here.

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.

Economy

For your first prompt I want you to make a game that focuses on an economy system. You may do whatever you want as long as the game’s focus is on a system where the player gathers a resource and uses that resource to gain or purchase something else.

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!

Hello World 2

This week we are going to continue to focus on familiarizing ourselves with the tools in recommend you use by making a Hello World 2 game. To do this I recommend you either take the other tool and giving it a try or diving deeper by following one of the more advanced tutorials. As usual, the prototype is due by the start of next class Feb. 6 at 7:00PM.

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).

Let’s-A-Go!

 

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

It’s the End of the World (as you know 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].