CS579/479

Jan 13, 2011

Spring 2011

CS479/579 Game Design and Development Spring 2011 Syllabus

Professor:
Dr. Karen Villaverde Office Hours: TUTR 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Email: Blackboard Office: SH 144 Phone: (575) 646-1609

Teaching Assistants:
Junjie Yan Office Hours: Bretton Murphy Office Hours: Email: Blackboard Office: SH Email: Blackboard Office: SH

Class Meetings:
The class will meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:10 pm to 2:25 pm in SH 118B. Class attendance and participation is mandatory.

Book: The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell. Overview:

We will cover most of the chapters of the book The Art of Game Design through students presentations. Everybody will present a chapter from the book. We will develop three computer game projects in Java using the Greenfoot game engine. This is a project/presentation based class. There are no exams.

Web site:
All information about this course (syllabus, grades, projects, links, etc.) will be available on-line on the course website through WebCT at http://salsa.nmsu.edu You are expected to check the content of the course web site at least two times a week.

CS579/479

Jan 13, 2011

Spring 2011

Topics: The following topics will be covered:

Chapter # Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Topic In the beginning, there is the designer The designer creates an experience The experience rises out of a game The game consists of elements The elements support a theme The game begins with an idea. The game improves through iteration The game is made for a player The experience is in the players mind. Some elements are game mechanics Game mechanics must be in balance Game mechanics support puzzles Players play games through an interface Experiences can be judged by their interest curves One kind of experience is the story Story and game structures can be artfully merged with indirect control Stories and games take place in worlds Worlds contain characters Worlds contain spaces The look and feel of a world is defined by its aesthetics Some games are played with other players Other players sometimes form communities The designer usually works with a team. The team sometimes communicates through documents Good games are created through playtesting The team builds a game with technology Your game will probably have a client The designer gives the client a pitch The designer and client want the game to make a profit Games transform their players Designers have certain responsibilities Each designer has a motivation

Projects: We will have three computer game projects in Java using the Greenfoot game engine. Project1 will
be an individual project. Project2 and Project3 will be team projects of 2 to 3 students each. The projects must be submitted through Blackboard email and must also posted on the Greenfoot gallery.

Dates: Projects are due on the following dates:

Project Project1 Project2 Project3 Due Date Thursday Feb 10, 2011 at 11:55 pm Thursday Mar 10, 2011 at 11:55 pm Thursday Apr 14, 2011 at 11:55 pm

CS579/479

Jan 13, 2011

Spring 2011

Grading:
Your grade in the course will be based on the grades you get in: Activity Class attendance Class discussion Presentation Project1 Project2 Project3 Percentage 10% 10% 20% 10% 20% 30%

Letter Grades:
Letter grades will be computed on the standard ten point scale: Percentage 90 % to 100% 80% to 89% 70% to 79% 60% to 69% 59% or below Letter Grade A B C D F

CS579/CS479 Grading Difference:

The projects and presentation quality of the students enrolled in CS579 will be graded using higher standards than that of students enrolled in CS479.

Policy on Classroom Behavior:

MP3 players and cell phones must be turned off during class. If your job requires that you be on call during class time, please speak with me. Other devices or behaviors that are disruptive to the class learning process are also prohibited (for example: eating, drinking, doing homework, reading the newspaper, checking personal email, text chatting, watching videos, web browsing, etc). On the first occurrence, you will be asked to leave the classroom. Repeated occurrences may result in expulsion from the class.

Withdrawals:
If you decide to withdraw from the course, you are responsible for ensuring that all steps are taken to formally withdraw. Do not assume that you will be dropped automatically.

Incomplete:
The grade of I (incomplete) may be given only if you are unable to complete the course due to documented circumstances beyond your control that develop after the last day to withdraw from the course. Appropriate circumstances include illness and death or crisis in your immediate family. Consult the university catalog for regulations regarding the I grade. In no case will an I grade be assigned to avoid a grade of D or F in the course.

CS579/479

Jan 13, 2011

Spring 2011

S/U option:
If you elect to be graded under the S/U option, you must declare your intention when registering for the course. All work in the class will be graded in a manner identical to that for students choosing the letter grade option. At the end of the semester, your final letter grade in the course will be used to assign either an S or an U. You must achieve a minimum grade of C in order to receive a grade of S.

Academic Conduct:
The guidelines for academic conduct are stated in the University catalogs. Any violations of the code will result in a grade of F for the course, in addition to any further sanctions imposed by the university. Unless explicitly stated by the professor, you are assumed to perform the assigned work by yourself, without any external collaboration. Note that a person copying an assignment is guilty of a violation of academic conduct, as is the person from whom the assignment was copied.

Students with Disabilities:

If you have or believe you have a disability, you may wish to self-identify. You can do so by providing documentation to the Office for Services for Students with Disabilities, located at Corbett Center, Room 244 (phone: 646-6840). Appropriate accommodations may then be provided for you. If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the director of Disabled Student Programs. If you have general questions about the Americans with Disabilities ACT (ADA), call 646-3333. As an instructor I will receive specific written guidelines for appropriate accommodations for individual students from the Coordinator of Disabled Student Programs. Students will be given accommodations for disabilities as requested by the Coordinator.

Disclaimer:
The information in this syllabus is provided on a good faith basis. If in my judgment things need to be changed, they will be changed. Any changes will be announced in class.

CS579/479

Jan 13, 2011

Spring 2011

Page intentionally left blank

CS579/479

Jan 13, 2011

Spring 2011

January 2011
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

13 CLASS STARTS 16 23 30 17 24 31 18 GREENFOOT 25 CHAPTER2 19 26 20 CHAPTER1 27 CHAPTER3

14 21 28

15 22 29

February 2011
Sunday Monday Tuesday 1 CHAPTER4 6 13 7 14 8 CHAPTER6 15 GAMES PRESENTATIONS 22 CHAPTER9 Wednesday 2 9 16 Thursday 3 CHAPTER5 10 PROJECT1 DUE CHAPTER7 17 CHAPTER8 Friday 4 11 18 Saturday 5 12 19

20 27

21 28

23

24 CHAPTER10

25

26

March 2011
Sunday Monday Tuesday 1 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 Spring Break 28 CHAPTER11 Wednesday 2 9 16 23 Spring Break 30 Thursday 3 CHAPTER12 10 PROJECT2 DUE CHAPTER14 17 CHAPTER15 24 Spring Break 31 CHAPTER17 Friday 4 11 18 25 Spring Break Saturday 5 12 19 26

8 CHAPTER13 15 GAMES PRESENTATIONS 22 Spring Break 29 CHAPTER16

April 2011
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 3 10 17 24 4 11 18 25 5 CHAPTER18 12 CHAPTER20 19 GAMES PRESENTATIONS 26 CHAPTER23 6 13 20 27 7 CHAPTER19 14 PROJECT3 DUE CHAPTER21 21 CHAPTER22 28 CHAPTER24 8 15 22 29 Saturday 2 9 16 23 30

May 2011
Sunday 1 Monday 2 Finals Week Tuesday 3 Finals Week Wednesday 4 Finals Week Thursday 5 Finals Week Friday 6 Finals Week Saturday 7