index.html

<h1 id="cs4730---game-design">CS4730 - Game Design</h1>
<h2 id="course-introduction-slides"><a name="introduction"></a>Course Introduction Slides</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="./00-courseIntro.pptx">Introduction to Course</a>: Introduction to the course, grading structure, etc.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="slides"><a name="introduction"></a>Slides</h2>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="./WhatIsAGame.pptx">What is a game?</a>: What is a game? What are the defining features of games? Let’s think about this and a few related issues.</p>
<ul>
<li>Reading: <a href="../readings/Bartle_1996.pdf">Bartle’s Player Types</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><p><a href="./HistoryOfGames.pptx">History of Games</a>: A brief history of gaming from the 1970s through today. A brief discussion of how the design of games has changed over the years.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Let’s Play Super Metroid</em>: No slides for this one.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/g134/the-100-greatest-video-games-of-all-time/?slide=62">This list</a> has SM as 39th best game of all time. <a href="https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/12/1/16707720/the-500-best-games-of-all-time-100-1">This one</a> has it 10th. Obviously not all lists even include it, but it is widely considered to be a classic.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/HugoBille/20120114/90903/The_Invisible_Hand_of_Super_Metroid.php#:~:text=The%20design%20of%20Super%20Metroid,clearly%20meant%20to%20be%20played.">Super Metroid Analysis</a>: A breakdown of many of the design elements of this game. We will hit most of these when we play through the game.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><p><em>Let’s Play Celeste (with Ryan Kann)</em>: No slides for this one.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeste_(video_game)">Wikipedia</a> lists several awards and accolades for this game.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><p><a href="./MDA.pptx">MDA</a>: Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics in games. Let’s start formalizing our discussion of how games are organized, designed, and discussed.</p>
<ul>
<li>Reading: <a href="../readings/MDA.pdf">Original MDA Paper</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><p><a href="./FormalElements.pptx">Formal Elements of Games</a>: A discussion/breakdown of the formal elements of games.</p>
<ul>
<li>Reading: <a href="../readings/fullerton-2008-formal-elements.pdf">Formal Elements Chapter</a> from Tracy Fullerton.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><p><a href="./GameArchitecture.pptx">The Game Loop</a>: Short introduction to the game loop, frames per second, dealing with time in games, etc.</p>
<ul>
<li>Reading: <a href="https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2167437&amp;seqNum=2">Short discussion of game loop architectures</a>. Make sure to click through to pages 2, 3, and 4 for more info.</li>
</ul></li>
<li><p><a href="./Sprites.pptx">Sprites and Transforms</a>: Discussion of Sprites, their properties, coordinate spaces and converting between them, and affine transforms in games.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./DisplayHierarchy.pptx">Display Hierarchy</a>: Discussion of display trees and how transforms are used to create hierarchical behavior in games.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./CharacterDesign.pptx">Character Design</a>: Short discussion regarding character controls and programming.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./EnemyDesign.pptx">Enemy Design</a>: Description of designing enemies and NPCs using state machines.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./CollisionDetection.pptx">Collision Detection</a>: The basics of detecting and resolving collisions in games.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./ObserverDesignPattern.pptx">Events</a>: Software design of event systems and how they relate to game development.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./LevelDesign.pptx">Level Design</a>: Ruminations on the design of levels with examples.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./ActionInteraction.pptx">Actions and Interactions</a>: Actions and interactions in games.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./GameBalancing.pptx">Game Balance</a>: Overview of reinforcement/feedback, stability, and how to balance games.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="./ProbabilityAndRisk.pptx">Randomness</a>: Overview of how randomness plays a role in game design.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="other"><a name="introduction"></a>Other</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="./dailyAnnouncements.pptx">Daily Announcements</a>: Lecture announcements will appear here as they build up during the semester.</li>
</ul>