Syllabus
* A note on teamwork: It is expected that a student will work on the project for about a week (and not much longer). Each team has to include at least one CS student and one FA student. It is expected that CS students will contribute mainly to programming tasks and FA students to game design, computer graphics, testing and p. r. parts. It is expected that a student will attend the first and second lecture where the student teams are formed. Students from FA unable to make a team with a student from CS will not be allowed to participate in the course (and vice versa). *
1. Programming Tools of professional development: Visual Studio, Incredibuild, SourceSafe/CVS/SVN, wikis; team work, team roles Middleware: Overview of commonly used middleware solutions; when to program it and when to find it on the Net. Scripting languages: Role of scripting; Lua, Python & Comp.; connecting a script to the game properly Program design, development on consoles "Design Patterns" for computer games; communication with designers; differences when working on consoles; using specialized hardware Construct 2, UDK, Android, Facebook, FlashBuilder. *
2. Project management Asset Management Creating and maintaining configuration files; localization; patching People management Managing the project; project methodology (waterfall vs. iterative development, agile methodologies); communication with people *
3. Video game development Development cycle From the first idea to the first patch; who decides what goes where and when; financial models; finding a publisher Dirty words: PR, Marketing & Sales PR and marketing methods; working with media and community; publisher’s and developer’s role in marketing the game; pitching to a publisher *
4. Game design (primarily for FA students) What is game design? History and definition of the term "design" in the context of computer games. Difficulty and the player’s challenge. Why is difficulty important for game design and how it informs the games as a genre. Combat as the primary means of communication with the game. Narrative construction in games. *
5. Hosted lessons Artists in the game development teams (Roman Zawada) Designers in the game development teams (Viktor Bocan) Casual games (to be confirmed)
Annotation
The course gives a complex overview of computer games development. It will cover programming (middleware for games, scripting languages, etc.), game design, project management and game marketing.
This is a joint course for computer science students of Faculty of Mathematics and Physics (CS) and students of Faculty of Arts (FA). In the course, the students will create their own small game in small teams of 2-4 students.
The course will also introduce: HTML5, Flash, Android, and Unreal Development Kit. Several talks will be given by invited speakers from the gaming industry.