1 CS134: Innovating Game Development A Course in Games Technology Chad Jenkins Assistant Professor Dept. of Computer Science Brown University
2 Research and Development (R&D) for Games! What entity is responsible for much of the research and development that has led to today s games?! That is, graphics pipelines, computing architectures, networking, artificial intelligence, display technology, etc.
3 Research and Development (R&D) for Games! What entity is responsible for much of the research and development that has led to today s games?! The military! Tennis for two (1958) Interesting story on the post World War II evolution of R&D http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8769863 Spacewar! (1961)
4 What is Games Research? Game design: device-independent game mechanics Game development (D): implementing specific games Games technology (R): innovating basic technology! Graphics, AI, computing, networks, interfaces, physics! Theory, prog. lang., biomechanics, neuro
5 What is Games Research? Game Content (e.g. story, models characters, scripts) Game Design Technical Constraints Practical Knowledge Game Engine (e.g. Torque, Wii Unreal, Ogre) Systems Integration Game Technology (e.g. computing, display, network, AI, physics) User Gameplay (via console or arcade) Game Reviews Game Development Performance Statistics Games Research Interactive (Virtual) World Developed Game (e.g. Halo, Madden, Mario, Gran Turismo) Basic Research (e.g. scientific exploration)
6 Games = Storytelling (Interactively)! People play games to have fun and escape reality Middle-earth does not exist You are likely not NBA or Top Gun material although it is fun to pretend! Technology improves story, but does not replace it
7 Course Objectives! All about making a technologically novel game! Capstone course use your cumulative knowledge to design and implement an open-ended project! Final deliverable compelling game demo in a distributable form intellectual merit with catchy aesthetics! Prerequisites CS 32, 36, or written permission More exactly, near completion of your concentration
8 Course Staff! Instructor Chad Jenkins (cjenkins), hours MW 10-11! HTA Korhan Bircan (kbircan) contact for game engine and tool support! TAs Scott Daniel (sadaniel) Neehar Reddy (neehar)
9 Course Structure! Case Studies What makes a game innovative?! Onepagers Brainstorming game ideas.! Preliminary Projects Quick familiarity with standard game engines and tools! Course Project Develop and integrate a novel game technology! External Speakers How to put innovation into practice?
10 Course Resources! Mailing list: cs134@list.cs.brown.edu make sure you subscribe! Support for some game engines and tools /course/cs134/lib! Handouts and textbook available in course directory /course/cs134/pub! and course webpage: www.cs.brown.edu/courses/csci1340
11 Course Resources! Document handin and feedback via MyCourses mycourses.brown.edu! Extra directory space for project and assignments location: TBD Implementation handin will occur in project space
12 Course Textbook! McGuire & Jenkins, Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology, working draft, AK Peters 2008.! Covers process of game development and mechanics, and some enabling technologies! You will be responsible for reading this own your own.! Selected topics will be discussed in class. Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology
13 Lessons from CS 196-2, Spring 2006! A wide range of guest speakers Industry: Harmonix, Mad Doc, Ironlore, Demiurge, etc. Academia: databases, NPR, biofeedback, game theory! Take away messages New technologies work properly at 50%-85% Mask technological shortcomings with gameplay Leverage external systems/libraries ( NIH syndrome ) Build a simple version first; then refine Start early, you have less than 4 months
14 Grading
15 Grading Starting next week, class meetings will be devoted exclusively to presenting case studies. SIGN UP FOR PRESENTATION SLOTS NOW!!! Written submission via MyCourses. Format outline on cs134 webpage.
16 Grading Starting next week, 2 onepagers are due every Friday via MyCourses Format outline on cs134 webpage.
17 Grading Introductory assignments will be covered during TA sessions. We support Ogre, Irrlicht, and XNA. Other engines require approval.
18 Grading Proposal describes your class project and has a rough working prototype. Must be approved by spring break Written submission and sta" feedback via MyCourses. Format outline on cs134 webpage.
19 Grading Two graded implementation due dates. Intermediate prototype has full integration with incomplete components. Final implementation is the final working game. Public demos of final games
20 Grading Final report for the project outlining pros/ cons of project, lessons learned, and technical detail of innovative contributions
21 Grading Ask questions and provide weekly progress reports on your project.
22 Grading Turn your work in on time or we will apply significant late penalties. Collaboration: Case studies and onepagers are to be done individually. Other work can be collaborative. External sources must be cited!
23 D. Dadush C. Swepson J. Perez N. Mehta Noteworthy Games from Spring 2006 B. Lees E. Taylor M. ten Bosch
24 Swordplay D. Ignatoff, M. Katzourin, L. Quirk! Swordfighting/ spellcasting game! Vanquish as many hostiles as possible! 2 6DOF wands in CAVE display! Innovation Incorporation of symbol recognition M. Katzourin, D. Ignatoff, L. Quirk, J. LaViola, O. Jenkins, Swordplay: Innovating Game Development through VR", IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, pp. 15-19, November/December, 2006.
25 Sword and Shield Interface Concept Prototype Final
26 Bow and Arrow Interface Concept Final
27 Spellcasting Interface Concept Final
28 Upcoming Schedule! Friday: games technology fast forward global illumination, learning algorithms, physical simulation, transaction processing, speech recognition, peek-a-boom, inertial sensing, exercise-based gaming, multi-core programming, etc.! Next week: case study presentations remember to sign up to present your selected game outlines are in the course directory