COMP 3821, Game Programming I

Prerequisites:

Algorithms and Data Structures (COMP 2370)

Grading:

Game Design Exercices: 20%
Torque Warmup: 10%
Project: 35%
Exam (May 16): 35%

Professor :

Scott Leutenegger
Office: JGH 119
Phone: 303.871.2821
Office Hours: Mon 1:30 - 2:30, Tue 2:00 - 3:30, or by appointment.

Teaching Assistant:

Dan Pittman
Office: JGH 321
Phone: 303.871.3297
Office Hours: Tue/Thu 11 - 2

Class Notes:

Notes-1
Notes-2
Notes-3
Notes-4
Notes-5
Notes-6
Notes-7
Notes-8
Notes-9
Notes-10
Notes-10.b
Notes-10.c

Game Design Exercises:

Due 4/2: Exercise 1
Due 4/9: Exercise 2
Due 4/16: Exercise 3

Project

Due 4/16: Phase 1
Due 5/02: Phase 2
Due 5/07: Millestone checkpoint
Due 5/14: Millestone checkpoint
Due 5/21: Millestone checkpoint
Due 5/28: Game Done
Due 5/30: Demo Day

Torque Warmup, Wed 4/18

The goal of this assignment is simply to learn more about creating games in torque so you are ready to create your game for the class. You may work in a group of two or by yourself. If you are working by yourself you have permssion to ask others questions and get help. In either case, just make sure you understand what you are doing!

Create a game of Tag. You should have 5 NPCs and you the player running around. You start out as "it". When you tag another NPC by running into them, they are it. You may choose to allow no tag backs, or at least no tag backs for enough time for you to run away. The NPC then must tag you or another NPC. You need someway to specify who is it (perhaps double the size of the player who is it?). Your NPCs should run with some sort of reasonable action. When they are it they certainly should try to chase down another. When not it they should certainly run away once the "it" person is within a certain distance of them.

Torque Examples

Blender and Blender/Torque

Other Useful Blender Links:

Blender
Blender Quickstart
Blender Snowman Tutorial
Blender Getting Started Tutorials

Other Useful Torque Links:

Torque Starter Tutorial
Torque Tutorials

Random Useful Links:

Some DTS files to use as place holder art
Some Textures (512x512 pixels)
RGB Color Value Table
Writing Game Rules
Gamasutra

Books:

Title: The Game Programming Guide To Torque
Author: Edward F. Maurina III
ISBN: 1-56881-284-1 Publisher: Garage Games Press

Title: Rules of Play
Author: Salen and Zimmerman
ISBN: 0-262-24045-9 Publisher: MIT Press