Intermediate Game Design & Development
USC School
Cinematic Arts, CTIN 484/CTIN 489
Instructor:
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Peter Brinson |
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peterbrinson AT gmail.com |
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SCA 210 M 10-1PM |
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Course
Description: This follow up to the classes, CTIN 488 Game Design Workshop
and CTIN 483 Introduction to Game Development, introduces students to more
advanced concepts in game design and development such as ideation, digital
prototyping, interface design, usability testing, team work, project scoping
and management. The main emphasis
of the class is on the conceptualization of innovative design goals and the
execution of those goals in the form of a complete, polished intermediate game
project.
This is a team-based studio class and a large part of the
class content will focus on critique and problem-solving for individual team
projects. The class will include
discussions on design and development topics, however, many class days will be
devoted to working on and critiquing team projects. As such, it is imperative that students treat the
development of their projects professionally and bring requested milestones to
class on time, ready to present.
Students will be expected to participate actively in all critique
sessions, giving and receiving feedback of the highest quality.
Students are responsible for forming their own teams within
the first three weeks of class.
Teams should preferably be two students, but no more than three. Those who do not find their own
partners will be assigned one by the instructors; Students may not work
alone. One of the core skills
required in game design and production is collaboration. You are encouraged to look outside of
existing friendships to find teammates whose skills counterbalance your
own: i.e. programmers should seek
out artists and vice versa.
Throughout this class, you are encouraged to take risks and
to look beyond the examples of existing game genres to try new and different
design ideas. At the same time,
you are also expected to fully complete an innovative small game, and so must take
into account the timeline of the course and the resources available to you to
complete the project.
You are encouraged to enlist the help of outside musicians,
sound designers and/or voice-over actors.
In addition, you may work with outside artists to add animation and
visual style to your project, however, you and your teammate must do all of the
game design and programming for your projects. Also, you must fairly credit all contributors to your project
and you may not use copyrighted material in your project unless the
material has been legally cleared for use. (See Student Production Office in
the lobby of the George Lucas Building for assistance with this process.)
Meeting
Information:
Interactive
Media Lab, G142 Main Room (below the Carson Stage)
MW 4-6PM
Units: 2/2
Pre-requisites: CTIN 488
or CTIN 541, CTIN 483
Grading:
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Class Participation & Attendance |
10 |
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Sell Sheet |
5 |
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Teamwork (includes UT partners meeting and presentation) |
15 |
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Digital Prototype/Playtesting Report 1 |
15 |
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Visual Design Assignment |
5 |
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Final Video |
15 |
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Final Build & Presentation |
35 |
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Total: |
100 |
Course
content (summarized by class meeting)
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Wk |
Monday |
Wednesday |
Project
Schedule |
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1 |
Course Overview, Expectations & Schedule Discussion:
Small games with big ideas, finding inspiration, setting interesting
design goals. Ideation assignment #1 given. |
Software discussion Ideation assignment #1 presentations in class; Ideation
assignment #2 given |
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Ideation Assignments |
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2 |
Martin Luther King Day: No Class |
Presentation of ideation assignment #2; Ideation assignment #3 given (form teams) |
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Ideation Assignments continued - Form
Production Teams |
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3 |
Finalize Teams; Present ideation #3 (team concepts) |
Project Scope & Planning, Design Plans Team meetings w/instructors to discuss plans for digital
prototype.
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Finalize Production Teams -
Present Concepts for Team Projects -
Scoping and planning for Digital Prototypes
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4 |
Present plans for digital prototypes (in CTIN 404, 6pm) |
Implementing Digital Prototypes |
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Prototype plans due -
Prototyping work in class - Assign
usability partners |
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5 |
Implementing Digital Prototypes |
Implementing Digital Prototypes |
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Prototyping work in class |
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6 |
PresidentÕs Day: No Class |
Preparing for Playtest 1: What to expect from a playtest; scheduling with usability
class. |
- Work
with usability partners |
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7 |
Interface Design Lecture: Clear Goals and Feedback |
Sound Design Lecture (need to confirm date) Check out on sound library |
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Playtesting of Prototypes (schedule times with usability partners). Game
installed 24 hours ahead for a grade.
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8 |
Visual Design Lecture: Look and Feel Visual Design assignment given |
Discussion:
Integrating player feedback; analysis of playtesting Scoping/scheduling exercise |
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Playtest 1 Reports Due - Visual
Design Assignment |
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9 |
Visual Design Critiques
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In-class production |
- Visual
Design Critiques |
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Spring Break: No Class |
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10 |
In-class production |
In-class production
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Production |
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11 |
Alpha Reviews – Guest Critique |
Preparing for Playtest 2: work with usability partners |
- Alpha
Build of Final Project Due - Work
with usability partners outside of class
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12 |
Meet w/instructors to review progress |
Meet w/instructors to review progress |
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Playtesting of Alphas (schedule times with usability class). Game
installed 24 hours ahead for a grade.
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13 |
Prioritization of Feedback, scheduling/re-scoping |
Implementation of Final Projects
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Playtest 2 Reports Due |
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14 |
In-class production UT presentations for five groups (6pm) |
In-class production |
Production |
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15 |
Demo builds loaded on presentation laptop UT presentations for other five groups (6pm) |
Project ÒPost-MortemÓ and class wrap-up Presentation of projects in final IMD seminar 6-8pm at Zemeckis Lab |
- Final
Builds of Project Due - Final
presentations |
More on the Assignments
Ideation
Assignments: The Ideation
exercises are meant to spark ideas for creating Òsmall gamesÓ with Òbig
ideas.Ó Students will work in
teams (not necessarily their final production teams) to create several sets of
ideas to be presented and critiqued in class. Student should use this ideation period to search out
creative partners with whom they would like to work over the course of the
semester. The final ideation
exercise will be done with the intention of generating production groups and
ideas for the semester-long project.
Forming
Teams: As noted
above, students must find their own production partners before week 3, or they
will be assigned a partner by the instructors. Based on the ideation concepts presented in weeks 1 and 2,
students should seek out team members with ideas that are interesting to
them. They should also bear in
mind the need to balance programming and visual design skills on each team. In week 3, these teams will be
formalized and concepts for the digital prototyping assignment for each team
will be approved.
Prototype
Plans: A large part
of this class is the opportunity to scope and manage a project from start to
finish. The prototype plans for
each teamÕs project will be an ongoing part of the management process. Prototype plans should detail the
underlying system design using sketches and flowcharts, and will evolve into
interface designs, media and task lists as required by the particular project. These plans should be amended as the
project progresses, to account for changes to the design and better
understanding of time and resource management.
Digital
Prototyping Assignment: These
rough working versions of projects will focus on getting the game mechanics up
and working so that they can be playtested in the Game Innovation Lab. The prototypes will not include
extensive art or animation, but will allow player control of the system and
easy designer access to important variables that can help tune the system
during playtesting.
Playtesting
Assignments: Students will
conduct two sets of formal playtests over the course of the semester –
although you are encouraged to playtest informally as well. For each test, the teams will work with
assigned partners from the usability class to prepare a test script, find
objective testers, conduct tests, and create a follow-up report evaluating the
results of the test and prioritizing changes to the design.
Visual
Design Assignment: The
purpose of the visual design assignment is to explore several very different
ideas for the look and feel of the game.
Students will create 3 very different design boards for review and
critique.
Reviews
& Critiques: In
addition to formal testing, projects will also undergo extensive peer review
and critiqued during the class sessions.
Students are expected to participate actively in both the giving and
receiving of feedback as a crucial part of the design process. These reviews will cover both creative
and technical aspects of the project.
Final
Project: Students are
expected to complete their game projects by the end of the semester. All interface art, characters,
environments, levels, etc. must be integrated into the studentsÕ working
prototypes in order to fully flesh out the user experience. Concept art that that has not been
integrated into the final build will not be considered as part of the project
grade. As such, it is very
important that the initial design process consider the scope of project
envisioned and the resources available.
The game project is expected to go through each of the production
milestones listed on the schedule, including: prototype, playtesting, approval for final project, alpha
review, usability testing, and final build. Projects that do not go through these milestones within the
class sessions will not be considered for submission of the Final Project.
Final
Presentations & Publication: The final deliverables for the
class are a finished game project that can be published to the Interactive
Media Division website. The class
will also present their final projects at the IMD Wednesday seminar on April 29th
from 6-8pm. Teams are required to
present. If there are conflicts
with this time, please let the instructors know ASAP. Presentations should consist of a concise explanation of core
game play, features, and innovative aspects of the project and a brief,
explanatory play-through.
Missing an Assignment Deadline, Incompletes:
The only
acceptable excuses for missing an assignment deadline or taking an incomplete
in the course are personal illness or a family emergency. Students must inform the professor
before the assignment due date and present verifiable evidence in order for a
make-up to be scheduled. Students
who wish to take incompletes must also present documentation of the problem to
the instructor or teaching assistant before final grades are due.
Attendance Policy:
Punctual
attendance at all classes is mandatory.
Students arriving late or leaving early will be marked absent from
class. The following guidelines
are from the Interactive Media Division handbook regarding absences and grading
and apply to all students.
Guidelines
for absences affecting grading
á Two
unexcused absences: lowers grade one full grade point
á Three
unexcused absences: lowers grade two full grade points
á Four or
more unexcused absences: request to withdraw from course (instructorÕs
discretion)
Excused
absences are:
á Illness
(with a doctorÕs verification)
á Family or
personal emergency (with verification)
Note for
students with disabilities:
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a
disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP)
each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be
obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to us as early in the
semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301, and is open 8:30am - 5:00pm
Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Academic
Integrity:
The School of Cinematic Arts expects the highest standards
of academic excellence and ethical performance from USC students. It is particularly important that you
are aware of and avoid plagiarism, cheating on exams, submitting a paper to
more than one instructor, or submitting a paper authored by anyone other than
yourself. Violations of this
policy will result in a failing grade band be reported to the Office of Student
Judicial Affairs. If you have any
doubts or questions about these policies, consult ÒSCAMPUSÓ and/or confer with
the instructor.