Intermediate Game Design & Development

USC School Cinematic Arts, CTIN 484/CTIN 489

Instructor:

Peter Brinson

 peterbrinson AT gmail.com

SCA 210 M 10-1PM

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:

Class Participation & Attendance	10
Sell Sheet	5
Teamwork (includes UT partners meeting and presentation)	15
Digital Prototype/Playtesting Report 1	15
Visual Design Assignment	5
Final Video	15
Final Build & Presentation	35
Total:	100

 Course content (summarized by class meeting)

Wk	Monday	Wednesday	Project Schedule
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	- Ideation Assignments
2	Martin Luther King Day: No Class	Presentation of ideation assignment #2; Ideation assignment #3 given (form teams)	- Ideation Assignments continued - Form Production Teams
3	Finalize Teams; Present ideation #3 (team concepts)	Project Scope & Planning, Design Plans Team meetings w/instructors to discuss plans for digital prototype.	- Finalize Production Teams - Present Concepts for Team Projects - Scoping and planning for Digital Prototypes
4	Present plans for digital prototypes (in CTIN 404, 6pm)	Implementing Digital Prototypes	- Prototype plans due - Prototyping work in class - Assign usability partners
5	Implementing Digital Prototypes	Implementing Digital Prototypes	- Prototyping work in class
6	President’s Day: No Class	Preparing for Playtest 1: What to expect from a playtest; scheduling with usability class.	- Work with usability partners
7	Interface Design Lecture: Clear Goals and Feedback	Sound Design Lecture (need to confirm date) Check out on sound library	- Playtesting of Prototypes (schedule times with usability partners). Game installed 24 hours ahead for a grade.
8	Visual Design Lecture: Look and Feel Visual Design assignment given	Discussion: Integrating player feedback; analysis of playtesting Scoping/scheduling exercise	- Playtest 1 Reports Due - Visual Design Assignment
9	Visual Design Critiques	In-class production	- Visual Design Critiques
	Spring Break: No Class
10	In-class production	In-class production	Production
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
12	Meet w/instructors to review progress	Meet w/instructors to review progress	- Playtesting of Alphas (schedule times with usability class). Game installed 24 hours ahead for a grade.
13	Prioritization of Feedback, scheduling/re-scoping	Implementation of Final Projects	- Playtest 2 Reports Due
14	In-class production UT presentations for five groups (6pm)	In-class production	Production
15	Demo builds loaded on presentation laptop UT presentations for other five groups (6pm)	Project “Post-Mortem” 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 “small games” with “big ideas.” 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 team’s 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 students’ 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 29^th 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

· Two unexcused absences: lowers grade one full grade point

· Three unexcused absences: lowers grade two full grade points

· Four or more unexcused absences: request to withdraw from course (instructor’s discretion)

Excused absences are:

· Illness (with a doctor’s verification)

· 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 “SCAMPUS” and/or confer with the instructor.