Computer Game Programming
•
•
•
•
Rick Barker
Cecil Schmidt
Carol Browning
Ernest Ferguson
Computer Game
Programming
Washburn University
Special Topics Class
Spring 2006
Rick Barker
Washburn Environment
• Intro class with small subset of C
• Two semesters of Java
• Art Department
– Two classes on Computer Graphic Design
– One class on Game Design
• No special setup for gaming
Computing Environment
For this class
•
•
•
•
No Game engine
MSDN access to Visual Studio.net
Or Bloodshed CPP
No special graphic package, used Paint
2-dim graphics
• Windows PCs, all students had their own
computers, many with laptops brought to
class.
Choosing a Text
• No game engine on campus
• Basic language in Department is Java
• In 2005, almost impossible to find a text
with Java
• Decided upon C++
– Beginning Game Programming,
Michael Morrison – SAMS 2005
– Accelerated C++
Koenig&Moo - Addison-Wesley 2000
Why this game text?
• Instructor had no gaming knowledge
– Played Arcade games many years ago
• Pong, space invaders, etc
– Some shooting game on Apple IIe
• Students had at least one semester of Java,
OOP, and subset of procedural C
– Instructor felt students could transfer their knowledge
to C++
• Text starts from beginning
– Build game engine from scratch,
– Adding features to engine as it advanced through
concepts.
Course Schedule
• 15 week course
• First 10-11 weeks work through text
– Periodically Author provides simple game that
uses recent concepts and updated game
engine
• Student then creates mods for the game.
• Last month, group work to develop a their
own game as final project
Mods to Text Games
• Task is to create a different game using the
same (or similar) basic function of the original.
• Create new sprites, new backgrounds, music,
etc.
• Requires students to understand the existing
C++ code (or learn the new statements)
• Usually a new game involves additions to the
Author’s Game Engine
• Sometimes we added enhancements to Engine
Last Month of the Semester
• After finishing the text, student groups
created original games
– Design of game with story boards
– Creation of sprites
– Coding game, using final game engine
• Presented games for final exam, all played
– Documentation for game with story boards,
definition of sprites and capabilities
Students learned • C++
• How to work on their own
• Applied many of the concepts they had
learned in their classes to a task they
wanted to do
• Had to find a way to accomplish their
dream game.
• Windows API’s (from text use)
• Text software often NOT bug free.
Professor learned • RPG is not a computer language, but role
playing game.
• Students were interested, which translated
to curiosity and exploration of subject
– Both game design, language, and Windows
• It worked to carefully select students for
the first time offering this class
• Worth trying again, we will offer it again
this Fall