IMGD 2900
Digital Game Design I
Class 09
Thursday 11.29
Today’s topics
Games!
Latest engine versiom
Assignment 11
Perlenspiel
Version 2.3.2
PS.StatusColor ( colors )
PS.StatusFade ( flag );
PS.StatusFadeUp ( rate );
PS.StatusFadeDown ( rate, delay );
Status line empty by default
Message box empty after 5 seconds
Key repeat delay eliminated
Repeat rate locked to 10/second
Perlenspiel = “bead game”
It’s time to make a bead game.
Perlenspiel = “bead game”
It’s time to make a bead game.
Perlenspiel means “bead game.”
It’s time to make a bead game.
Assignment 11
Write a treatment for an abstract game
Write a treatment
Get a first-pass prototype up and running
Begin creating box art for your game
Update your journal as you work
Post your treatment and prototype
Bring the treatment and prototype to class
Objective 1:
Write a treatment
No formal presentation this time
General requirements
Quality requirement
Design restrictions
The final restriction
General requirements
1. The game must have a title.
2. The game must be for one player.
3. Sound effects and/or music
must be used.
General requirements
4. If custom audio is used, no
recognizable speech or singing in any
language is permitted.
Custom audio must be open source or
in the public domain, with all sources
fully documented as comments in your
main .js file.
General requirements
4. Final submission must run without
crashes or error messages.
5. Must use the current version of
Perlenspiel, including the latest .html
and .js template files (available on the
Download page).
General requirements
6. Must follow The Rules to the letter.
Review The Rules on the course Web
site to be sure you understand them.
Submitted .html and .js files will be
inspected for conformance. Grades of
violators will suffer.
General requirements
7. Must be entirely self-documenting.
No out-of-game instructions or
explanations should be necessary to
play the final game.
Quality matters
Your final submission should be
functionally complete, stable and
polished enough to add to your
professional portfolio.
Games in the public domain that follow
The Rules will be considered for
posting on the Perlenspiel Web site.
Five design restrictions
Pick any three
Pick any three
1. Grid cannot exceed 16 beads in
either dimension at any time.
2. No glyphs allowed in any beads.
3. Only white, black or shades of gray
can be used in the grid, background or
status line.
Pick any three
4. The game can use either the mouse
or the keyboard for all user input,
but not both.
If the mouse is used, the wheel cannot be used.
If the keyboard is used, only the space bar and
WASD/arrow keys can be used, and the WASD
keys must work the same as the arrow keys.
Pick any three
5. No intelligible words, initials, labels
or numbers in any language can
appear anywhere, except for the
game’s title in the status line.
One final restriction
Beads may be used only as game elements,
never as picture elements.
Objective 1:
Write a treatment
Required document elements
1. Team name / members / logins
2. Title (can be changed later)
3. One-sentence tagline: Capture the “promise”
4. One-paragraph summary and bulleted feature list
5. Gameplay description with 3 screen mockups
6. Ending: How does the game conclude?
7. Project plan: Who will do what by when?
Label each element clearly
Objective 1:
Write a treatment
Document requirements
At least six full pages long
Should be 20 with a bibliography. I am too soft.
Any mix of text and images
But all required elements must be present!
Expect to write about 1,000 words
Extra credit?
Team/game logos, extra screen shots, etc
Do not pad document with XL text/images
or white space
Objective 2:
Get a first-pass prototype
up and running
Create a technical framework
Try to answer basic questions about
your design
Need not be ready for playtesting (yet)
Prototype will be inspected in next
Monday’s class
Objective 3:
Begin creating box art for
your game
Title of game
Name of team and team members
One-sentence tagline
Probably same as in treatment
Illustration that captures “feel and fantasy”
Must be completely original work created
just for this project
Objective 4:
Update your journal as
you work
Document your creative process
Ideas, code fragments, sketches
Journals will be inspected ... soon
Objective 5:
Post your treatment and
prototype
Save document in Word-compatible format
Create a .zip or .rar archive of document
Upload archive file to your Web site
Create a clearly labeled link that downloads
the archive when clicked
Also post prototype files with a working link
Post before noon this Monday 12.03
Objective 6:
Bring treatment and
prototype to Monday’s class
Print the treatment document (B&W okay)
Bind pages together (paper clip okay)
Copy prototype onto USB drives
Make sure both team members have one!
Bring printed document and prototype to
class next Monday 12.03
Remember the schedule and
the quality requirement!
Printed treatment and first prototype ready for
inspection next Monday 12.03.
Playable prototype ready for in-class testing
due Thursday 12.03, a week from today!
Final project due in class Monday 12.10.
Scope your project accordingly.
Questions?
Next class:
Monday 12.03