SE 320 – Introduction to Game
Development
Lecture 1: Introduction
Lecturer: Gazihan Alankuş
Please look at the last two slides for assignments (marked with TODO)
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WARNING
• THIS CLASS REQUIRES YOU TO WRITE CODE!
• IF YOU CURRENTLY DO NOT LIKE CODING, AND
ARE CLOSE-MINDED, YOU MAY HATE THIS
CLASS… (CODING IS ACTUALLY FUN)
• I WILL WORK HARD TO HELP YOU LEARN
ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (E-MAIL
SUPPORT, GOOGLE CHAT, STUDY SESSIONS,
VIDEO TUTORIALS, ETC.)
• IF YOU HAVE AN OPEN MIND AND ARE NOT
LAZY, YOU WILL DO JUST FINE.
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Outline
• Me
• Class
– Unity
– Games
• Logistics of class
• You
• HOMEWORK 1!!!
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Outline
• Me
• Class
– Unity
– Games
• Logistics of class
• You
• HOMEWORK 1!!!
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Instructor
•
•
•
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Dr. Gazihan Alankuş
METU, BS 2002, MS 2005
WUSTL, PhD 2011
Is now an Assistant Professor
Background
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Some industry experience (including Google)
I do research on games
Now I get to teach games
reasonable > idealistic
• Please use gazihan.ieu@gmail.com for classrelated e-mail exchange
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Can you understand me?
• English language is just a tool, not a goal.
– The goal is to communicate and learn.
• Stop me when you don’t understand
something.
• In general, be active in class.
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Outline
• Me
• Class
– Unity
– Games
• Logistics of class
• You
• HOMEWORK 1!!!
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Class
• Using Unity game engine to create video games
• This is a new class, there can be mistakes…
• Assignment: find the class website
– Google “Gazihan Alankuş”
– Click on the link that says “SE 320: Introduction to
Game Development, Fall 2012”
– There you will find a link to the syllabus
• Buy the book!
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• Unity is an amazing game development tool
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• Unity is an amazing game development tool
– Windows or Mac
– C# (or JavaScript or Python (“Boo”))
• We will use C#
• If you know C++ it will not be difficult
– Unity provides a great blend of visual elements and
code
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• We will learn how to use Unity
– Gather information
• Online videos
• In-class demonstrations
• Book
– Practice
• Homework assignments
• Labs
• Practice on your own
– You have to learn it very well to succeed
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• This will be different than most of your classes
– Using a visual tool
– Programming with C#
– Coding visual and interactive applications
– Designing a game
– Developing a game that works well
• I don’t expect you to know any of these already
• I expect you to work hard, pay attention, and
learn to be good at them
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• 12:30 – 14:20: Lecture in C 401
• 14:30 – 16:20: Lab in (to be announced)
• It’s best if you have a laptop that runs Unity
– You have to work on your game outside of class
– Use the same setup in labs
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• We will try to move to a lab with enough
computers for everyone (probably C 601)
• C 609 will have 18 computers with Unity Pro,
Unity for iOS Pro and Unity for Android Pro
– Also two of them are iMac computers
– Hardware that is planned to be purchased:
• iPad, iPod Touch, Android tablets
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• In your laptops, install
– Unity free version
• Not the 30 day trial
• Feel free to purchase the Pro version
– Blender
– (Optional) Modeling software from Autodesk
(students.autodesk.com)
• Maya
• 3DS Max
– Gimp
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• “Can we use other game development
environments?”
– NO!
– Other classes rely on this class to teach Unity
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• Video games are fun!
• Video games make money!
• Video games can be used for good!
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• Some infographics
– http://www.vizworld.com/2010/01/infographic-videogame-statistics/
– http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/0
6/infographic-video-game-industry-statistics/239665/
– http://www.vincentabry.com/en/us-uk-video-gameindustry-infographic-918
– http://www.uproxx.com/gaming/2011/06/infographicof-the-day-videogames-pwning-hollywood-in-releaseweek-sales/
– http://www.1001oyun.com/infographic/video-gameaddiction
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• We will learn how to design video games
• Video game concepts
• How to make games
– Fun
– Engaging
– Etc.
• You will use these in your
projects
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Using Unity Game Engine to Create Video Games
• Projects
– While you are learning Unity, you will also come up
with game ideas (start thinking right now)
– We will select some of the ideas, and form groups
around them. (max. 3 people)
– You will develop those games using Unity
– You will give presentations in class as a group
– You will each send me private weekly reports as
simple e-mails
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Outline
• Me
• Class
– Unity
– Games
• Logistics of class
• You
• HOMEWORK 1!!!
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Logistics
• Homeworks
– There will be homeworks in the first part of class while we learn Unity
– These will mostly be watching educational videos and performing simple game
development assignments
• Quizzes
– I will use quizzes to test whether you have understood what you were
supposed to learn in your homeworks
• Labs
– In the lab hours you will have game-related assignments to do with Unity
• Midterm (around week 9)
– Questions about what we learned. There will be no final!
• Project
– You will develop a game as a group project (see previous slides for details)
• Google group
– I will send announcements using Google groups (we’ll talk about it soon)
• Weekly meetings and reports
– Groups will meet weekly
– Everybody sends me private weekly reports about what you did that week
2/10/2012 related to this class (homework, project, tutorial, etc.)
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Outline
• Me
• Class
– Unity
– Games
• Logistics of class
• You
• HOMEWORK 1!!!
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My Expectations of You
• Enthusiastic about developing video games
• Likes to learn new things.
• Can learn something on your own if you need
to. You’re not going to use “I don’t know this”
as an excuse.
• Hard-working. Can spare a lot of time for the
class. There will be time-consuming
homeworks and a big term project.
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Some Suggestions and Comments
• If you are looking for an easy elective course, this is not it.
– If you could not find any other course, let me know and maybe
I’ll find someone that wants to swap courses with you.
• This is a full-house class! There are enthusiastic students
that could not take the class…
• I will be stricter than last year as I’m a full-time faculty now
• I will not be easy on grading. If you pass this course, that
will mean you can actually create games with Unity.
• Everybody will contribute to the project in the group.
Group members may get different grades.
• I will not tolerate laziness.
• I will not tolerate attempts to trick me.
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It’s Going to Be Great
• Just spare some time each week
• You will create a game!
– Create something cool with your
programming skills
– Amazing portfolio entry
• Work in groups and learn from
each other
• I’m usually online for chat or
e-mail support
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Questions?
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Let’s get to know you
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Introduce in detail, from where, etc.
What grade? Option programme?
You and games
Registered? Why?
What do you expect
– from this class?
– to see happen by the end of semester?
• Programmer?
– C#? IDEs? Debugging? Open source?
– C++? Data Structures?
• Artist?
– Graphic designer? Sound maker?
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TODO: Google Group
• Do either one of these:
– Go to http://groups.google.com/group/ieu-se320games-fall-2012 and apply for a membership.
– Or, send an e-mail to gazihan.ieu@gmail.com and
I will invite your e-mail to the Google group. You
will have to accept the invitation.
• I will use this for class announcements
• You can also send questions, comments,
helpful tips, or announcements to it but I will
moderate your e-mails.
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TODO: Homework 1
• Install all the software mentioned on Slide #17
• Watch these videos:
– Videos 1 thru 8 here:
• http://www.digitaltutors.com/11/training.php?pid=572
– All the videos here:
• http://unity3d.com/support/documentation/video/
• While watching them, use your Unity
installation with the AngryBots game to
practice what you see.
• There will be a short quiz about it next week!
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