“The best way to learn games is to play games. The best way to make games is to work.” – Alan Emrich
Your Course Project Game:
You have two items due next week for your Graded Course Project Game.
1. You need to bring an Alpha version of the game to class and email a copy of the .gm6 file to me. This need only be a (barely) playable prototype version of the game but it must be at least one Room that can be run to show the game’s core mechanics. The game’s final graphics, sounds, or every Object and Room are not expected.
2. Also, you need the game’s Inception Document as we reviewed in the class lecture material this week. Together, these two homework pieces will be graded for up to 10 points.
Optional: Weekly Homework
1. If we did not complete Game Maker Tutorial 9 (Super Rainbow Reef) in class, you are urged to complete that tutorial lesson on your own. You should have downloaded this lesson (along with all of the other Game Maker Tutorial files) from Mr. Emrich’s space on the school web site, but if you didn’t, send Mr. Emrich an email requesting this lesson and he will send it to you.
2. Extra Credit can be earned if you send me a modified version of Super Rainbow Reef. Add features and mod existing ones (there are suggestions at the end of the tutorial lesson document itself). In particular, this will be judged for good level design practices as explained in this week’s textbook reading assignment (below).
The Game Maker’s Apprentice Textbook:
Chapter 8, Levels and Features: Read pages 149 to 163. Be sure to use the CD-ROM included with the book to examine the .gm6 files in the Games / Chapter 8 folder! There’s more than just reading involved in this chapter as you look at 20 carefully crafted levels of the tutorial game, Koalabr8 demonstrating the material. This chapter goes hand-in-glove with the course lectures and points you to a successful Course Project, so be sure to make a good study of it and take that material to heart.
Exam #3 is next week:
Next week features the third exam. It is worth 15 points and covers the material from weeks 7 and 8: including the lectures, lessons from the Game Maker tutorials, the required reading sections for those weeks on the course web site, and Chapter 8 in The Game Maker’s Apprentice and Chapter 8 in the Game Development Essentials textbooks.
