EECS 494

Computer Game Design

2011 Schedule

John E. Laird

Last updated: October 31, 2011

Sept. 7 Principles of Game Design [Chapter 3 & 4]

Hand out Assignment 1: Computer Game Analysis

Sept. 9 Guest Lecture: Roy Harvey, Executive Producer, NCAA Football/Madden Football [EA]

Sept. 12 Arcade Game Architecture

Assignment 1 Due

Hand out Assignment 2: Arcade Game

Sept. 14 Zenilib Game Engine [Mitchell Bloch]

Sept. 16 Zenilib Game Engine [Mitchell Bloch]

Sept. 19 Feedback & Arcade Game Design Principles & Example Games [Chapters 5 & 6]

Sept. 21 Guest Lecture: Jeremy Lee [Microsoft]

Sept. 23 Game Design Process [Chapters 5 & 6; Chapters 8 & 9] {Brainstorming Activity}

Sept. 26 Game Mechanics [Chapter 10] {Game Design Activity}

Design Document Due for Assignment 2

Sept. 28 More on Game Mechanics – Space and AI.

Sept. 30 3D Game Design Activity

Oct. 3 3D Graphics and Game Design {3D Game Development Activity}

Hand out Assignment 3: 3D Graphics

Oct.4 Assignment 2 Due

Oct. 5 Zenilib 3D [Mitchell Bloch]

Oct. 7 Demos of best Arcade Games

Oct. 10 Guest Lecture: Eric Maslowski – 3D Modeling Workshop

Oct. 12 Guest Lecture: Eric Maslowski – 3D Modeling

Oct. 14 Help with 3D games

Oct. 17 NO CLASS – FALL BREAK

Oct. 19 History of Computer Games

Oct. 21 Development Documents [Chapter 7, 23, 24]

Oct. 24 Teamwork and Pitching [Chapter 28] Example Final Projects

Hand out Assignment 4: Final Project

Oct. 25 Assignment 3 Due

Oct. 26 Networking for Computer Games

Oct. 28 Pitch Day

Oct. 31 Guest Lecture: Dave Kieras - HCI and Computer Games

Nov. 2 Computer Game Business [Chapter 29]

Nov. 3 Concept Paper Due

Nov. 4 Guest Lecture: Georg Essl - Developing Games for Mobile Devices [AAAI]

Nov. 7 Guest Lecture: Greg Wakefield - Game Audio

Nov. 9 Guest Lecture : BLIZZARD

Nov. 11 Guest Lecture: Mike van Lent (Soar Technology) - Serious Games

Nov. 14 3D Games

Nov. 14 Design Document Due

Nov. 16 Group Meetings

Nov. 18 Group Meetings

Nov. 21 Guest Lecture: Sid Meier

Nov. 23 Group Meetings

Nov. 25 Thanksgiving break

Nov. 28 Story-based Games: Façade

Nov. 30 AI in Games

Dec. 2 Game Balance

Dec. 5 Massively Multiplayer Games

Dec. 6 Alpha Release of Final Projects Due

Dec. 7 Strategy Games

Dec. 9: Alpha Games

Dec. 12 Ethics in Computer Games [Chapter 31]

Dec. 13 Final Projects Due