CIS 487/587 Assignment 4
Fall 2004

This assignment will give you the opportunity to experience the entire process of designing and implementing a computer game. You may create any type of game you wish and implement it on any platform. Your game will need to be running in the CIS Distributed Computing Lab (1190 EC) during our final exam period (3:30 pm - 6:30 pm on Wednesday, December 22nd). If your game does not run on the existing lab equipment, you are responsible for bringing any additional hardware or software. You may work with a partner if you wish.

You will be expected to turn in a game design document modeled after the examples discussed in class. You will also be expected to turn in a diskette or CD and complete listing of your program source code. If you use code written by someone else in your program, you will need to attribute the source. If you work with a partner, you need to list the details of each partner's contribution.

Overview

Game Mechanics

  • Overview
  • Camera Position
  • User Interface Design
  • Replaying and Saving
  • Control Summary
  • Game Play Details
  • Cut-Scenes
  • Storytelling
  • Level Summary

Artificial Intelligence

  • Opponent AI
  • Player Detection
  • Motion
  • Path Finding
  • Special Actions
  • Combat
    (attack, evasion, damage)
  • Non-player Characters
  • Puzzles and Traps

Game Elements

  • Items (e.g. data dictionary)
  • Character Bibles

Story Overview

  • Storyboard
  • Background/Plot Summary

Game Progression

  • Setting
  • Introduction
  • Flowchart
  • Level and Scene Details

Lessons Learned

Bibliography

In place of an oral presentation, you will be evaluating 8 games during our final exam period using a checklist provided. I would like to post a zipped version of your running game on the course web site and a copy of your final design document (MS Word preferred). All work is due at our final exam. Incomplete requests must be made no later than December 22nd.

Assigned: 11-17-04
Date due: 12-22-04