CS 328: Introduction to Computer Game Development

Professor: Clinton Jeffery Class Meets: MWF 12:30-1:20 in EP 204 / CDA HC 240B
Office: JEB 237 Office Hours: Tue 1:30-2:20, Thu 3:30-4:20, and by appointment
Phone: 208-885-4789 Web: http://www2.cs.uidaho.edu/~jeffery/courses/328/
     We will use Blackboard (bblearn.uidaho.edu) in this course for certain operations.
E-mail: jeffery@uidaho.edu       
Prerequisites: programming languages (CS 210) and operating systems (CS 240).

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Course Description and Goals

This course is about software design and programming issues involved in constructing computer games. Students will be introduced to game design, game genres, and algorithms and data structures to support graphically rich games. Students will write semester projects consisting of games.

The goals for this course include: insight into the technical issues involved in constructing computer games, an understanding of the existing state of the art, and an idea of the future potential for this field. This course will use a lot of advanced software tools; it ties in to the computer science outcome of developing an ability to use current techniques, skills, and tools necessary for computing practices. This outcome will be assessed, for example, by grading student homework written using a particular software platform such as libGDX.

Hardware and Software Platforms

This semester we will discuss and use Java. Assignments should be written portably, to run on on both Linux and Windows to the extent possible. They will be graded on Fedora Linux or Windows 10. Reasonable accommodations will be made, but if a program won't run on either of the instructor's primary machines, it will be returned to the student for correction. Portability testing is encouraged, and do not write obviously non-portable code such reading from files named by absolute paths to directories on your machine.

This class requires students to have "developer-level" access to a computer, on which you will need to be able to install compilers (e.g. Java), libraries (e.g. libGDX) and/or integrated development environments.

Schedule and Assignments

Each week the course will cover one or more topics from each of: game design, game programming, and popular game genres.

Attendance and Grading

Attendance is required, as this course emphasizes collaboration. The grading will be proportioned as follows: 40% for homeworks, 15% for the midterm exam, 15% for the final exam*, and 30% for a term project.

*Instructor reserves the right to waive the final in lieu of semester project demonstrations.

Policy Statements

Cheating is strictly forbidden on exams, with severe penalties. For most assignments you will be allowed to work alone, or complete a larger assignment working in a team. Any homework turned in under your name should be your own work. You must cite any third party code that is used in your solution(s).

University of Idaho Classroom Learning Civility Clause: In any environment in which people gather to learn, it is essential that all members feel as free and safe as possible in their participation. To this end, it is expected that everyone in this course will be treated with mutual respect and civility, with an understanding that all of us (students, instructors, professors, guests, and teaching assistants) will be respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning. Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and respect, you are encouraged to meet with your instructor during office hours to discuss your concern. Additional resources for expression of concern or requesting support include the Dean of Students office and staff (5-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center's confidential services (5-6716), or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (5-4285).

Disability Support Services Reasonable Accommodations Statement: Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary or permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Support Services located in the Idaho Commons Building, Room 306 in order to notify your instructor(s) as soon as possible regarding accommodation(s) needed for the course.

DSS Contacts Information --- phone: 885-6307. email: dss@uidaho.edu. website: www.access.uidaho.edu