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FALL 2008: Week 10

10/27 (M): Midterm Group Project Presentation continued; Lecture on UI on RPG, 3rd person, Simulation, Action, Adventure & Open World

1. Midterm Group Project Presentation
   
   • Team 07: Title TBA
     484/489: Erik, 401: Erik Nichols, Michael Kane, Alex Sandval
     
     
2. Lecture: 2D vs. 3D - What did 3D environment enable the game creators?
   
   
   (Pros)
   • Realistic and efficient rendering of figure and scenes (i.e. sports games, educational games, military applications)
   • Game creators did not have to create their own "world" of its own rules and physics
   • Real world rule (such as gravity) and modified ones of those (such as infinite jumps) governs the game world physics
     
     (Cons)
     
   • Immersive environment = limited access to resources
   • Game players were not omniscient and omnipotent anymore
   • You can only see the scene through a camera lens given to you, you can only see objects that are properly lit and close enough to you
     
     (Considerations)
     
   • What do GUI do? Help or mislead?
   • Genres are now infinitely malleable and ever more mingling
     
     
3. Lecture: UI on RPG, 3rd person, Simulation, Action & Open World
   
   
   • Dead Space
     http://deadspace.ea.com/
     Review: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20648
     Camera position, HUD as immersion
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-GgxoU_6Tk
     
     
   • Steel Battalion (with custom manual interface)
     http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7102859530298065311
     http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Steel+Battalion&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=14&ct=title#
     
     
   • Second Life:
     http://secondlife.com/showcase/
     
     
   • "Bokuno Natsu-yasumi" (My Summer Days):
   http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=M-BvJUjI4sw
   http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1104895
   http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1105036
   
   
   • Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior)
     http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1117519 (ver. 8)
     http://dqdouga.blogspot.com/
     
     
   • Final Fantasy:
     http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm282437 (ver. 10)
     http://ffyoutube.blog.shinobi.jp/
     
     
   • World of War Craft
     https://signup.worldofwarcraft.com/trial/overview.html
     
     
   • Ico
     http://www.us.playstation.com/PS2/Games/ICO/OGS/
     *What does camera movement and position tell you?
     http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1054794
     
     
   • Shadow of the Colossus
     http://www.us.playstation.com/PS2/Games/Shadow_of_the_Colossus/OGS/
     http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm28154
     
     
4. Vote and Re-shuffle the team assignment: Temporary assignment below -
   
   
   • Team 01: Sketched
     484/489: Nathan & Mike, 401: Jonathan Rosenfeld, Alec Stamos, R.C. Narma
     
     
   • Team 02: Book of Power
     484/489: Ben & Bryan, 401: Drew Moxon, Michael Kane, (Matt Lee)
     
     
   • Team 03: Dark & Stormy Nights
     484/489: Cynthia & Brandy, 401: (Ashley Soriano, Ryan Hedden, Matt Lee)
     
     
   • Team 04: MS
     484/489: Sean & Matt, 401: TBA
     
     
   • Team 05: In Dog Years
     484/489: Harold & Britney, 401: Gavan Wilhite, Michaela Morris, Katrina Wolfe
     
     
   • Team 06: Immobile Miner or Magnetic Musket
     484/489: Brian & Adam, 401: Blade Olson, <John Banayan>, <Sam David>
     
     
   • Team 07: Queasy Steve
     484/489: Erik, 401: Erik Nichols, Alex Sandval, (Ryan Hedden), (Ashley Soriano)
     
     
5. Lab 06
   
   • Download Lab 06 worksheet from here.
   • Working as a group, research and decide the visual theme, look and feel of the game you are assigned to work on.
   • Insert at least three images (or screen shots) of the games and/or graphics that you identity as the clear examples of the visual theme, look and feel that you are going after. Refer to the following online resources if necessary. Make sure to include detailed text description as well.
   • Gamepipe lab resource page: http://gamepipe.usc.edu/pipeline/tutorials/index.php/Resource_Links
   • Textures: http://www.cgtextures.com/
   • DeviantArt: http://www.deviantart.com/
   • Flash: http://www.flashvista.com/; http://www.flashkit.com/
     
     
6. Assignment 03
   
   • Based on Lab 06, finalize the visual theme and overall look and feel.
   • Complete the first draft of Game Asset List (.xls) - download sample from here. Post on Blog (more below).
   • Each team member designs at least three objects from the list. Distribute workload evenly among the team members. - i.e. design one character, one non-interactive asset and one GUI element = total 3 per person.One un-flattened PSD file to turn in per team. Save vector data and paths as much as possible. Group layers by individual names.
     
     
7. HW 07
   • Per group, post the jpg(s) of what each member designed, with detailed description on what it is.
   • Upload the Game Asset List (.xls) and create a download link on your blog-post.
   • Due: Monday, 11/03/08, 6pm.
     
     
8. Readings (optional)
   • "Genres: game styles and interfaces" from Game Interface Design by Kevin Saunders & Jaennie Novak, Thomson & Delmar Learning (2006), pp. 124 - 147.
   • On Real-time Strategy Games: http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/