Re: A crash course in game design and production
- Posted by Everett Williams <rett at gvtc.com> Mar 26, 2001
- 471 views
Michael, I have been in the computing world for 34 years, now and am always interested in learning something new. I don't post on the list anymore by agreement with Mr. Craig. That isn't because I've ever used foul language or posted off topic. It is because Mr. Craig doesn't like criticism. He offered me my money back if I would go away. I countered that I would cease to post on the list if I got free copies of all versions of Euphoria in perpetuity...and he would keep my money. The bargain was made in the open on the list. So, I read the list and send personal emails to those that interest me. So, he puts up with the foul mouthed script kiddies and pushes out those that just want him to show some respect for and provide some information to his paying customers. Go figure. I would love to take your course. Since I don't post on the list, any questions that I have will be privately to you. If you really want to do this up right, you might set up your own Topica list for the course. Games aren't my metier, but I have written hundreds of thousands of lines of code in various languages. Maybe I can contribute some thoughts in the areas of design, data structure, and project management. Everett L.(Rett) Williams rett at gvtc.com Michael Packard wrote: > > > Hi all! > > Before I disappeared 4 years ago, I was teaching a course on the old > Euphoria mail list in game design and production. I stopped getting > feedback from it, and I figured people lost interest. And it was > discontinued at the end of the theory section, before we really got started > coding the course project, which was to be really cool 2 player pacman game > with with lots of cool bells and whistles. > > Anywho, I've been in a pacman mood lately, and I thought it would be fun to > start up the course again, assuming anyone on here was interested in > learning how to create computer games from vague idea through finished > production. > > Anyone interested? > > The course starts by teaching what goes into a complete design > specification, and how to write one, specifying in gross detail the "design" > of your game, including General Description, characters, backstory, screen > and interface design, feedback systems, art and sound design, programming > paradigm, AI strategies, etc. By the end of the lesson 7, you'll know > pretty much everything you need to know to start writing code for your game. > I cover how computer graphics and computer sound works, both theory and > application and how and what we need to do for a game project. > > After that we choose what include files we need to make our job easier, and > specifically which routines we need from them and what they need to do what > we want to do. Then we plan our data structures, and layout our variable > table. Then we write code for loaders, display, and engine things that put > things on the screen and move em around. Then control procedures, > housekeeping procedures, etc. and we continue through to a finished, > thoroughly plattested and debugged(as much as possible!) quality game. > > Once we get through we'll not only have a cool playable game that we created > from scratch using stratight Euphoria and some off the shelf libraries, but > also a core game engine that we can use to create other games. > > The course will go via email. I send out one or two installments per week > and we send questions and answers back and forth. All participants will > share ideas, code, art, etc., and will help playtest everybody's game. > > Even if you're not a "game" person, the design and production emphasis of > this course will help you doing any kind of software production. > > If you're interested, drop me an email at the address below. We need at > least 5 people to make this a go. > > Something fun is just around the corner! > > Michael Packard > pastor at BeRighteous.com >