Description of McCoy's TCS198 seminar about game platforms as a Pico-8 game. Press Z, X, C, V, N, M, S, F, E, D,  left shift, A, tab, or Q to advance!

Here is a tentative outline of the course:

Description

This course studies game platforms and their effect on development, design, the player, and the public. The domains of the class will be focused around video games including their design, development, and production while exploring platforms and their contexts through a holistic perspective  Through developing a set of games in and for the Pico-8 platform, students will further their technical skills in procedural literacy, content and asset creation, development of gameplay systems, and problem solving in digital media. Alongside technical development, production methods (e.g. game design documents, team software development methodology, playtesting, etc.) will be required. Finally, students will communicate their games to the outside world through pitches, open play testing sessions, press kits, and making their game accessible on the internet.

 

Rubric:

  • 20% Platforms Studies Presentation
  • 30% Game 1
    • Design Document
    • Peer Review
    • Code Review
    • Game Critique
    • Report
  • 40% Game 2
    • Pitch
    • Design Document
    • Peer Review
    • Play Testing and Development Iteration
    • Code Review
    • Game Critique
    • Publishing and Press Kit
  • 10% Participation and Attendance

 

Materials

 

A copy of Pico-8

One of the Platform Studies Series of books depending on your workgroup.

 

Schedule

 

Week

Meeting 1

Meeting 2

1

Introduction to Video Game Environments

Introduction to Platform Studies

Introduction to Pico-8

Basics of Lua Programming in Pico-8

Overview of Pico-8 Tools and Structure

Game 1 Ideation and Team Formation

Assign Platform Studies Groups

2

Basic Game Systems: Movement, Input, and Physics

Pixel Art

Game Design Workshop: Battle Battle

 

Game 1 Check-in

Primitive and Structured Datatypes in Lua

Game Design Workshop: Battle Battle

3

Analysis of Pico-8's System Constraints

Managing Game States

Game 1 Play and Report

Game Production Cycles

Understanding Playtesting

4

Pitch for Game 2

Basic Game Loops and Events Simulation of Time

Game 2 Teams Due

Game Design Documents

5

Debugging

Collision Detection

Game 2 Design Document

Economy of Tokens

Game Design Workshop: MDA

6

Platform Studies 1

Games and Rhetoric

Game 2 Prototype

Version Control

7

Platform Studies 2

Level Design

Development Team Methodologies

8

Platform Studies 3

Graphics Systems

Game 2 Playtesting

 

9

Platform Studies 4

Audio Systems

Game 2 Workshop

10

Artificial Intelligence for Games

Game 2 Workshop

Game 2 Critique

Discussion About the Course

Evaluations

Finals

Games Showcase

 

 


StatusReleased
PlatformsHTML5
Rating
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
(1 total ratings)
Authordeftjams
Made withPICO-8

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