Game Developers Club General Meeting 18/8/03

1. Game Developers ClubGeneral Meeting 18/8/03

2. Whats happening? • IGDA Membership forms here to fill in for all TieR 2 members. • Membership • If you want to take part in the upcoming tutorials then membership is due next meeting. • CVS is up and running for development teams • As soon as you have code, its there for you to use • Website has been linked and is active. • Tier 2 members enter profile tonight

3. Development Teams • If you havn’t given me your details then do so tonight • Projects will be springboarded by designs that resulted from the tutorials • A regular meeting time should be organised between yourselves. We will get you a regular room at Clubs and Societies • These projects are aiming at a submission to the IGF in 2004 or 2005

4. Project RPG (tentative title) Jeremy Weir -Designer - 3D Modeler Nathan Farquar -Designer - 3D Modeler - Producer Alex Freeland - Designer - Programmer Anthony May - Programmer  Grant Mark - Programmer Michael Stockli - Programmer Joel Timpson - Concept Design - Visual Artist Tim Barribeau - Digital Art Resilience Tim Elder - Designer – Project Lead Shannon Morgan - Lead Programmer …more to come

5. Tutorials • Photoshop tutorial Wednesday – 5pm – 7pm • G4 Lab, First Floor, Design Studies Building • Maya turorial Wednesday – 7pm – 9pm • G4 Lab, First Floor, Design Studies Building • Programming tutorial Tuesday 7pm - 9pm • Linux lab, 539 Castle Street • Design tutorial Thursday 7pm – 9pm • Room 105, First Floor, Design Studies Building

6. Maya • Follows the Learning Maya book, available for brief loan (for Photocopies) • First two lessons will focus on the manipulation and animation of some simple objects, introducing you to the key elements of the environment • There will then be a focus on modeling and some more specialised tutorials on character modeling and animation • Photoshop • Follows classroom in a book training workbook • First tutorial covers: • Getting to know the work area • Basic photo corrections

7. COSC 360 – Computer Game Design • Course content is being developed now • Taking place during summer school (5 Jan ~ 16 Feb) • Pre-requisite of COSC 242 • Pre-registration on the webpage: • http://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/cosc360 • Valid as a 300 level minor requirement

8. Library – books here tonight • Current titles: • The Art of Episode 2 - The Black Art of Java • The Art of Final Fantasy 9 Game Programming • The Art of Warcraft - C++ Programming • The Art of Episode 5 - Artificial Intelligence • The Art of Alien Resurection - Problem Solving with Java • Learning Maya - Java Collections • The Art of Maya • Maya Illuminated: Games - How to Draw Anime and Game Characters • Photoshop 7 Classroom in a book • Illustrator 10 Classroom in a book - Game Development and Production • Teach yourself Illustrator 7 • Using Flash 5 • Flash 5 Action Script • Using Dreamweaver 4

9. Library • Planning to purchase: • Earnest Adams and Andrew Rollings on Game Design • Game Architechure and Design • Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus • Game Developer Magazine • Last years back-issues available tonight • Additional printed readings also available

10. Balance of Power • “I had a big hit in Eastern Front (1941); a second game in the genre would surely make a bundle of money. Artistically, it was a sound decision: If you've mastered a problem, it's time to move on.” • A theory far less untilised today. Why? • Esbablishing motivation? • “Sequels are for entertainment; they have no artistic content.” • Choosing the Mac • Right decision? • Know thy platform intimately. Understand its strengths and weaknesses. • Verb lists and the question “What does the player do?” • Closely linked to UML design and functional consideration

11. Balance of Power • “Game designers have no talent for marketing. Let the pros cook up the title” • Narrowing the verb list • Trade relationships? • Too close to the wire already? • The rubber map • 6 weeks? Should he have realised earlier? • “Know when it's time to throw in the towel on a feature.” • Headline generator • Extensions upon its format? • “Fantasize. Play what-if games. Ask silly questions. Why aren't cows green like grass?”

12. Balance of Power • Read! Read! Read! • Historical accuracy is incredibly important • Creating games for a niche market • Building up a feeling for the subject matter • Take no pride in facts memorized, but in ideas grasped. • The importance of the press • Word of mouth sales and critical recommendations • Why Chris Crawford is going to change game design

13. The 400:Let Players Turn the Game Off • The player should be able to save and exit the game at any point, loosing at most a few seconds of game play. • Our job as game designers is to entertain, not to punish. • The customer is always right? • Applies to all single player games • Trumped by “Suspend the players sence of disbelief”

14. Rule:Let Players Turn the Game Off The 400 • Can this apply to multiplayer games? • Play-saving, is this any good? • Save points? • Examples of bad save schemes?

15. Next crit: Available from: The Gaming Depot http://www.gamingdepot.com

16. Next forum:3D Graphics are the Spawn of Satan • Available on GameDev • Why has the industry focused on making things look pretty? • What are some games that have suffered from overuse of technology?

17. Coming Up • Next meeting: • Archway 2, 7:00 – 9:00 • Monday 1st September • 3D Graphics • Balance of Power • Game playing session • More of the 400 • Tutorials next week