Syllabus

COURSE SYLLABUS

CS 133G - CRN 43479 Introductions to Games 4 Cr. – RC

Fall 2010 Walter Morales wmorales@pcc.edu

17705 NW Springville Rd., Portland, OR 97229

LOCATION OF CLASSES: bldg 2/257

CLASS TIME: 3:00-6:00 M

OFFICE NUMBER: 503 614-7604 2/244

OPEN LAB: http://www.pcc.edu/resources/computer-labs/ (check current open times). Visit the lab for orientation even if you have a computer. If you decide to visit the computer lab you will need to have access to the computers.

E-MAIL: wmorales@pcc.edu http://spot.pcc.edu/~wmorales. When sending a message, always use the subject: CS133G – your name – your topic on ALL of your email messages to the instructor. ONLY use your PCC e-mail address.

LAB TIMES (OFFICE HOURS): (Virtual Hours – Contact me via e-mail. On campus T, TH 2:30-5:00pm or by appointment. Please, Call first)

REQUIRED TEXT: Game Development Essentials by Jeannie Novak, Thomson/Delmar Learning. Please be sure you order the second edition.

SUPPLIES: You will require access to Game Maker for the duration of this course. You will be able to get by with the free unregistered version of version 8, that you can download it here http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/, although you can certainly create more sophisticated games with the registered version (currently priced at $25.00), but it is not required.

System requirements for Game Maker 8.x:
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7
DirectX 8 or later
DirectX 8 compatible graphics card with at least 32MB of video memory
Pentium or equivalent processor
DirectX 8 compatible sound card
128 MB of memory or greater (noted only in official Game Maker help file documentation)
800×600 or greater screen resolution with 16-bit or 32-bit colors

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Fundamentals of computer game development, including a survey of computer game categories and platforms, major game components, an overview of the game development process, and an introduction to game graphics. This course will design and develop some elementary two-dimensional computer games.

PREREQUISITES: Recommended: Computer literacy such as CIS 120, MTH 95, and placement at WR 121.

GRADING: Students will be evaluated based on their performance on exams, discussions, and homework assignments. The assignments and exams will be given points. For instance, the midterm will be worth 200 pts (or 20%) of your grade. Your final grade will be the average according to the total points that you received in class. So, if the total points for the class is 900 pts and you received 800, your final grade will be 88% = B.

HW assignments (50%) | 90% - 100% = A

Midterm exam (20%) | 80% - 89% = B

Final exam (20%) | 70% - 79% = C

Attendance/Participation(10%) | 50% - 69% = D

|00% - 49% = F

Further grading policy, http://www.pcc.edu/resources/academic/standards-practices/documents/G301GradingGuidelinesJun09.pdf

Makeup: (VERY IMPORTANT) If you are not able to turn in your assignment in time, please advise your instructor (in writing, voice mail or e-mail prior to the due date of the assignment or test, so an arrangement, if possible, can be made. Otherwise the value of the homework or test will be worth 50% of its original value. The assignment is late if you send your assignments in a later date. The test/exam is considered late if you do not take the test within the scheduled time. If an assignment is worth 100 points and it is turned in late, the maximum number of points that you will receive is 50. Please make sure to let your instructor know if there will be a problem with the due dates of the assignments and make an arrangement. Half credit will be given for late assignments. Late assignments will be accepted at the latest one week after their due date (for late assignments). Except the last assignment that will not be accepted late.

Attendance Policy: The student will also be expected to spend an average of 3 or more hours per week working on course projects. Participation in class discussions and attendance (for on campus students) will count towards 10% of your class grade. In the case of sickness or emergency please contact the instructor (writing a note, voice mail or e-mail) prior to the class meeting.

Assignments: LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE WORTH HALF OF ITS ORIGINAL VALUE AND COLLECTED AT THE LATEST 1 WEEK AFTER ITS DUE DATE. NOT INCLUDING THE FINAL ASSIGNMENT THAT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED LATE. The assignments will be corrected between 1 - 2 weeks time frame. Please check how to use the return receipt (http://on-his-mind.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-setup-read-receipt-in-outlook.html) if you want to receive an acknowledgement that I received your messages. Use ONLY your PCC email for school correspondence. You will upload your assignments on the SWS server, please read http://sws.pcc.edu/ under help to find out how to use FTP.

Lab exercises include: There should be about 5 assignments. Do not start an assignment until they have a date assigned to them. The due dates will be announced in class and in the main page of our web site http://spot.pcc.edu/~wmorales/cs133g/.

Flexibility Statement: Assignment/exam calendars may be changed in response to institutional, weather, class problems. See Academic Calendar http://www.pcc.edu/registration/academic-calendar.html.

Instructional ADA statement: PCC is committed to supporting all students. If you have an accommodation form from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), please make arrangements to meet with me privately to discuss your needs. Accommodations are not retroactive, but begin when the instructor receives the OSD Approved Academic Accommodations form from the student. To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact OSD at 503-614-7300 to make an appointment with an OSD counselor.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: Degrees and grades are awarded on the basis of evidence that students have mastered course material and met other requirements. Homework, assignments, term papers, examinations, and other assigned work provide evidence of that mastery, as well as providing practice for the student. Please visit http://www.pcc.edu/pcc/abt/rights/student_rights/integrity.htm and look at this document carefully.

Cellular phone statement: All cell phones and pagers should be turned off while class is in session. If you feel you have special circumstances and need to leave your phone or pager on, it must be turned to vibrate or silent. If there is an emergency situation and you must use your phone during class time, please leave the classroom before accepting and/or conducting your call.

NOTES

1) are responsible for selecting grading criteria: http://www.pcc.edu/resources/academic/standards-practices/documents/G301GradingGuidelinesJun09.pdf.

2) Always keep a copy of your submitted assignments and make sure to backup your work frequently.

3) Please check the schedule for our Computer Resource Center. It may be closed during certain days during finals week if you plan to use the lab on campus.

4) You will be responsible for the material covered in class.

5) The following course outline may slightly change. You will be notified about these changes during the lecture or postings.

6) I will do my best to keep up with the schedule, but sometimes we may need to spend a little more time on certain subjects.

7) On the subject line of your messages ALWAYS include class name, your name, topic. i.e. CS133G - Your name - questions about assignment 1 and only use your pcc email.

8) Your instructor can not be available 24hrs a day, I will do my best to be responsive to your messages, but it may take up to 36-72 hrs to respond your e-mails. ALWAYS use wmorales@pcc.edu address to send all of your messages to your instructor AND ALWAYS use your PCC e-mail address.

9) We will be using blackboard for our exams and make some material available online. Please visit http://distance.pcc.edu to familiarize yourself with blackboard

10) The discussion boards are to be used to post messages related to the topics covered in class. It is not to be used for personal attacks or any posting that is disruptive to the class. Please be aware of the Code of Student Conduct, violations will be reported to the Dean of students.