VGD+121+Course+Content

Welcome to VGD 121 - Video Game Development for Game Engines I

This course consists of an introduction to Video Game Development using the Unity development environment. This is the first class in a sequence that teaches the skills necessary to create 2D and 3D video games for PC, Mac, the Web, smartphones, and game consoles.

WHY UNITY?

Over the past couple of years, no game development engine has received more "buzz" than Unity. A Game Development Engine is an environment that takes care of much of the low level coding for you. The upside of this is that you get to the point of designing and building games much faster. The downside is that you do not learn or need to learn much of the "nuts and bolts" low level programming skills that you would learn when programming a game from the ground up. If you can deal with not knowing about some of the things going on "behind the curtain", at least for now, Unity can get you to the point of creating usable and marketable games faster than any other environment available.

Aside from the general game market, Unity has also been making quite a name for itself in educational games. It is considered by many to be the only platform both easy enough for a non-programmer content expert to master in a reasonable amount of time and powerful enough to create worthwhile educational games.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

All other information about the class can be located within the Syllabus. READ the Syllabus. This is the contract between you and I...and The Video Game Development Curriculum.

At the bottom of this page you will find a number of links to items which you may find of interest. These include links to download the software for the course, and a few other possibly useful odds and ends. One to be sure not to miss is the Course Assets link. This file contains images that are used to complete the course.

COURSE TEXT

The text for this class is Sam's Teach Yourself Unity Game Development in 24 Hours by Mike Geig (ISBN: 978-0-672-33696-6). This text was printed in 2013. Unity has had a few changes since then. These should be reflected in the Errata ( @http://www.informit.com). If the update is not there, consider adding a change for extra credit. GAME ON.

This book will also be used in the next class VGD 122. It is a great book and wonderful for reference material.

ASSIGNMENTS

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">All course assignments consist of submitting your project files, or screen shots of the projects, from your system. The Assignments navigation link is to the left and takes you to the individual assignment pages for uploading the individual assignment files.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Read the requirements of the assignment for that chapter so that you can have that information in mind as you work through the chapter tutorial.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Due dates teach time management which is a very important part of the online environment. Please stay as close as you can to these dates. If you do, you will stay on track in this class. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">You may resubmit any assignment as many times as it takes to get it right (or until the semester ends).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">PC OR MAC, IT'S YOUR CHOICE

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The software used for this class will run on both PCs running recent versions of Windows OS and Macs. While the text screen shots were all done on PCs, the software should look and run virtually identically on a Mac. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The software for this class is downloadable for FREE from Unity. This download is explained in Chapter 1. The current version of Unity software is 4.6.1, but software versions change often.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Links:

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Unity Website (@http://unity3d.com/) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">First Text Chapters (@http://www.math-prof.com/VGD121/VGD121_FirstChapters.pdf) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Course Assets (@http://www.math-prof.com/VGD121/VGD121_CourseAssets.zip)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Assignment One
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">If you fail to submit this assignment, you will be dropped from the course. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Childhood Dream (Due by 1/14/2015) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Download and Install Unity (Due by 1/17/2015) || <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Learning Outcome #1 - Install and launch game development software. ||
 * Learning Outcomes
 * Install and launch game development software.
 * Use the logical structures found in software design.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Read and Respond (Due by 1/13/2015)
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Text Chapter 1 (1 course video)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Read and Respond
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">In this assignment, state that you have read the syllabus, looked at the calendar, and understand that we have optional meetings via Elluminate/Collaborate, as well as assignments which will be submitted in Blackboard by the Due Dates.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Understand that you will need to download the Unity software to your own computer. Yavapai College campus lab computers should have Unity installed. These computers can only be used for college purposes. You are making an agreement to these terms.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Select the Read and Respond link above and post your "agreement".

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> This is due by Tuesday, 1/13/2015 and will provide you with FIVE EXTRA POINTS! GAME ON FOLKS!

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Childhood Dreams Discussion Board <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Please share your Childhood Dream.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">What did you want to be when you grew up?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Did your dreams change through the years?
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Does your choice of classes reflect these dreams?

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This Discussion Board is worth FIVE EXTRA POINTS and is due by Wednesday, 1/14/2015. LEVEL UP!

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Download and Install Unity <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Read Chapter 1 (Pages 1-3)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">If the Unity screen is minimized, select the three lines image. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This file is large and can take sometime to download. Be sure you are hardwired in as wireless can disconnect the download process.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Discussion:

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">The first step to master Unity is to install the software. The version of Unity that we are using is free. While there are versions of Unity that cost money, some of them BIG money, we will be using the free version for all assignments in this class and the following classes (VGD122, VGD221, VGD171, VGD172, and VGD222).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Links: Unity (@http://unity3d.com/5) <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Creating a Screen Capture ( @http://www.take-a-screenshot.org/)

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Assignment 001 A
<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Install the Unity software. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Launch the Unity application. The Unity application software should have a desktop icon that looks like the 3D cube logo on the cover of your text. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Once Unity is open on your desktop, take a screen shot of the application. Submit this screen shot through this assignment link.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Point Values: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Unity application open on desktop: 10 pts <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This is due by (DATE).

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">This is the document on the lessons. Videos and images will need to be added for Version Changes and Clarifications and other information... <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Assignment 001 B <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Read Chapter 1 (Pages 4-22) > =====Complete Chapter 1 and submit project folder with all scenes.===== > 10 points 10 points > =====Exercise_Lesson_1 scene page 21.===== > 25 points 25 points each primitive
 * Create a new project folder for each lesson. Last_First_121_Lesson_1
 * Correctly named project folder with Scenes folder.
 * Creating _Project scene page 6. Do not use the name in the book.
 * New Scene saved in Scenes folder.
 * Add 3 different primitive objects not just a cube.


 * 120 total points

Assignment 002
 * Learning Outcomes
 * Install and launch game development software.
 * Use the logical structures found in software design.

> 10 points > 10 points > 100 points >> 50 points >> 50 points
 * Read and work through Chapter 2 pages 23 through 35.
 * Create a new project folder for each lesson. Last_First_121_Lesson_2
 * Complete Chapter 1 and submit project folder with all scenes.
 * Correctly named project folder with Scenes folder.
 * Creating_Game_Objects scene page 28.
 * Exercise_Lesson_1 scene page 21
 * *** Create a scene using at least 3 different primitive objects and 2 of the transform tools discussed in the chapter.
 * Also use the Hierarchy View to nest some objects and transform them together (pg. 11).
 * 120 total points