Computer Games Development (Winter 2017/18)

The course gives a complex overview of computer games development. It covers programming (middleware for games, scripting languages, etc.), game design, project management, game marketing and also briefly touches basics of computer graphics for non-programmers. This is a joint course for students from multiple faculties and universities. In the course, the students create their own small game in small teams of 3-4 students. Every team is given own exclusive mentor who is a professional game developer. Lectures are led by game development professionals and a mini game development conference is organized as part of the course. The lectures will likely be given in English.

Main parts of the course are led by Otakar Nieder (Bohemia Interactive Simulations), Martin Klíma (Warhorse Studios), Zdeněk Záhora (FF MUNI), Jakub Gemrot and Cyril Brom (CUNI).

The course is opened for MFF UK students as well as limited number of students from FF UK, ČVUT, FAMU, ZČU Plzeň and VŠUP Praha.

This year, lectures will be given in blocks. Every block will run at MFF UK (Malostranské nám. 25) in the room S1 every Friday since 2017/10/06 according to the Schedule below. The blocks start typically at 9:00 AM and end typically between 11:00 AM and late evening (see Schedule below).

ORGANIZATION

1. First of all, be sure to have fun!
2. The Fun starts at 2017/10/06 at 9:00 AM, MFF UK (Malostanské nám. 25) room S1. Mark this in your calendar. YOU MUST ATTEND THIS INTRODUCTORY LECTURE. We are going to tell you EXTREMELY IMPORTANT organization information, which WILL NOT BE REPEATED AGAIN, plus we will be signing up you to the mailing conference.
3. Read about the Grading (the scoring system), Team rules, the Experiment and Mini-grant applications at the second half of this page.
4. Subscribe to the lecture’s mailing conference. (Deadline: 2017/10/13)
5. If you have Facebook, stay connected with our FB page (we really appreciate your like ;-).
6. If you use Twitter, follow our Twitter account.
7. Sign-up for the experiment, see information at the bottom of this page (Deadline: 2017/10/13).
8. Attend a networking event that is organized during the evenings 2017/10/20.
9. Decide on a game you want to make and as a team give a pitch presentation about your idea. Pitch presentation session is organized during 2017/10/27.
10. Join or form a team. Mind the Team rules at the bottom of this page. (Deadline: 2017/11/02). You can use this shared spreadsheet to track who is available (who does not have a team yet) for that.
11. Decide whether your team needs some mini-grant money for SW or HW or assets. (Mini-grant application deadline: 2017/11/09)
12. If you received a mini-grant, submit invoices to Jakub Gemrot. (VERY hard deadline:2017/11/24)
13. Meet all deadlines, attend to all mandatory events.
14. Create a magnificent game prototype!
15. You will pass the course with A if you manages to collect at least 90 points AND you will participate on the experiment. See bottom of the page for grading details.

SCHEDULE

Note that end-times can vary.

Teams

Each team should game 3 – 4 people, 4 is an ideal number, 5 is a bit too many but acceptable occasionally. Members of the team must be from at least two different faculties. Ideally, every team should have at least one creative guy/gal and a programmer. There can be at max 1 person from FF UK in each team. (Students from FF UK should not flock together!)

Deadline for forming teams is: 2017/11/02 !

We advise you to write your name into this spreadsheet that can be used to quickly check who still does not have a team…

Deadlines

All deadlines are here to be met!

As in game industry itself, all deadlines are strict. If not stated otherwise, deadline 2017/10/14 means the very day till 23:59:59 GMT+1. If you are unable to deliver, you have to mail us in advance explaining your problems. If you mail us after the deadline, you’re doomed (well not literally, you will not receive points, but that may ultimately lead to failing the course). Piece of advice to teams (and their “managers”), make sure all your team members is committing to deadlines, otherwise they might lose motivation working on the project if they found out they will not be able to receive A…

Project

In this year, your goal will be to develop a small casual game on a given theme (to be announced during introductory lecture 2017/10/06) that can compete with other existing games on an international competition. Creating such game is a question of good game design and 15-20 days of programming and graphics making. You can check on projects from previous years 2015, 2016. We will require you to form a team, write a Game Design Document (the link contains a template with instructions) and implement the game according to it. Finally, you will have to present and defend your game during presentation day.

Student teams are interdisciplinary as gamedev teams usually are. We aim at having a distinctive person for roles: programmer, designer, artist at each team. But it is up to you to form teams. Deadline for forming a team is  2017/11/02. We require that all members creatively contribute to the project. No team member should be “hiree-to-do-some-dull-stuff”.

You can use our Facebook page or email conference to promote yourself or propose your projects. We are going to organize two informal networking events in some pub (2017/10/13, 2017/10/20). You should also read “Teams Rules” section above first (if you haven’t already)!

We are trying to find external mentors who have a lot of experiences with game development and team management to help you with project management and game development. Each team should get one and you will have to report to them regularly; take this opportunity to learn from them!

You will have to pitch your project to mentors first (2017/10/27) as if they are potential investors (which they truly are, they will be investing their own time to you!).

You are also required to use Git as SCM (namely GitHub); if you do not know what that is, ask your programmers ;-). GitHub provides you with many usefull stuff, namely it allows you to have a project’s front page, wiki, forum, etc.

As a part of the project we will require you to create a webpage that describes your game (example pages from 2016: Spring, 2015: Time Lapsus, Swappie) and a small gameplay video (example: Spring)

Experiment

You have to attend an experiment related to educational games development.

This year’s topic is: „Computer games and their effects on its players“

Why?
Popularity of the computer games is on its rise. Historical computer games became one of the most common and successful forms through which the past is engaged. However the research about the effects of those games on their players is still limited. This user study is focused on perception of the historical topics represented in the game.

Place
Malostranské náměstí 2/25, Prague 1 in a room SW1

Possible Dates
1) 21.10. 2017, 9:30-12:00
2) 27.10. 2017, 10:40-13:10
3) 4.11. 2017, 9:30-12:00

It is necessary that you choose ONE date which suits you the best. Deadline for the registration is 2017/10/13.

How to register?
Write an email to the administrator with your prefered date: lukas.kolek(at)post.cz.
Do it as soon as possible since there is limitation of participants per date!

Experiment results
At the end of the semester, there will be a debriefing session organised regarding the results and the design of the study.

In case of any trouble, please contact the administrator of the user-study as soon as possible: lukas.kolek(at)post.cz

Grading

You final grade depends on your team performance throughout the whole semester. Points are collected both by teams and individual members. Every team member can gain up-to 123 points in total. We will be sending a link to the scoring sheet through mailing conference, if you miss it, mail to jakub.gemrot@gmail.com who will resend the link to you.

You can receive points for various meetings / events / consultations / awards, 10 points == grade difference:

Mini-grant Application Instructions

1. Application text must be submitted (that is delivered!) together with design documents till 2017/11/09 midnight (i.e., 11:59.59 PM GMT+1) to: Jakub Gemrot (gemrot@gamedev.cuni.cz)
2. There must be at least 1 CUNI MFF member within the team applying for a mini-grant.
3. Application must include:
   1. Name of the team (together with names and affiliations of its members) and name of the project
   2. Concrete description what do you apply for.
   3. Concrete description how are you going to obtain it.
   4. Price including VAT (round up to 500 CZK).
   5. Reason, why do you want the “thing” and how are you going to use it within the scope of the project.
   6. How will your situation change, if you do not get the mini-grant.
4. You can apply only for things that can be bought against a receipt (a bill for hardware or an invoice for services). If you cannot comply with this condition (you need real money), you might try to apply nevertheless, but it will lower your chances for getting the money.
5. Everything you buy must “exist” and it will remain the property of Charles University. This applies to hardware as well as sounds, graphics, etc. (but that does not mean you will have to remove the graphics or sounds from your game at the end of the term). You must return the “thing” after you finish the project (subject for discussion, state your reason why you will need to keep the “thing”).
6. Altogether, we can split up to 10.000 CZK. You may ask for any amount up to 10.000 CZK you consider appropriate, but in case of multiple high-quality applications we will split 10.000 CZK among the applicants.
7. Evaluation criteria:
   1. Formal compliance of the application with the rules above
   2. Meaningfulness
   3. Game design document quality and quality of your project in general
8. You have to buy the “thing” no later than 2017/11/24, bills must be handed to Jakub Gemrot no later than 2017/11/24. We will not refund bills after that date. Period.

ČVUT Students

Please note that if you are ČVUT student, you have to write to Cyril Brom (zc.inuc.ffm.ivsk reverse-it morb) that you wish to attend the course. Send the email no later than 2016/09/29.

ZČU Students

Please note that if your of age 15-26 you are eligible for getting a “Žákovské jízdné” discount from ČD on trips between Pilsen and Prague.

Step-by-step guide (kudos to Olga Tesliuk, who has punched this through!):

1. Buy a Žákovské jízdné card for 2 CZK at train station (they should have it available both in ČD and Regiojet desks).
2. Fill in your name, surname, birthdate and towns you going to commute between (Pilsen – Prague); of course write this in Czech 😉
3. Go to your student affairs at ZČU and have it signed (let tem fill “date from-to” for you).
4. Go back to the train station and have it signed by ČD (you will need that card, your identity card – občanka, and 50 CZK).
5. PROFIT!

Another generic step-by-step guide available here (in Czech only).