Beginning game programming course

[eds1275]

There's a course on game programming being offered on Coursera, which is a free education site in case you aren't in the know. Here's the link:
https://www.coursera.org/course/gameprogramming
The way it works is you get your course materials at the beginning of the week, then work on them in your own time. At the end of the week they do a "peer review" which basically means your work gets critiqued by another student and you critique someone else. So there's no real interaction with the teacher, however it has been in my experience a rewarding way to learn. I have done 12 or so coursera courses for my own benefit, on everything from guitar playing to music production.

A few other BYOACers are taking it as well. I figured we could use this thread to discuss the course stuff if need be, as well as discuss other game making related things such as engines, 3d modelling etc etc.

[JDFan]

Looks interesting but not sure about having the time to follow the 12 week schedule but might give it a go.

[Generic Eric]

Well, I'm already reading the ebook.  I went to the authors website.  The course link is jacked up for now.  It'll probably be back by the time everything starts.  If you want to read the book, you can download  it a chapter at a time.

There are a couple of youtube videos referencing him.

[Slippyblade]

I'd be all over this except that I'm spending a week camping end of this month.  Well, not quite camping...

[eds1275]

Looks interesting but not sure about having the time to follow the 12 week schedule but might give it a go.

Well there's no obligation to do anything or complete. I personally take great joy in it, especially since I am a beginner at any type of programming. I mean, for the ramp and roll game, being able to have the mouse/trackball move the ball was an amazing feat. Every time I code something that works, it sort of blows my mind!

[yotsuya]

Looks interesting but not sure about having the time to follow the 12 week schedule but might give it a go.

Well there's no obligation to do anything or complete. I personally take great joy in it, especially since I am a beginner at any type of programming. I mean, for the ramp and roll game, being able to have the mouse/trackball move the ball was an amazing feat. Every time I code something that works, it sort of blows my mind!

Same here.  I love learning new stuff

[RoyalScam]

OK, I'm in. I decided if some of my online friends are in, I should be as well.  I mean, what the hell, youse guys is ok and it's fer free.  It's my hope that you'll all shame me into sticking with it and actually completing the course.  I need motivation, or ridicule, that's where I work best.  BTW I've never done the eBook thing.  I have a PC Phone and tablet, do I have to choose which device to use exclusively for the book or will the book be available on all three devices?  BTW I'm really looking forward to this!  Should we all have a good experience in this, I'd be open to joining some other classes with all of you in the future.  I think we'd go pretty far.

Regards,
Scam

[eds1275]

I have a few games in progress that I've just started. One is similar to Ramp & Roll (though a little more advanced), in that it is a trackball game that I think will fit in nicely with World Class Bowling and Golden Tee Golf. It's lawn darts, and is tentatively called Head's Up! I think it will push my programming skills enough that it will be hard but not impossible.

The other one is in collaboration with my friend's 12 or 13 year old son. He wrote a "creepy pasta" which I had no clue about. Basically an online short horror story. Which makes me wonder why they don't just call it a short horror story. Anyways, it's pretty good. About a mad scientist who brought his dead daughter back as a hungry and intelligent zombie. It's a first person game where you run around a mansion hunting for clues, and have to find pills to calm the voices in your head and find batteries to keep the flashlight going. We had a few talks where basically I shot down all his really cool ideas because they are just so far out of reach. I'm trying to limit my involvement on this one, it's not my story, not really my project... but I will help out with the basics of modelling and I will likely do all the audio.

Both of them are really in the baby stages so nothing to really show yet.

Anyone else have any ideas for games? The C# in this course really will help with Unity, even if the course is more about XNA Studio. If you are into Unity the learn section of their website has recently been churning out some awsome lessons.

[SavannahLion]

It's a first person game where you run around a mansion hunting for clues, and have to find pills to calm the voices in your head and find batteries to keep the flashlight going.

That's actually a pretty cool idea. There's a pretty cool article that offers a couple of ideas in the same vein. He can do what he wants but I think the article brings up a good point about the "Sanity" feature in Eternal Darkness that might bump the creep factor up.

edit: oops forgot the link: http://www.gamefaqs.com/gamecube/913957-eternal-darkness-sanitys-requiem/reviews/review-149248

[JDFan]

Looks interesting but not sure about having the time to follow the 12 week schedule but might give it a go.

Well there's no obligation to do anything or complete. I personally take great joy in it, especially since I am a beginner at any type of programming. I mean, for the ramp and roll game, being able to have the mouse/trackball move the ball was an amazing feat. Every time I code something that works, it sort of blows my mind!

OK - Signed up and will start reading the book should be interesting as I haven't done any programming since Borland Turbo C back in the 80's.

[Generic Eric]

I don't have any many ideas that aren't  the basic brawlers, or "Run Right to Live" games. 

To start, I'd  be happy to be able make something that fit into an arcade cabinet.

[eds1275]

That's actually a pretty cool idea. There's a pretty cool article that offers a couple of ideas in the same vein. He can do what he wants but I think the article brings up a good point about the "Sanity" feature in Eternal Darkness that might bump the creep factor up.

Yeah, I think the most we are capable of doing is making the camera go a little more fish eye the crazier he becomes, and turning up the volume of the crazy voices spinning around his head. Once he loses it, it'll be game over. We don't have the know how to do much more than that, but I think it'll be just enough to add a little something to the game, since there is very little to it already and no enemies.

[yotsuya]

I want to make a custom Galaga-type space shooter with levels/sectors like Moon Patrol.

[Slippyblade]

I want to make a custom Galaga-type space shooter with levels/sectors like Moon Patrol.

That'd be cool.  I am a progression junky and loved that Moon Patrol had a "destination" of sorts even though it effectively looped.  That's one of the reasons I like Blasteroids, actually.  There's a journey, not just a score.

[Generic Eric]

I want to make a custom Galaga-type space shooter with levels/sectors like Moon Patrol.

That'd be cool.  I am a progression junky and loved that Moon Patrol had a "destination" of sorts even though it effectively looped.  That's one of the reasons I like Blasteroids, actually.  There's a journey, not just a score.

---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.  That is a much cooler idea than I had.

I wanted to make moon patrol look like metal slug.  I think there mechs & tanks looked cool.  I'd also like to have scrolling background.

I was thinking about instead of just having powerups in a shump, what about resources that allowed to build up your ship, shields or weapons. But that it just happened automatically.  In the h-shump, Jets and Guns, you can purchase upgrades, but it drops you so far out of the game flow, it's not that fun I'd look to avoid that.

[yotsuya]

That's a cool idea, Eric.

My daughter named my vertical cocktail "Digital World", so I envision a game where you start in space, and the goal is to land your ship on a landing bay in the  city. 3/4 of the game would be in space, the rest over the city.

[Generic Eric]

That's a cool idea, Eric.

My daughter named my vertical cocktail "Digital World", so I envision a game where you start in space, and the goal is to land your ship on a landing bay in the  city. 3/4 of the game would be in space, the rest over the city.

Do you control your descent through different atmospheres? 

It could be cool to travel though space, fly through a planets deep space network of probes and space stations, an asteroid belt or 2.  If the player is skilled enough, they can begin their descent to the surface.

Probably not what you had in mind, but I'd but a quarter in that anyhow.

[yotsuya]

I was envisioning something like that, maybe even a change in perspective.

[Generic Eric]

The world needs more trackball games.  I'm thinking about another idea.  Shock & Drop Ship Troopers.  Onscreen gauges, or real gauges are  monitored to stabilize the character.  I think it might cool to minlipuate some dials and switches to stabilize.  Then, I know I started with trackballs, but if you controlled a force feedback stick to land, that could be cool.   I imagine  the last part visualized by alining circles concentricly.

[Generic Eric]

Vertical oriented monitor. 
Challenge :  Stack plates, maintain balance.
Control: Unique, an analog plate, as in a dish, that you held by the rim to keep steady.

[SavannahLion]

That's actually a pretty cool idea. There's a pretty cool article that offers a couple of ideas in the same vein. He can do what he wants but I think the article brings up a good point about the "Sanity" feature in Eternal Darkness that might bump the creep factor up.

Yeah, I think the most we are capable of doing is making the camera go a little more fish eye the crazier he becomes, and turning up the volume of the crazy voices spinning around his head. Once he loses it, it'll be game over. We don't have the know how to do much more than that, but I think it'll be just enough to add a little something to the game, since there is very little to it already and no enemies.

I understand but if he's twelve and he has something simple put together like that, I'd want to encourage his brain to keep making more games.

[eds1275]

If he was my kid, I'd be all over that. But that's more dad territory. I'll help him finish a basic version and after that he can go all ape ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- on it if he wants. But since I'm involved, I'd like to have a finished project instead of a neverending one.

[Vigo]

Eh, I'll give it a go.

So whose paper can I copy off of? 

[Generic Eric]

Eh, I'll give it a go.

So whose paper can I copy off of? 

Ghostbusters brawler with underwater levels and starring the female cast,  but they have to save the original cast.  Egon is the first unlockable character, he is obviously  a ghost.

[Vigo]

Eh, I'll give it a go.

So whose paper can I copy off of? 

Ghostbusters brawler with underwater levels and starring the female cast,  but they have to save the original cast.  Egon is the first unlockable character, he is obviously  a ghost.

  So much  in that post.

[Generic Eric]

Eh, I'll give it a go.

So whose paper can I copy off of? 

Ghostbusters brawler with underwater levels and starring the female cast,  but they have to save the original cast.  Egon is the first unlockable character, he is obviously  a ghost.

  So much  in that post.

I think if you worked on a project like that it could help you work out your fellings.

[Vigo]

I think if you worked on a project like that it could help you work out your fellings.

It probably would be pretty darn therapeutic. I just don't know if I would be willing to drop my Snack's n Steve Urkel game to put on the urkelcade.

[Generic Eric]

I think if you worked on a project like that it could help you work out your fellings.

It probably would be pretty darn therapeutic. I just don't know if I would be willing to drop my Snack's n Steve Urkel game to put on the urkelcade.

All things in their time.  Probably need to let the movie come out to properly lampoon it anyhow.

[Vigo]

Yeah, to be honest...I got too many ideas for a game. I've tried video game creation programs in the past, and have dropped a number of game ideas. I am hoping that doing a 12 week course dealy, combined with having some of you guys in the same fray might be the motivation I need to finally make and complete something.

[yotsuya]

Yeah, to be honest...I got too many ideas for a game. I've tried video game creation programs in the past, and have dropped a number of game ideas. I am hoping that doing a 12 week course dealy, combined with having some of you guys in the same fray might be the motivation I need to finally make and complete something.

Same here. I'm hoping this provides focus.

[Generic Eric]

A couple of weeks ago I found some notes that were based on frogger.

Anyway, I think the easiest way to ease in is to use concepts we are familiar with. It'd be easy to get wrapped up in an over ambitious idea, but I think a brawler is a straightforward concept.

It's worth mentioning the book is almost 800 pages according to amazon.  11 percent into the book, the first "game" involves flipping cards. So don't expect halo 7 from this course. *shrug*

*autocorrect is a tramp*

[thatpurplestuff]

Just enrolled.  I've had a few ideas rolling around in my head but I've been wanting to move away from AS2 (the only language I am familiar with).  Hopefully life doesn't get in the way of me completing the course!

[eds1275]

Hopefully life doesn't get in the way of me completing the course!

Even if you don't complete the course, it's a good idea to always download all the course materials at the beginning of every week. Then the only thing you would miss out on is the peer review bit.

[yotsuya]

I downloaded the software they recommended. Can't wait to start!

[Generic Eric]

I found my notes for frogger.  They are written on the bottom of an xkcd comic.

Crashes gave the players bonus points.  I had drawn a mini van, cement mixer, tanks and various vehicles.

On the back was Galaga 2012.  I think it would be neat to represent the different consellations and nebulas.  This would be done with a deeper color palette of course.  Or just a background pic.  I also wrote a note about  having the space station rotate for gravity.  Another cool idea could be to have space related trivia during the warp between levels

[shponglefan]

Just signed up for it.  Right now I've got Visual Studio Express 2013 and Monogame 3, instead of the listed requirements.  They're newer, but I'm hoping will still work... backwards compatibility and all that.

[melvinbates]

This sounds like fun.  I'll see you all in class...

[Generic Eric]

It'd be easy to get wrapped up in an over ambitious idea

So is no one else posting ideas?  You don't have to say you like my idea, but please if you feel like its ---smurfing--- ridiculous, than say so.


If a person liked H-shumps, they could use the "every starship to scale"  that has been floating around.

[Generic Eric]

Are we going to have a safe zone here to talk about ideas?  Group PM or a secret squirrel secret forum?  I'd like a quiet place with no outward eyes.

[yotsuya]

Given this place's propensity with feature creep and idea man syndrome (actually, all gaming sites I've ever been on), I would recommend a Group PM.