Students
COMP2160 – Game Development
2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor/Lecturer
Malcolm Ryan
Contact via Email
By appointment
Lecturer
Mitchell McEwan
Contact via Email
By appointment
Tutor
Elise McCabe
Contact via Email
TBA
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(COMP1150 or COMP111 or MMCC1011 or MAS111) and (COMP1010 or COMP125)
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit covers the production processes involved in the development of videogames. Students will learn how to apply software engineering principles to develop a game in a 3D game engine, focusing on specific programming problems that arise in the context of game development. Practical exercises emphasise agile team-based production process for project management.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: Identify, articulate and adapt the key methodologies, theories and practices involved in game development.
- ULO2: Demonstrate knowledge of project management within the context of game development.
- ULO3: Apply software engineering principles to develop a game in a 3D game engine.
- ULO4: Apply good programming practices in the context of game development.
- ULO5: Identify and reflect upon the ethical issues that arise in the development of games.
General Assessment Information
Late Submission
No extensions will be granted except in cases of special consideration. Students who have not submitted any work for the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for special consideration cases. Plan to submit early.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | 30% | No | Week 7 |
| Assigment 2 | 30% | No | Week 13 |
| Assignment 3 | 20% | No | Week 9 |
| Weekly Quizzes | 10% | No | Weekly |
| Weekly practical exercises | 10% | No | Weekly |
Assignment 1
Assessment Type 1: Programming Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 30%
You will develop a videogame to meet a specified design, and report on the software architecture employed and the performance of the game in terms of time and memory usage.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify, articulate and adapt the key methodologies, theories and practices involved in game development.
- Apply software engineering principles to develop a game in a 3D game engine.
- Apply good programming practices in the context of game development.
Assigment 2
Assessment Type 1: Programming Task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 30%
You will work in pairs to develop a videogame to meet a specified design. Emphasis will be placed on good project management following an agile methodology. You will report of the software architecture employed in the game.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify, articulate and adapt the key methodologies, theories and practices involved in game development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of project management within the context of game development.
- Apply software engineering principles to develop a game in a 3D game engine.
- Apply good programming practices in the context of game development.
Assignment 3
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 9
Weighting: 20%
A short essay exploring one of the key ethical issues that arise in game development practice.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify and reflect upon the ethical issues that arise in the development of games.
Weekly Quizzes
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
Weekly quizzes based on lecture material.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify, articulate and adapt the key methodologies, theories and practices involved in game development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of project management within the context of game development.
- Apply software engineering principles to develop a game in a 3D game engine.
- Apply good programming practices in the context of game development.
- Identify and reflect upon the ethical issues that arise in the development of games.
Weekly practical exercises
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
Weekly game programming exercises
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify, articulate and adapt the key methodologies, theories and practices involved in game development.
- Apply software engineering principles to develop a game in a 3D game engine.
- Apply good programming practices in the context of game development.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
CLASSES
COMP2160 is taught mainly through online notes and video presentations with a one hour lecture. Each week a number of video presentations will be made available on iLearn, you should watch these and follow up on the topics covered before the lecture. The lecture will recap some of the video content and provide a forum for discussion of the topics of the week.
You will also have a two hour workshop each week in the computer laboratory. This will be used as a combined tutorial and practical class, with tasks each week to engage you in the topics we are discussing. The workshops give you a chance to talk over any problems with your tutor. There will be a checkpoint task each week for you to complete in the workshop, you must do this in the workshop and show your tutor the result.
Since your tutor will be keeping track of your marks, you should attend the workshop that you enroll in. If you do need to change, make sure your tutor and the tutor in the new class agree.
REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS
Prescribed Textbooks
There is no prescribed textbook for this unit. However, we recommend:
- Game Programming Patterns, by R. Nystrom, Genever Benning, ISBN-13: 978-0990582908
- The Game Production Toolbox, by H. M. Chandler, CRC Press, ISBN-13: 978-1-138-34170-8
UNIT WEBPAGE AND TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED
Online Resources
The official location (URL) of unit information once you have loaded your WWW browser is: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
Once you have enrolled in the unit, you must gain access to comp2160 website. We will be using the University’s Online Learning at MQ website (iLearn). Students should check this site for regular updates.
Technology Used and Required
Unity 3D. The free version of this can be downloaded at http://unity3d.com/get-unity
Unit Schedule
| Week | Lecture topics | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
C# programming Event-based programming Behaviour-based programming & modularity |
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| 2 | 2D & 3D geometry: Vectors and Quaternions The Transform Hierarchy / Scene Graph Handling input | |
| 3 | Prefabs, Instantiation & Destruction Singletons and Factories Object pooling & Garbage Collection Profiling | |
| 4 | Physics and Collision Coding Style and Review Audio | Assignment 1 released |
| 5 | UI implementation Game preferences Camera control Scene Management | |
| 6 | UI design Version control practices Accessibility | |
| 7 | Version control for teams Ethical issues in the games industry | Assignment 1 due Assignment 3 released |
| 8 | Testing and Quality Assurance Analytics | |
| 9 | Working with 3D models & rigging | Assignment 3 due Assignment 2 released |
| 10 | Game AI Path finding Finite state machines Procedural content generation | |
| 11 | Networking Serialisation | |
| 12 | Tool development Build tools Cross-platform development | |
| 13 | Assignment 2 due |
Note: This is a guide only. Topics may change by week. Check the iLearn site for details.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Changes from Previous Offering
This is the first offering of this unit.