IGB190 Games Mechanics Implementation

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

This unit introduces students to the process of translating complex theoretical game designs into working gameplay implementations as an effective team member and individual developer. You will design intricate mechanics while taking into consideration the many roles required during development, giving you an in-depth taste of the game development loop from multiple perspectives. Mechanics that are designed in this unit are intentionally sophisticated, requiring deliberate storyboarding, description, algorithmic breakdowns and sequence planning. These mechanics are then implemented within a game engine via the use of scripting and asset collation, exposing how the roles of all three majors – design, programming and art – come together cohesively to create sophisticated but engaging player experiences. While the unit has a light programming focus, the intention is to introduce the importance and relevance of the skillset to designers and artists in a guided and reusable manner. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge and skills in the production of interesting and sophisticated game mechanics.
2. Combine both design and programming principles effectively and efficiently to articulate and integrate game systems.
3. Explain the importance of specific, high-level programming concepts as they pertain to game design and development and how they can be employed in future projects.
4. Work effectively as an individual and as a member of a multidisciplinary team to create gameplay mechanics.
5. Communicate sophisticated game design ideas, concepts and models via written, visual, coded and implemented means to specialist audiences.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit uses a variety of pedagogies including programming demonstrations, modelling of problem-solving and project-based learning pedagogy, where you will be given small real-world challenges and design briefs requiring you to work independently and at times to collaborate with your peers in interdisciplinary teams to achieve project outcomes. You will be expected to use industry-standard software and the apply agile development processes introduced in this unit to your project work. The independent and collaborative project artifacts produced in this unit will be incorporated into your professional portfolio, which was established in IGB101: Interactive Media for Games to support the development of your employability skills.

As a first year, second semester unit, your learning will be continued to be scaffolded by the teaching staff but you will be expected to be curious, use initiative and to develop some self-directed learning capabilities by independently researching solutions for yourself using web and library resources. However, the teaching staff is available to answer your questions during scheduled classes, via Discord or by making appointment. Additional free support relating to this unit is available through the STIMulate peer program.

Learning in this unit includes weekly interactive lectures, hands-on-workshops and a unit communications channel, designed to facilitate communication with your peers and teaching staff outside of scheduled classes. You can expect to spend between 10 - 15 hours per week on average involved in attending all scheduled lectures and workshops, completing assessment tasks, and undertaking your own independent study to consolidate your learning.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will have a range of opportunities to receive feedback on your learning and progress in this unit including formative in-class individual or whole-of-class feedback on your work by tutors and peers. Guidelines, objectives and a rubric will be provided for each assessment task to help you self-assess your progress. Grades and individual written feedback will be provided on assessment tasks via a rubric. Individual consultations with your tutor can be arranged at a mutually convenient time.

Assessment

Overview

You will be required to undertake two assessment tasks in this unit, which provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to meet the unit learning outcomes. The first task is an individual project involving the development of a prototype. The second assessment task is a group task requiring the development of larger-scale prototype, which the team will playtest.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Games Mechanic Exploration

You are required to explore a variety of sophisticated game mechanics and correctly implement them into a prototype game environment for the purpose of experimentation and testing in a controlled environment. This process is done in a guided manner using C# in Unity, starting from basic programming principles but slowly leading towards more complicated, algorithmic, and logically controlled game systems. While undertaking this assignment, you will learn how to communicate such designs effectively into design documentation and understand what information is necessary for specific game development roles to work with. Formative feedback on this assessment task is available during workshops.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Mechanics Setup and Integration

You are required to expand upon more nuanced game mechanics or systems and implement them into a prototype game environment for actual video-game based user playtesting. You will demonstrate more sophisticated C# and Unity skills, including an introduction to object-oriented game development, logic-based sequencers, and animation controllers, to name but a few. The end product is something that both you and your peers can easily playtest, tweak and refine within each newly introduced system, and integrate into a more complicated game system in the future. As part this task you will be required to complete a self and peer evaluation. Scrums held during selected workshops will provide formative feedback to the team on their progress relating to this assessment task.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Other

Canvas Site

Risk Assessment Statement

All commencing SEF students are required to complete the Mandatory Safety Induction

There are no extraordinary risks associated with the classroom/lecture activities in this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

IN05 Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments

1. Demonstrate broad knowledge of games and interactive environments principles and theory, with an in-depth knowledge of one games-related discipline.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, ULO3, Games Mechanic Exploration, Mechanics Setup and Integration
2. Apply creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to generate solutions to design challenges.
   Relates to: ULO2, Games Mechanic Exploration, Mechanics Setup and Integration
3. Create engaging and meaningful games experiences for specific target audiences in partnership with diverse industry and community stakeholders using industry-relevant software and technologies..
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO2, Games Mechanic Exploration, Mechanics Setup and Integration
4. Collaborate effectively in transdisciplinary teams to achieve shared goals and to manage projects in professional contexts.
   Relates to: ULO4, Games Mechanic Exploration, Mechanics Setup and Integration
5. Communicate complex concepts at all stages of the development cycle to specialist and non-specialist audiences in written, oral and interactive visual formats.
   Relates to: ULO5, Games Mechanic Exploration, Mechanics Setup and Integration