Group Projects

The Story So Far...


We're now 2/3 of the way through the course.

In the first third, you learned the fundamentals,
and got the stage of being able to make PONG!

In the second third, we went a few steps further
and (via Breakout) built our way up to Asteroids.

In the final third, I want you to go beyond that,
and do something interesting "on your own"...

Three Weeks


You'll have 3 weeks to make something,
building on our standard framework,
and working as part of a 4 person team.

I'd like each team to have two second year and
two third year students in it, if possible,
to maintain a mix of experience levels.

We might do some team-selection stuff today,
but I'll let you do some juggling of that
between now and Wednesday.

What


What are you going to make?

Well, it's almost up to you.

But it has to be something that you (and I) think
you can get into a workable state in 3 weeks,
and something that I judge as being of
appropriate scope and complexity.

Complexity


You did Breakout (via PONG) within 2 weeks.

A four-person team might be
able to achieve about twice as much
as an individual (if you're lucky!)

So I think we're looking at something 
roughly 3+ times as complex as that...

Scope


I would recommend trying to build your own version
of a 1980s-era game (or, perhaps, a version of
some modern smart-phone game).

I'll provide you with a list of suitable suggestions.

Feel free to propose something of your own though.

But do bear in mind that going for an "original"
(i.e. untested) idea will probably be trickier
than making a "clone".

"Diversity"


I want to maintain some diversity here,
so I probably won't allow more than 2 teams
to attempt the same (or a very similar) game idea.

So, be ready with multiple-choices
in case you are denied your first one.

(The project selection order will be randomised).

Assessment


You will be assessed on a weekly basis,
via meetings during the "tutorial" time-blocks, 
which will now be given over to this purpose.

You'll present what you've done,
and answer any questions we have on it,
update your plans for the next week
and, if you wish, ask for advice.

Logistics


We have ~66 people on the course, so that's ~17 teams.

I want to have ten minutes of evaluation time
per team per week, but there are only eight
ten minute slots within the tutorial block.

The TA and I will work in parallel though,
so we can hopefully cover you all.

Grading


The marking for each week will be based on our assessment
of how much you have achieved, how well you followed
your plans, and how much effort you have put in.

Each team will generally be assessed as a whole,
but there will be some discretion for tweaking
the grading for individuals within a team,
if it really seems necessary or merited.

There will also be some overall scaling
for how ambitious your target game is.

Tips and Warnings


Try not to bite off more than you can chew,
but understand that a simpler game will probably
achieve fewer marks than a complex one.

We'll assign specific time slots to the teams and,
if you are late for your slot, you will lose marks
(probably 10% for each minute of lateness,
as an individual penalty).

So --- be on time, and be prepared.

Potential Projects


Missile Command
Lunar Lander
Duck Hunt
Defender
 Robotron
Manic Miner
Space Invaders , Galaga
Snake / TRON / Hard Lines
....

...continued...


Pac-Man
Bomb Jack
Donkey Kong
Super Bomberman
Gridrunner
Goldrunner
R-Type
Tetris
...

Homework


Get yourself into a team of four.

Come up with some possible projects
(either taken from my list, or a choice of your own).

Create an outline plan and weekly breakdown
for how you would tackle each project.

We'll continue this on Wednesday,
 when your team's project will be formally assigned.

Group Projects

By Pat Kerr

Group Projects

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