If you've read any part of my blog, you know that game programming is new for me. The course may not be advanced, but I'm confident it will prove challenging enough to keep me up past my bedtime once or twice this semester. It's been three weeks, and so far, I love it! I've already learned enough to develop a complete (simple) 2D game: drawing sprites to the screen, detecting user input, calculating collisions, and playing sound effects and music. I'm learning what a game looks like in code, how to code in C#, and how to use Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE. There's a lot of real learning going on, and so far, I've been genuinely excited to work on all the assignments. This isn't a feeling I've experienced often during my time at university. It's nice.
Our current assignment, and last assignment before adding the third dimension, is the recreation of a classic arcade game. The game must include:
We are to keep the essence of the original game intact, but otherwise are free to explore and experiment. I want to remake Breakout. In my version, player movement will not be confined to the x-axis. Players will be able to move their paddle to any point on the screen where there isn't already a brick. Bricks will not disappear on contact with a ball. On contact with a ball, they will fall from their starting position until they drop off the bottom of the screen. If the paddle is struck by one of these falling bricks, the paddle will become unresponsive for a very brief period of time. Players will start the game with three lives. Each time a ball falls off the bottom of the screen, one life will be deducted, as in tradional Breakout. Players are not limited to the number of balls in play at one time, however. If a player feels up to it, he/she may try to play 20 or 30 balls at once. Adding an additional ball to the play field will be mapped to a keystroke. Once three balls make their way past the paddle though, the game ends.
That's my idea. It's due on September 25. That seems manageable.
- object interaction,
- background music,
- a variety of sound effects,
- character animations, and
- user control.
We are to keep the essence of the original game intact, but otherwise are free to explore and experiment. I want to remake Breakout. In my version, player movement will not be confined to the x-axis. Players will be able to move their paddle to any point on the screen where there isn't already a brick. Bricks will not disappear on contact with a ball. On contact with a ball, they will fall from their starting position until they drop off the bottom of the screen. If the paddle is struck by one of these falling bricks, the paddle will become unresponsive for a very brief period of time. Players will start the game with three lives. Each time a ball falls off the bottom of the screen, one life will be deducted, as in tradional Breakout. Players are not limited to the number of balls in play at one time, however. If a player feels up to it, he/she may try to play 20 or 30 balls at once. Adding an additional ball to the play field will be mapped to a keystroke. Once three balls make their way past the paddle though, the game ends.
That's my idea. It's due on September 25. That seems manageable.
Here's the syllabus for my Advanced Game Programming class, if you're interested in reading something uninteresting.
Cheers,
Danny
No comments:
Post a Comment