EE4702 Game World Mechanics

This project module gives students hands-on insights into mechanics/simulation components of a game engine. The primary focus is the underlying game logic, like game physics, artificial intelligence and world simulation (and not presentation components like graphics or sound). Brief overview and introduction lectures will be followed by small group projects. Each student will participate in three different projects of four weeks. Students will need to come up with ideas and designs of interesting subsystems, reason about the integration into a game, and implement a prototype. Example projects are explosion physics, herd animal behaviour, and thunderstorm simulation.

Last semester, the project topics were about fire and explosions, and the one before, all about auto racing, e.g., generating the most spectacular crashes (physics), generating satisfying racing situations like making an annoying other driver crash (AI), and abstracting events far away (simulation). I have added some videos from a previous semester's project group, which can serve as a little introduction, though we'll of course do much cooler stuff this semester!

Each projects counts roughly for 30% of the grade, with the last 10% given by peer review. The module has 8 modular credits, and is completed within one semester. It is taught in a so-called problem-based learning style, heavily emphasizing joint problem solving and independent research in contrast to teacher-driven lectures.

According to previous students you learn much more than in other modules and it is incredible fun! :-) If you think about perhaps getting a job in the games industry, these projects can also serve as great portfolio demos for your job applications.

The first session will be on January 10 (Tuesday), 10-12, E3-06-06.

Here are example videos of a project from a group of a previous semester.

Burning Physics / Part 1 of 3: Intro

Burning Physics / Part 2 of 3: Explanations

Burning Physics / Part 3 of 3: Demo

EE3702 (Electronic Gaming)... and yes, it won't be advisable without any programming skills.

Three lectures (of 2 hours each) will provide an overview on: World simulation; e.g., general principles of representation and execution of rules and mechanics, integration issues, real-time issues, realism vs. fun, level-of-detail simulation approaches, specific global simulations like weather, trade and economics Artificial intelligence; e.g., heartbeat management, creature behaviour, group coordination, spawn policies, fight choreography, and scene manipulation Physics; e.g., object interaction, materials' behaviour, breaking and deformation, and artificially manipulating physics such that scene goals are realized

For each of these topics, students need to form a group and realize a group project (about 3-4 students per group). This includes: Proposing an interesting sub-system (the actual project topic will be decided thereafter in the tutorial based on the groups' discussions; all groups will have the same topic) Researching background material Designing the system architecture Implementation Reasoning about integration Reasoning about advantages and disadvantages of their solution, and comparing to potential other approaches/solutions All these components will be graded in a group presentation.

Last update:
3-Jan-2011 by Alexander Nareyek