Final Two Weeks Syllabus:
A Creative, Graphical Experience for All!
(10+ Days of Innovative Instruction)
Dr. Data
Last Two Weeks of Each Semester
The last two full weeks of instruction will involve any combination of doing creative, graphical projects: newsletters, web pages, computer music creation, painting & drawing, and/or computer game design. The purpose of this instruction is to develop artistic skills on the computer for designing music, painting and drawing and computer games with animation and special sound effects. Each day an assignment from the ones below when completed earn 100 points per day for a minimum of 800 points for the entire eight days! Final Projects are worth 300 points. Match your interests with these assignments and earn as many points as possible as needed to earn the next grade higher!.
Newsletters (200 points) & Web Pages: Click for more information
(200 points each Assignment):
1. Assignment 1: design a three-page newsletter in which all pages need to be “hot” linked together by hyperlinks. Must have appropriate graphics fitting your theme inserted wherever included on the templates.
2. Assignment 2: Convert completed newsletter to a web page and add a fourth page all hyperlinked!
Computer Music Assignments: Click for more information
(100 points per assignment)
Note: Must Bring Your Own headphones with miniature 1/8" jack
1. Assignment #1: Introduction: Learn How To Operate Band -In-A-Box
2. Assignment #2: You Create Your own Musical Composition: The Blues!
3. Assignment #3: Modify A Musical Composition!
4. Assignment #4: Your Create Your Own Music Composition From Sheet Music!
Painting and Drawing: Click for more information
(100 Points per Assignment)
1. Demonstrate Dazzle Draw Techniques with a "ClarisWorks Treasure Vocabulary Sheet": Assignment #1
2. Section One: "Talking Words: Tongue Twisters and Shorthand": Assignment #2
3. Section Two: "Constellations, Illusions and Curves from Straight Lines," Assignment #3
4. Section Three: Monday, "Perfect Shapes, Signs, Weaving, Flags and Mazes,"
5. Section Four: Vanishing Points I & II, Contour Map, Monograms, The Eye, Phases of the Moon, Snowflakes, Land Forms and Facial expressions.
6. 300 Point Final Project
Designing/Creating Computer Games!
(Each game level is worth 100 points)
Introduction
When you first start making games you are probably going to want to make the game as soon as possible. Therefore, I advise you to start out with the easiest game making program, Klik & Play. This does not mean that Klik & Play is easy. A lot of experimentation and erudite learning is required to understand Klik & Play. It is possible to start out by making games with Game Maker, a more difficult program, but you will most likely achieve very slow progress. Klik & Play cannot be used to create complex games. When you want your games to be more complex, you should then learn how to use the game making program The Games Factory. Once The Games Factory is not good enough for you, you should move to Game Maker, the most comprehensive game creation program, in my opinion. Game Maker will allow you to make just about every conceivable 2D graphics game. In summary, I recommend progressing from Klik & Play to The Games Factory to Game Maker
Klik & Play
If you are starting out with game making, you should use Klik & Play. I believe Klik & Play is the best program to start out with. You can download the school version of Klik & Play from here or http://www.vetusware.com/download/Klik%20and%20Play%20for%20Schools/?id=4046 for free. Just lick on "Save File" and it starts to download to your computer. The standard version is exactly the same, except that it costs approximately ten dollars. Before learning how to use Klik & Play, you may want to see its capabilities with two games that I created with it: Bug Adventure (1.91 MB) and Mario's Super World (197 KB).
One major function missing with Klik & Play is side scrolling. This means that all your levels must be limited to the size of your monitor, because you cannot make a camera follow your character. Hence, you cannot make big levels like the ones in the Sonic and Mario platform games.
In addition, you cannot make 3D games with Klik & Play. If you want to make 3D games that run fast on your computer, you will probably end up paying money for the engine or learning a programming language such as C++. Lastly, you can only use 16-bit color with Klik & Play.
Here are some of the features of Klik & Play: platform characters, jump-through platforms, solid platforms, ladders, secret walk-through platforms, backgrounds, bouncing enemies, enemies that follow paths, mouse and race car objects, characters that can only go in eight directions, text messages, question and answer objects, score and life bars, and timer objects. Thereof, if this is the stuff you want in your game, Klik & Play is the right tool for you.
Klik & Play is completely event driven. Here are some examples: If it is the start of the level, then play a sound looping. When an enemy object collides against a wall, make it bounce. If an enemy collides with your main character, then subtract one life and restart the level. A more advanced event would be: Every 0.45 seconds cause an enemy to face in the direction of your character, set its speed to 10, shoot a fireball object at your character with a speed of 50, and play a non-looping sound. All of these conditions would be placed in the Event Editor. In the Level Editor, you could make your levels, create objects, give them animations, pick the way they move, and make duplicates. In the Storyboard Editor, you can view your levels, title screens, and messages, create a blank level, duplicate levels (so you do not have to make everything all over again), and pick which level you wish to edit. This is basically what Klik & Play is like.
1. Step One: Outline of Klik & Play Tutorial!
2. Step Two: Now You Do It - Level One Game!
3. Step Three: Now You Do It - Add Level Two!
4. Step Four: Completed Game with Animation and Special Sound Effects!
5. Step Five and beyond: make as many levels as you desire at 100 points a level!!
Short cut for adding Klik & Play files to your Klik & Play file directory.
Individual Unit Final Projects!: Click for more information
(Nine Different Project Available at 300 Points Each)
Wednesday, June 1, 2005: Makeup Day, End of the Semester Business
Thank you for being in Dr. Data's Class!!!!!
Dr. Data