Research Project

This project is to enable you to explore a segment of game programming that was uncovered, or under-covered in class. Ideally it will be something your group can use in the game you are implementing.

By the seventh week of class you should select a topic for this project. The field is unrestricted as long as it relates to game programming. Please discuss your topic with me to ensure that the scope of the project is reasonable.

I expect four products from this project.

A research paper exploring the project in detail
An example implementation of the subject matter of the project
A 15 to 20 minute presentation on the topic.
A poster covering your topic.

Students who produce high quality papers, posters and talks will be encouraged to submit these materials to conferences such as PACISE and CCSC:MW.

In order to allow time for presentations, all portions of this assignment are due on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (Nov 20).

Topics

The list of topics is huge. It can be any section from either of the two books. Dalmau will provide pointers to many subjects for special effects in games. Hall will provide information about different packages, libraries and such.

If you would like to expand beyond these books that is good too. For example, Gas Powered games created a programming language called skrit for Dungeon Siege. I think that would make an excellent subject. This might be somewhat harder to do a sample implementation in. You would need to have Dungeon Siege, install the developer's kit, and make the entire thing work.

Do not do a simple mod of a game that does not involve programming. Show that you are a programmer here. A new level for a game that simply involves using a world editor is acceptable.

If you would like to investigate some "do they do that?" topic check with me. For example, Do they use SQL data bases in modern games? might be an interesting topic. We will need to consider how you will provide a sample implementation to go with your work.

Sample Implementation

This should involve code of some sort. It could be stand alone code, a routine as part of your group project, or a code level modification to an existing game.

This implementation should demonstrate the concept and prove that you are able to accomplish the goal of your topic. For more complex topics, this may be less complete than what is expected for simple topics.

I need to be able to view, study and evaluate your implementation. I will most likely not be purchasing new copies of games to do this and I WILL NOT use illegal copies of software. If you make a modification to Super-Duper-Alien-Blasters 2007, be prepared to part with your copy of the game for a few days while I evaluate your work.

The Research Paper

This should be of sufficient length to cover your topic. I would expect 5 to 10 pages at least, more if you have many screen shots or code snippets. You should provide:

an introduction to the topic
a discussion of any theory
a discussion of your implementation
a discussion of where this could be used in a game
a discussion of future directions
a conclusion
references

If you wish to include your code, this should be placed in an appendix.

Please make sure that you cite all of your sources, and provide appropriate references to this material.

For the most part, use the ACM Crossroads Writers' Guide available here. The only exception to this is I wish you to write in the third person (we) not first person (I).

Presentation

This should be a 10-15 slide presentation covering your topic. I will select a number of these presentations to be given during the final weeks of the course. You should include the topics covered in your paper.

Poster

A poster should provide a quick overview of your topic, including screen shots, code snippets, short discussions, diagrams and such. Using your favorite presentation software, build a single slide 36"x24" and use at lest 16 point font.

A nice guide to producing a poster is here.

We will select the top posters to be printed and displayed in the department.