Week 12 - Intro to Dreamweaver & Game Graphics

Monday - Introduction to Adobe Dreamweaver

• Create a Site in Dreamweaver
• Create a HTML page
• Create a CSS page
• Link CSS file to index.html
• Create HTML content

Tuesday - Games Graphics

• Work on your graphics for your game
• Hero and Enemy characters
• Background graphics

Wednesday Night - Game Functionality

• Games Graphics due (should be enough completed so I know what the look and feel of your game will be) 

Demo: Random enemies using AS2

Exercise: Continue working on your game functionality

AS2 Keycodes and Principles of Game Design

Here are a list of Actionscript KEYCODES.  They are needed if you want to use keys in your game other then the usual directional keys:

http://freelanceflashgames.com/news/2009/04/21/list-of-flash-key-codes/

Other Resources:
Principles of Game Design - http://www.gameinnovator.com/principles_game_design.php

Week 11 - Game Idea & Intro to Web Design

Discussion:

• Summary of Term 4 lessons:
• only 8 weeks
• exhibition 2nd last week
• status of units to be studied this semester:
• Create storyboards 
  (complete)
• Create 2D Digital animations 
  (continued)
• Flash Game using AS2
• Create visual design components
   (continued)
• Create game graphics
• Make a presentation (continued)
• Present a report to the class
• Design user interfaces
• Create a website interface

Monday - Intro to Web Design

Discussion: Introduction to web design and web-related technology.

Resources:

• Operating system interface design
• Evolution of web design
• First ever www website

Cloud Technology and impact on Digital Designers

• Apple iCloud
• Dropbox online file storage

Web site design principles and examples

• Gestalt Principles in Web Design
• Grunge web design
• Minimalist web design
• Google (original site design)

Tuesday - Plan your Game Idea

Exercise #1:

• Visit orisinal.org and test at least 6 games
• Post a review of at least two of the games that you played on your blog.  Your review must discuss the following topics:
• Level of Gameplay/Fun.  Why?
• Quality of Graphics.  Why?
• Possible AS2 code that is driving the main elements of the game (how could you achieve it?)

Exercise #2:

• Write down your ideas for a game and post them on your blog.  You are to finalise and discuss your idea with me before the end of the lesson.
• Finish the tutorial from last term and start coding your game

Week 10 - Introduction to Games Design

• Complete Part 1 & 2 of the following tutorial:
• http://www.emanueleferonato.com/2006/10/29/flash-game-creation-tutorial-part-1/
• http://www.emanueleferonato.com/2006/11/18/flash-game-creation-tutorial-part-2/
• Create your own basic game based on what you have learnt from the tutorial.

• Watch TED Presentation by David Perry - "Are games better than life?"

Week 9 - Pitch, Drawing & Interactivity

Monday - Assessment Due: Pitch your Storyboard to the class

• Remember to practice your pitch, prepare your presentation aids and read the Assessment Event carefully to see how you are being assessed.

Tuesday - Illustrator Drawing Practice (Using the Pen Tool & Editing Paths)

• You need to brush up on your Illustrator skills so you are equipped to build your game characters next term.
• Complete the following Exercises to learn how to use the Pen Tool in Ilustrator
1. Basic Techniques (Download .ai template)
2. Trace a Word (Download .ai template)
3. Download a copy of the Nike logo and trace it using the Pen Tool
• Finished the above tutorials?  Try some of these:
1. Envelope Distort Mesh
2. Gradient Mesh Tool
3. Introduction to Blend Tool
4. Fun with Illustrator’s Blend Tool
5. How to Make a Custom Illustrator Brush
6. Design with Swirls and Flourishes
7. Perspective Tool Tutorial

Wednesday Night - Interactivity (Controlling the Timeline Revision & Importing Movie Clips)



AS2 Revision
Animate an object in the center of the stage going up, down, left, and right using buttons.  The object must return to the center of the stage at the end of each move.

Use AS2 to control the movement of the object using the direction keys, by placing the following code on your hero object.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

onClipEvent (enterFrame) { if (Key.isDown(Key.LEFT)) { _x--; } if (Key.isDown(Key.RIGHT)) { _x++; } if (Key.isDown(Key.UP)) { _y--; } if (Key.isDown(Key.DOWN)) { _y++; } }

Complete Part 1 of the following tutorial - http://www.emanueleferonato.com/2006/10/29/flash-game-creation-tutorial-part-1/

TAFE CLIPS Prize Update

Industry award category

Overall winner chosen by a panel of industry experts wins $3,000
+ Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection Student Teacher Edition

2 x runners-up win $1,000
+ a choice of Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design, Web or Production Premium Student Teacher Edition

People's choice award category

Overall winner with the most online votes receives $1,500
+ Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection Student Teacher Edition
+ Verbatim Store'n'Go Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 1TB

2 x runners-up receive $500
+ a choice of Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Design, Web or Production Premium Student Teacher Edition
+ Verbatim Store'n'Go Portable Hard Drive USB 3.0 500GB


Click here to view more: https://www.tafensw.edu.au/edm/tafe-clips/launch-blast.html

Week 8 - Prepare your Pitch

Flash Tutorial

Introduction to Layer Masks - Disney Pixar Short - Day and Night

Demonstration: How to create a layer mask in Flash

Resource: http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/masking.asp

Exercise: Create your own animation using layer masks.

MovieClip Revision

Create animation of an animal using movieClips. (eg a swooping magpie or a horse galloping)

Class: Watch the following video as an introduction to games - http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/david_perry_on_videogames.html

Pitch Preparation

Use this week to get prepared to give your Storyboard Pitch next Monday.

• Remember to make your storyboard panels at least A4 size so the audience can see them clearly.
• Also any additional presentation aids or concepts that you could show the audience is likely to benefit your presentation and increase audience interest.
• Maximum presentation delivery time is 15min.  If you exceed this you are likely to have included too much unimportant information and may have lost audience interest.  I would expect your presentation to last at least 5min in length.  Not sure how long it will go for?  Practise!