Computer Games Theory and Practice

Tom Betts/[nullpointer] qqq (Quake mod)

jodi untitled game (Quake mod)

Brody Condon Adam Killer (Half-Life mod)

Start the Server
1. Log on to the Instructor's Station with username = cca, password = cca.
2. Start > Programs > America's Army Server Manager. Right click and Run As. Enter username hl, password = hl.
3. Select the desired map under Standard Server Setups and click Start Selected Server. A window will open with scrolling code. The server has started when a line of green text appears saying "Game engine initialize". This may take about 30 seconds.

Join the Game
1. Start America's Army and log on through Personnel Jacket.
2. Type ~ [tilda] to display the in-game consul.
3. At the prompt type: start 209.40.84.134:1716
4. You should now be in the game.
5. Select a team, and... be careful out there.

Visit the Force More Powerful website at http://www.afmpgame.com/, and read the first part of the game guide I gave you. Be ready to use the software on Monday. Based on your research on the web site and in the book, blog a summary of the aims of the game and your understanding of its rules.

"Interactive Solutions for Shared Challenges"

Check out the list of sessions.

Interactive Narrative

Read the chapter "Interactive Storytelling" by Chris Crawford from The Video Game Theory Reader, 2003. Visit the website for his interactive storytelling software at http://www.storytron.com/.

Write a blog entry that briefly describes how the storytron (formerly the erasmatron) creates an interactive narrative and how this might be more effective than methods currently used to create narrative in computer games.

Bonus points if you download and install the Swat software and get it working!

Your presentations are on Monday Oct 23 and Wednesday Oct 25. You will present in alphabetical order by first name.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23
Charlie/Owen (joint project)
Flora
Francois
Joneric

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25
Keiko
Stephanie
Teeka
Tim

We will reverse this order for final project presentations at the end of the semester.

- Mid Term Project check in
- A Force More Powerful debrief
- Discuss interactive narrative
- Play "narrative" games: Adventure, King's Quest, Zelda

Download The Legend of Zelda - The Ocarina of Time ROM to you personal directory and play using the ProjectN64 emulator - about 1 hour

Play The Indigo Prophecy - about 1.5 hours

As part of your mid term project, please upload any original project materials to your blog. For example: Power Point presentation, original artwork, original video, sculpture (real or virtual!) etc. I'm looking for something you actually produced, not gnereic screenshots or YouTube videos.

I realize that some of your projects were geared more towards a presentation than actually producing something. That's fine and will be taken into account in the grading.

REVIEW OF THE INDIGO PROPHECY

Computer Gaming Magazine is running a special issue on narrative in computer games. As part of this issue, you have been commissioned to write a review of The Indigo Prophecy. The editor has asked you to include:

1. Your personal experience of the game.
2. A discussion of the game's narrative structure.
2. Comparisons to previous games that include narrative elements.
3. A discussion of the future of movies and computer games.

In addition, the magazine wants you to provide in PDF format your idea for laying out the article, including your text and up to three screenshots of your actual game play. The article and images should fill an 8.5" x 11" page. You may also include diagrams or other graphic elements.