I will be completing mid term assessments the weekend of March 29. I will be issuing mid term letter "grades". You therefore have the Spring Break to catch up. By now, it should be clear what needs to be have been completed, but here's a summary list:
- Read Introduction to Videogames and Art and blog.
- Blog at least one screenshot from Half Life 2 and discuss narrative.
- In XSI complete the cat head and lamp animation and upload .exp files.
- Read Games - The Extensions of Man and blog.
- In XSI make timebomb and import into Half Life 2, blog screenshots.
- Blog a description of a Source game mod or machinima and blog.
- Read The Game Design Sequence and blog.
- Take photos for head replacement in Deathmatch.
- Make face texture for Deathmatch and blog face texture and in-game screenshots.
- Read interview with Tobias Bernstrup and blog idea for art mod or machinima.
- In Hammer, build a Deathmatch room and blog at least one screenshot.
- Create a custom model from scratch and import into Deathmatch, blog screenshots, and upload zipped hl2mp\materials folders (this is so I can upload them to the server so everyone will see each other's model).
- Read High Performance Play: The Making of Machinima. Watch one of the pieces and blog review.
(see the class blog for full details of each assignment)
The main aim of the assessment is to give you an idea of how you are doing in the class and how you could improve. My main concern is whether you have mastered a particular process, not so much that you have produced a great model or level (although of course that would be great and you will get credit for it!). As we have seen, the mod process is far from straightforward and mastering it is paramount. You can always find a decent model (for free or for money) on the internet, but it's another matter getting it into the game.
In addition to the technical aspects, in your posts I'm looking for some evidence that you have thought outside the (kill) box in your thinking about games: what they are, how they funciton in society, and what can be done with them in an artistic context.
