Presents…
Presentation Created By: Julia Tartakovsky
Game Team:
Project Manager, Web Developer
& Programmer ( AI and Integration ):
Julia Tartakovsky
Integration and AI Programmer:
Anton German
3D Modeling and Artwork:
Santi Vitayaudom
Game Engine Programmer:
Cole Krumbholz
Game Concept:
- Remake of the 8-bit Nintendo ExciteBike Game
- Game Platform: Electro
•Utilizes a physics engine
•http://www.evl.uic.edu/rlk/electro/
Game Features:
• Multiple AI’s
• Finely tuned physics engine to maximize the FUN factor
• Interesting obstacles and complex terrain
• Complete Menu System
( Start, Controls, High Scores (I/O) & Exit )
• Detailed model of the snowmobile
Game Features:
• Complete game sound effects
( multiple sounds per event )
• Collidable objects & powerups
( boosts and cool offs ):
• Heads Up Display: overheating bar, speedometer
& time
• Varying camera angles
(I.e. dramatic camera angle during a boost
including a shake effect]
Complex AI ( Part I )
Decision Point Driven
• The track is divided in multiple decision points
• At the decision point the AI randomly selects from a number of
paths
• Some paths are more advantageous than others
•Multiple waypoints per path ( not a straight path )
Complex AI ( Part II)
Waypoints:
• 1st group of waypoints is the most advantageous
• Causes AI to avoid most difficult obstacles, drive over boosts &
cool off spots
• 2nd group of waypoints is of medium advantage
• Half of the time it causes AI to drive over disadvantageous
locations & half the time it drives over boosts, cool off spots and
ramps
• 3rd group of waypoints is least advantageous
• Causes AI 3 out of 4 times to avoid boosts, cool off spots & drive
over various terrain
Complex AI ( Part III)
AI Personalities
• There are 3 types of personality AI can have
• MAD
• AI enters AGGRESSIVE state within 15 units from player and
returns to PASSIVE state when it’s 2 units behind it (by that time
the AI would have already rammed the player due to momentum)
• AI will go into AGGRESSIVE state 90% of the time within the
distance mentioned above
Complex AI ( Part IV )
AI Personalities ( continued … )
• There are 3 types of personality AI can have
• ANGRY
• AI enters AGGRESSIVE state within 10 units from player and
returns to PASSIVE state when it’s 3 units behind it (by that time
the AI would have already rammed the player due to momentum)
• AI will go into AGGRESSIVE state 70% of the time within the
distance mentioned above
Complex AI ( Part V)
AI Personalities ( continued … )
• There are 3 types of personality AI can have
• SHY
• Never goes into aggressive state
• Exclusively follows its randomly chosen WP groups
• AI is in the high speed mode 50% of the time
Finely Tuned Physics Engine:
•
Focus on FUN and Playability over “accurate simulation”
•
Dynamic collisions
( Between terrain, snowmobiles and obstacles )
•
If at first it doesn’t work, try, try again.
Main Menu with Submenus ( Part I ):
• Main Menu with animated submenus ( All menus are screens )
Main Menu with Submenus ( Part II ):
• Main Menu with submenus ( All menus are screens )
• Play
• Not a separate screen, but it is on main screen and it
initiates start of game
• Controls
• Separate screen
• High Scores ( Scores )
• Input/Output involved
• Exit
• Not a separate screen, but it is on main screen and it
exits the menu and overall the game.
Main Menu with Submenus ( Part III ):
•
High Scores ( a.k.a Scores. Looked at in greater detail. )
• Reading in from file for outputting existing high scores to screen
• Writing to a file for saving high scores
• Top 5 scores stored
• Player gratification … FUN!!!
Detailed Snowmobile Models:
• “Person” on the snowmobile is animated
• Moves up when the snow mobile jumps and sits down when
the snow mobile is on the ground
• More real and action look and “feel” of the game
• Snowmobile Models:
• Different colored models
• Detailed models for enhanced look
Integrated Game Sounds (Audio Effects) :
•Complete game sound effects
( multiple sounds per event )
• Event-driven Sounds:
• Hitting against the rail
• Various Landing Sounds ( sound randomly selected )
• Numerous collision sounds
• Cool Off & boost picked up sounds
• Overheat alarm sound
• Ready, Set, Go noise
• Wipeout Sound
• Lap Sound
• Engine Sounds ( frequency adjusted to match RPM )
Game Indicators:
•Game Indicators:
• overheating bar
• speedometer
• time
Varying Camera Angles:
•Varying camera angles
• Short dramatic camera angle
during a boost
( zoom in & forward-like view )
• Default game camera angle
( side scrolling view )
How Visual Effects Implemented:
• Snow
( wrote a vertex program to modify the behavior of Electro Galaxy
Implementation )
• Shadows
• Sprite overlayed below the snowmobile
• Attempted to modulate the ground texture with a shadow
texture
( chose to not use it because it was not the best solution in
Electro )
•Reflections: Electro Environment Maps
General Game Finite State Machine:
GAME LOOP
CONTROLS
Finish Line
HIGH SCORES
Play
MAIN MENU
Exit
QUIT GAME
FSM designed by Anton German
Concepts That Were Learned From
Lectures and Attempted/Applied:
• High Scores Screen
• FSM concept was used in the game
• Simple indicator bars
•Physics incorporated into the game ( very essence of the game)
• Menus/ User Interface -- important for a complete feel to the game
• Artificial Intelligence ( AI )
• FUN aspect of game is VERY important
Tradeoffs Made in the Game & Why:
• Originally we were going to have two-wheel bikes in the game:
• After testing the game out with a two-wheel bike we came to
the conclusion that it’s extremely unstable.
•Next we decided to use a two-wheeler in appearance, but in
reality a four wheeler ( 2 invisible wheels ) – undesirable
•ATV vehicle concept for the game:
•The ATV game was later scraped because we came to the
conclusion the game was still not quite stable and was
extremely BORING looking …
•And that lead to the birth of eIF-Zero, a neat looking
snowmobile game – very FUN and stable!!!
Some Thoughts …
Q: How would you have approached the development of the game if
you had the chance to do it all over again.
• Iterative complexity increase in the physics system
( not start from a two-wheel bike )
• Refine pieces of the game throughout development
• Choose the theme early on
• Cole would have paid more attention to college math class 
Q: How has this experience affected the way you think about
commercial games
• Now we can really appreciate all the work that goes into a game
• It’s MUCH easier to play the game than make one 
FUN Features:
• Boosts
• Varying Camera Angles
• Complex and challenging AI to compete against
• High Score List
• Exciting Physics
• Complete game sound effects
( multiple sounds per event )
• Challenging game play
• Overheating
•Need to avoid situation by use of objects & smart game play
•Seek cool off rings and go through them
• Time oriented game
Questions?
http://www.cs.uic.edu/~jtartako/BurningMouseStudio.html
Thank You
http://www.cs.uic.edu/~jtartako/BurningMouseStudio.html