Game City
In this project you will learn the basics of visual programming to start
creating your own games. The tool you will be using to do this is
Microsoft Kodu – A 3D games designing software.
All through this project you will develop your understanding of what
makes a good game and what are the basic constructs of every game you
play.
Game City.
Objectives
Know: More about GRASP.
Understand: How Rules can define the scope.
Complexity and difficulty of a game
Be able to: Create a game that follows a set of
rules and adapt them.
Game City.
Lets play a game.
You are at a hypermarket which sells everything.
Name one item you would like to buy.
Rule 1
The name of the item must start with the last letter of the
last item that was said.
Rule 2
Before you say your item, you have to say all the items that
went previously.
Rule 3
The item you say must have more letters in it than the item
before.
Game City.
Rules are what determine how an agent may behave
in a given system.
In games, Rules work the same way, except they
determine how a player may behave and interact
with the game world. For example, in chess, how
one moves a pawn in the player’s direction becomes
valid or invalid according to the Rules governing the
pawn (e.g., moving the pawn sideways is an invalid
move), while different Rules define valid moves for
the knight (e.g. jumping over other pieces is a valid
knight move).
Game City.
Rules can generally be defined by:
• Behaviour for which the player will be punished.
• Rules that restrict behaviour.
In basketball, you cannot walk or run without
dribbling the ball. This is called traveling, and
the other team will get the ball.
In chess, the player cannot move a pawn
sideways or backwards. There is no
punishment, as those are not valid moves; the
Rules simply define the set of actions
available to the players.
Game City.
Pong (Medium difficulty)
Setting – A square playing field – two players and a
wall behind each player. Players are facing each
other horizontally
Goal – To score more points than the other player
Rules
• Players can only move up or down.
• If ball goes behind player the other player
scores a point
Game City.
Pac Mac (Hard difficulty)
Setting – A maze with apples in it
Goal to eat 50 apples
Rules
• Player can move in all directions
• Eating an apple gives the player 1 point
• Saucers are released every 5 seconds
• Saucers must follow a set path around the
maze
• If the Kudo bumps into a saucer then he
loses a life and is reset to the starting
place.
Game City.
Maze Blitz (Easy difficulty)
Setting – A maze with an enemy character. Kodu
starts outside and inside is some ammo for the
Kodu
Goal – To get the ammo and destroy the other bot.
Rules
• Player cannot fire unless they have found
the ammo.
• Enemy player follows a set path round the
maze.
• Enemy player will fire on the Kodu if it is
near it.
Game City.
Task
Use the help sheets to create either the Pong game
Pac Man, Maze Blitz or a game of your own which
at least 2 rules that either
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Rules that affect the movement of a character
Rules that can change the environment
Rules that may change a character’s abilities
Rules which may change the win condition of a game.
Rules which allow the player to gain health to survive
longer.
Adapt or change the rules of the game to improve
it or make the gameplay slightly different.
Document the change in rules that you have
implemented in the Game Workbook.