Building Game Engines

"Pragmatic and technical game development" -- Your Instructor

Course Information

• Course Number: Building Game Engines
• Semester: Spring 21
• Piazza: Forum Board
  Use piazza instead of e-mail for all course related matters
  • This way all course staff can answer questions
  • Class as a whole can participate and learn in discussions
  • Code also formats better nicely pasted in
  • (Linking your github is also easy for private posts)
• Section 1: CS 4850/5850
• Location: Online
• Schedule: Module and lab released Sunday by midnight, Monday 6-9pm EST live session on teams (review lecture, lab, and group discussion)
• Teams Link for Live Classes: Microsoft Teams Link

Instructor

• Instructor: Mike Shah
• E-mail: mikeshah( a t )Northeastern{dot}edu
Use e-mail primarily for personal matters
• e.g. I have a co-op interview and need to reschedule XYZ
• e.g. I am away for a conference on date X to date Y
• e.g. I am away for a doctors visit.
• (Read How to send an e-mail)
• Office: Nightingale 132A
• Student Hours: In Location Online
  • Review course material with me and ask questions
  • Date/Time: By appointment
  • Sign up for a 15-30 minute appointments arranged by e-mail on Google Meet here

Course Description

This course teachings the fundamentals of building a game engine. We will be using C++, softare engineering techniques, and several libraries to build a game engine. This course will include some refreshers of using Object-Oriented methods to build software. There will also be some case studies of game engines and programming throughout this course.

Registrar Description: Discusses the components of game engines and strategies for their software implementation. Includes graphics management algorithms (animation, scene graph, level of detail); basic artificial intelligence algorithms (search, decision making, sensing); and related algorithmic issues (networking, threading, input processing). Explores the use of data-driven software design. Offers students an opportunity to use a rendering engine and to build and integrate several software components to create a complete game engine. Requires students to work on individual assignments and then develop a project in a team, which requires a report. Offers students an opportunity to learn team/project management; work division; team communication; and the software development cycle of implementation, testing, critique, and further iteration.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, you will:

• Build games to understand the components of a game engine!
• Have an understanding of how to build tools to support game Development.
• Work as a team to build a final game project using a custom engine.

Resources

There will be no required textbook for this course. However, these resources are recommended.

• (Strongly Recommended) Game Engine Architecture
• (Free) Game Programming Patterns
• (Free) C++ Tutorial

Prerequisites

• Undergraduate level CS 3520 Minimum Grade of D- or Undergraduate level CS 3540 Minimum Grade of D-
• Undergraduate level CS 5010 Minimum Grade of D or Graduate level CS 5004 Minimum Grade of C
• or Graduate level CS 5010 Minimum Grade of C
• (Unofficially-Mike says) You need to be willing to learn to program in C++ and understand things like how to link code, and understand memory allocation

Assessment/Course Polices

Please find below the grading distribution that will be used for this course. You will find the grade you earn in this course on Canvas.

• In-Class Activity: (5%)
• In-Class Labs:     (20%)(Each equally weighted)
  • Labs are due before class of the following week.
• Exam(s):           (15%)
• Assignments:       (20%)(Each equally weighted)
• Final Project:     (40%)

• The grade system follows the University Grading System.
• A  = 95 – 100
• A- = 90 – 94.99
• B+ = 87 – 89.99
• B  = 83 – 86.99
• B- = 80 – 82.99
• C+ = 77 – 79.99
• C  = 73 – 76.99
• C- = 70 – 72.99
• D+ = 67 – 69.99
• D  = 63 – 66.99
• D- = 60 – 62.99
• F  =  0 – 59.99

• In the event of a sick/snow day (i.e. we miss a lab or in-class activity) the weight of each assignment increases (There may also be shuffling of course material if we are interrupted).
• The expectation is that the assignments are fair but difficult, so you should start early!
• Late Submissions of Assignments receive 10% off per day submitted late (up to 3 days max, then 0% received)
  • Unfortunately, with large classes I cannot make individual exceptions (i.e. "special deals") fairly to your classmates who are likely making other personal sacrifices to complete work on time.
  • Come speak to me about your wellness if something is otherwise impeding your progress so we can provide you available resources to succeed.
• Assignments that do not compile/open receive no credit Simply put, programs that do not compile do not do anything.
• There are no "re-grades" or points awarded one week after your grade is posted. "re-grades" may result in a higher, equal, or lower score.
  • There are no "re-grades" after the semester is over.
  • Do not ask multiple members of the course staff for "re-grades"
• If you are currently waitlisted, you must submit your homework on time. That is the gamble! If you do not have blackboard access, you will submit by e-mail or other course mechanism (e.g. github).
• There are no extra credit assignments just for you. I reserve the right to add points to assignments that do go above and beyond however. I reserve the right to give an extra credit assignment to the entire class, though this is highly unlikely.
• I reserve the right to modify the grading scale in your favor if you show exemplary proficiency in any of the catagories. I will never modify the scale to lower a students grade.
• In class work cannot be made up at a later date unless otherwise arranged with the instructor well in advance.
  • Course work completed after the date cannot be graded, as solutions will have been discussed (this includes if taking this course for an Incomplete).
  • Once again, "in-class" work must be completed in-class unless there is a documented emergency or you have prearranged with the instructor a make-up well in advance.
• Lab time is meant for helping students with the lab, not completing homework. I have to prioritize lab first, then can answer homework questions.
• No Facebook, no cell phones. Not only does it distract you, it distracts others!
• Everyone needs to come see me in office hours (or by appointment) at least one time during the semester to introduce yourself. The purpose is so that you:
• Know where my office is.
• Get used to coming to office hours.
• Let me know how I can help you achieve your goals.