The Faculty of

1
Computer Games Design
Staffordshire University
Vice City
The Faculty of Computing, Engineering and
Technology
2
The Aim of the Award

• Targeting the Award to specific job titles
• Games Animators
• Games 3D Modellers

• Career Progression
• Computer Games Designer
• Level Designer

3
Uniqueness of the Award
We do not have the philosophy of Jack of all
trades
We teach you to be a Master of One

• Companies that have shown interest
• Kuju Entertainment
• Blitz Games
• Razorworks

4
Summary of each Year (Level)
Level 1 Existing Games Design and Basic 3D
Modelling

• Level 2
• Designing your own game with
• Character Modelling and Animation

• Level 3
• Computer Games Design skills in an Individual
  Project

5
Level 1 Existing Games Design and Basic 3D
Modelling
6
Computer Games Design 1A Design Documentation

• The Components of Computer Games
• Graphics, Interface, Game Play, Sound,
  Immersiveness, Story and tradeoffs between
  components.
• Competitive Analysis
• The Design Documentation required by the industry
  for games design
• Interface Documentation
• Actors Documentation
• Actions Documentation
• Behaviours Documentation
• Levels Documentation (outline)
• Options Documentation
• Supporting Documents

7
Computer Games Design 1B Level Design

• Competitive Analysis for level design
• Level Design
• Levels Documentation
• Principles of Level Design
• Gameplay and Level Design
• Genera and Level Design
• Work flow and allocations in games design
• Character design and style documentation

8
Introduction to 3D Applications

• Take you to a level in the
• understanding and creation of
• computer generated
• 3D models and scenes.
• texture mapping
• scene lighting
• composite outputs

9
Games Engines and Physics

• Introduce you to the fundamentals of how a game
  works.
• Games Engines,
• Physics Engines,
• Audio Engines,
• Rendering Engines
• all work together to produce the movement,
  sound and game play of a computer game and how
  C programming language is used in the games
  environment.

10
Level 2 Designing your own game with Character
Modelling and Animation
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Computer Games Design 2A High Concept and
Preproduction

• In the course of this you will learn
• High Concept
• search for high concept originality.
• Narrative design
• Game balancing between narrative
• and gameplay
• Videomatic for preproduction
• Character Development
• Create Original Documentation

12
Computer Games Design 2B Production and Testing

• You will learn to work within a group to design a
  game.
• Original Design Documentation as a working
  document
• Work flow from a practical
• point of view
• Practical Level Design and
• development
• Budgeting and Scheduling
• Testing
• Conflict resolution in
• collaborative game design

13
3D Computer Character Modelling

• You will be introduced to the basics of
• Character Modelling using
• NURBS, Patch and
• Mesh modelling
• techniques
• Industry standard Rigging techniques used to
  animate Characters in Games/Interactive
  applications.

14
3D Computer Animation
This module is designed to give you a fundamental
understanding of the principles, and practice of
3D computer animation

• Considerations and constraints of the destination
  application.
• Fundamental and practical understanding of Maxs
  propriety character animation plug-in,
• Character Studio.

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Level 3 Applying Computer Games Design skills in
an Individual Project
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Advanced 3D Character Modelling and Animation

• Overview and recap of modelling processes studied
  at level 2
• Learn to use templates for character geometry,
• Inverse kinematic systems and deformers to
  control movement on a 3D model.
• MAYA skills developed

17
Starting a Business

• This gives you an insight into how to start a
  business from just an idea to a going concern. It
  includes client liaison, pitching, costing, types
  of contracts, invoicing as well as an
  appreciation for VAT. This should give you all
  the tools you need to start your own business.

18
Project

• You will complete an in depth individual
  project as a large part of your final year

19
Computer Games Design
240 points 40 from AS or Keyskills
PLUS A PASSION for Computer Games