Each weekly meeting will have three parts: an introductory lecture, followed by a longer lab session in which students will work individually or in small groups on an assigned task, based either on an activity created by the instructor or one taken from the textbooks. At the end of each meeting we will reconvene to discuss what you have done. In all but the first week you are expected to read the assigned textbook section in advance of the meeting.
Your weekly lab work will be evaluated as a portfolio at the end of the course.
"FM" indicates Franklin and Makar, Flash MX 2004 ActionScript. "MW" indicates Makar and Winiarczyk, Flash MX 2004 Game Design Demystified.
| Date | Reading/Activity |
| Sep. 11 |
Please read DeHaan, Lessons 1,4, and 5 on your own. Lecture on Flash, ActionScript, and generating random values. Lab: Ball-in-box animation |
| Sep. 18 |
FM Lessons 1 and 2: Introducing ActionScript; Event Handlers Lab: A sequential image browser. |
| Sep. 25 |
FM Lesson 3: Target Paths Lab: Component replacement with loadMovie(). |
| Oct. 2 |
MW Chapters 5 and 6: Collision Detection, Collision Reaction Lab: A shooting game |
| Oct. 9 |
FM Lesson 4: Object Classes Lab: FM Lesson 4 |
| Oct. 16 |
FM Lesson 5: Functions Lab: An object-based shooting game |
| Oct. 23 |
FM Lesson 7: Custom classes Lab: FM Lesson 7 |
| Oct. 30 |
MW Chapter 3: Game Math Lab: proximity effects. |
| Nov. 6 |
FM Lesson 9: Loops Lab: Analyze and modify the "Fallout" game. |
| Nov. 13 |
FM Lesson 15: Dynamic control of Movie Clips Lab: FM Lesson 15. |
| Nov. 20 |
MW Chapter 7: Tile-based worlds Lab: Final project work |
| Nov. 27 | THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY |
| Dec. 4 |
MW Chapter 8: Isometric world view Lab: Final project work. |
| Dec. 11 |
MW Chapter 9: Level editors Lab: Final project work. |
| Dec. 18 | Lab portfolio and final project due. No work may be submitted after this date unless you have filed for an Incomplete. |
| The syllabus may be revised during the semester. Check this Web site for updates. | |
