Instructor: Dr. Durell Bouchard
Office Hours: MW: 4:00-5:00, TTH: 1:00-2:30, Also by appointment or open door
Office: Trexler 365-C
E-Mail: bouchard
Phone: 375-4901
This course focuses on the techniques and tools of creating video games. Games will be developed in C# using the XNA Game Studio framework for release on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Intended Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course the successful student will be able to
Prerequisite: CPSC 170
Text: Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 Unleashed, by Chad Carter, Sams, 2009.
Project: Each student will design, develop, and release a game on the XBox Live Marketplace. Each week a deliverable will be due. The first few weeks the deliverables will be portions of the game's design document. The remaining weeks the deliverables will be a demonstration of additions made to the game. Deliverables that are one week late will lose fifty percent cedit and recieve no credit thereafter.
Quizzes and Assignments: Associated with the regular reading will be short take-at-home quizzes and small programming assignments. The quizzes are designed to make sure you understand the concepts and are keeping up with the course work. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped when final grades are calculated. No make-up quizzes will be given. The assignments are designed to put into practice the programming skills learned. Late assignments will not be accepted.
Tests, and Exams: Two tests and one final exam will be given.
| Test Dates: | Test #1 | Monday, February 14 |
| Test #2 | Monday, March 21 | |
| Final Exam | Monday, May 2 (2:00PM-5:00PM) |
MCSP Conversations: The Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics (MCSP) is offering a series of discussions that appeal to a broad range of interests related to these fields of study. These co-curricular sessions will engage the community to think about ongoing research, novel applications, and other issues that face our disciplines. You are invited to attend all of these events but participation in at least 3 is mandatory. Within one week of attending an event you must submit a one page paper reflecting on (not just summarizing!) the discussion. If you do not turn the paper in within the one week time frame you may not count that event as one you attended. The MCSP discussions are generally scheduled for Wednesdays at 5:30 or Tuesday or Thursday at 7:00. A schedule will be provided soon and will be posted on the course web page. Please discuss scheduling conflicts with the instructor ASAP.
Grading: Course grades are assigned based on the following weights and scale:
| Grade Weights: | quizzes.............10% | tests....................20% | final exam.......10% |
| assignments......7% | project.....50% | co-curricular......3% |
| Grade Scale: | 93-100 | A | 83-86 | B | 73-76 | C | 63-66 | D | |||
| 90-92 | A- | 80-82 | B- | 70-72 | C- | 60-62 | D- | ||||
| 87-89 | B+ | 77-79 | C+ | 67-69 | D+ | below 60 | F |
Academic Integrity: It is accepted that you have read and understood the standards for academic integrity at Roanoke College. All tests, exams, and assignments are to be the work of the individual student. You are encouraged to get help from the instructor if you need help with any aspect of the course including programs and assignments. Student assistants, tutors, and classmates may help you understand course concepts but may not show you how to do any particular aspect of an assignment. Students may discuss lab work (including the pre-lab assignments) and help each other out but in all cases the work you turn in must be your own. Copying someone else's work or turning in someone else's work is NEVER allowed. Using someone else's work or ideas as your own is plagiarism and an academic integrity offense. Examples of academic integrity violations include copying a program or part of a program (even one line) from someone else, writing code for someone else, telling someone else how to solve a problem or having someone tell you how to solve a problem. Discussion among students about programming projects should be limited to general concepts, not specific aspects of how to complete the work.
Computer Use Policies: All students must abide by the Computer Use policies of Roanoke College. Failure to do so will result in involuntary withdrawal from the course.
Attendance Policy: Class attendance is vital to your success in this course; material covered during missed sessions is the responsibility of the student. Conversations held in class illuminate the published class materials and are subject to evaluation on subsequent tests and quizzes. Moreover, quizzes and in-class assignments are not available for make-up.
Make-up Policy: Everyone is expected to take tests and the exam at the scheduled time. Make-ups will be given only for legitimate, documented absences that the instructor has been notified of ahead of time. Make-up tests, if given, may be oral. There will be no make-up quizzes.
Electronic Devices: All cell phones and pagers must be turned off prior to entering the classroom or lab. The use of any electronic device during a test or quiz is prohibited. This includes cell phones, PalmPilots, Blackberrys, PocketPCs, and laptops. Any use of such a device during a test or quiz will be considered a breach of academic integrity.
Special Services: If you are on record with the College's Special Services as having special academic or physical needs requiring accommodations, please meet with me during my regular office hours or schedule an appointment as soon as possible.. We need to discuss your accommodations before they can be implemented. Also, please note that arrangements for extended time on exams and testing in a semi-private setting must be made at least one week before every test or exam. If you believe you are eligible for accommodations but have not yet formally contacted Special Services, please call 375-2248 or drop by the Center for Learning and Teaching in Fintel Library.