IT University Game Development 2008 project videos

[Zacker]

For the past 4-5 months I have been TA on a master degree course(4th year though, so this is not their final project) in Game Development at the IT University of Copenhagen. The students have developed 3d games in groups of 6. All groups, except for Man In The Middle, used the Unreal engine, as that was the officially supported engine for the course. Below is a few vids, the last one is from the XNA group.

The Chronicles of Steel-O Mall:

Cubes of Serenity:

KATAMA:

Blackstone:

Man In The Middle:

http://catalog.xna.com/GameDetails.aspx?releaseId=33

The course is a part of the Media Technology and Games degree, which has two lines: Design and Analysis and Technology. The first is about game design and the second about programming which means that the games should not be judged too much on the visuals as there were no real artists.

[Pericolos0]

if this was for the masters degree, i guess these students have been studying this for atleast 3-4 years? Its very hard to figure out what exactly is going on in most of these trailers. The last one looked kinda decent but also it looks like your standard shooter with tron graphics as an excuse for bad graphics .

[insta]

Did anybody graduate?

[e-freak]

The Unreal Trailers look like they were made in 1997 as advertising games or something like that. I don't know what the exact aim of the course was but graphical it lacks a lot. The XNA Game looks fine although I don't get the game-rules.

I'd have expected something like Mime Time or Flipside (Dadiu Projects Source-Mods) http://www.dadiu.dk/english/ Some of the mods (german)

[-HP-]

the cube one is, well, not bad...

I kinda liked the last one as well.

Thing is, After watching this trailers I still don't know what exactly is each one of this games about, gameplay wise.

[Zacker]

The course is a part of the Media Technology and Games degree, which has two lines: Design and Analysis and Technology. The first is about game design and the second about programming which means that the games should not be judged too much on the visuals as there were no real artists.

[Meotwister]

well they weren't there to learn how to make trailers effectively.

I agree that the XNA game looks pretty cool. Cubes of serenity seems to have an interesting idea that could be shaped out nicely with better art. Steel-O Mall I felt needed a bit more thought put into it, I liked the originality of a shoplifting game but I'm not sure I liked the approach they took for it.

[Minos]

The trailer for Cubes of Serenity is a total mindfuck, it got me completely dizzy

[Zacker]

I just added videos for KATAMA and Blackstone.

[e-freak]

Blackstone is commical (aaaandd ssavve myy sonnn)

Katama looks nice - not a masterwork but it seems to work out

[The Horse Strangler]

The course is a part of the Media Technology and Games degree, which has two lines: Design and Analysis and Technology. The first is about game design and the second about programming which means that the games should not be judged too much on the visuals as there were no real artists.

Then they will not be Properly Prepared. I teach a class, and the goal is to be artistic in your programming and Level design. Making it work is pie, but making it awesome is the challenge. We use source, and after 2 years, the games I've made with the students I had, were sadly alot better. I'd expect more from a 4 year class.

[e-freak]

The course is a part of the Media Technology and Games degree, which has two lines: Design and Analysis and Technology. The first is about game design and the second about programming which means that the games should not be judged too much on the visuals as there were no real artists.

Then they will not be Properly Prepared. I teach a class, and the goal is to be artistic in your programming and Level design. Making it work is pie, but making it awesome is the challenge. We use source, and after 2 years, the games I've made with the students I had, were sadly alot better. I'd expect more from a 4 year class.

where do you teach?

[The Horse Strangler]

It's a collage In California, of Westwood. Not one of the best Game design collages, but not the worst!

[Zacker]

Sorry if I am seem to be overly defensive here, but I have a few more things: The level design part of the course is focused on making levels fun and then leaving graphics to the artists.

Another thing to have in mind is that this is the first time they try Unreal or any 3d engine at all.

[e-freak]

ya - no problem there I think they made it playable and in most cases such small projects play better than they look (resp. look in a trailer). Any chance one can download these mods/games and play them?