Finished!
Last Thursday, all ENGG 253 students had their open houses in Macewan Hall. All of these presentations were greatly successful, and had a profound impact on those who attended. Due to the conflicting nature of the scheduling, many students had to miss out on class for this life changing event. These students demonstrated amazing commitment to the success of the group as a whole. In Yellow Lab A, these students consisted of Rabih, Davin, Graham, Mike G, Andrei, Lizzy, and Mike L to name a few. These students exemplify what a team is and what is needed for a successful project. Thank you all, sincerely, from the rest of Lab A
In preparation for the open house, the lab was focused on creating the design manual, group poster and game integration in the past week. Project Management focused on organizing the work distribution throughout the lab. They also completed the poster and design manual with help from various other members of the lab. Neeraj, Davin and Graham primarily did the integration of the game, and without their hard work, the entire project would have been a complete failure.
Possible Improvements
The last week proved to be very stressful and busy for the entire lab, as we had failed to plan much ahead and were forced to finish the design manual, poster and integration during the span of about 2 days. This made for an exiting finish, but we could have done without the added stress. If we were to do this again, we surely would try to understand the scope of the project first and then we would ensure we are finished the actual games with at least one or two weeks to spare. This would allow us to use the two weeks before the open house to finish the other components mentioned above.
Overall, this project taught us how to design a video game from an engineering perspective and commanded us to think outside of the box as an entire team.
MacQuire's Monster Performer of the YEAR:
Kogan and Allison for being such awesome lab coaches
Monday, April 19, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Yellow Lab D: Wrap-Up
Yellow Lab
Wow, this sure has been a fast-paced week! This week, we showed off our prototype to the world at the first year opening house and then handed our prototypes in for marking. I was told that the Mustard Seed wanted our prototype afterwards, which tells me that it reached a threshold of usable quality. On the whole though, what did we learn? What worked well? What didn't?
On the plus side, we learned the value of teamwork. In this project, it became clear that there was no alpha student. Rather, a group of motivated individuals took the helm and pushed the project in the directions they saw fit. Some people made the poster and brochures have the luster of professionalism and quality. Others brought teams together and unified software into a single product. What used to cause chaos and confusion became a matter of working together and keeping each other in the loop.
In summary, some of the lessons we learned were:
-assign specific deadlines and responsibilities for individuals to complete assignments or perform tasks.
-regularly talk to people, including those outside your group, to review the accomplishments of the week and identify what needs to be done next week.
-create an environment of trust and support, with minimal blaming.
-be socially constructive, not critical.
-keep members of Project Management accountable to the groups they represent, and to each other.
-check your phone and email regularly.
Wow, this sure has been a fast-paced week! This week, we showed off our prototype to the world at the first year opening house and then handed our prototypes in for marking. I was told that the Mustard Seed wanted our prototype afterwards, which tells me that it reached a threshold of usable quality. On the whole though, what did we learn? What worked well? What didn't?
On the plus side, we learned the value of teamwork. In this project, it became clear that there was no alpha student. Rather, a group of motivated individuals took the helm and pushed the project in the directions they saw fit. Some people made the poster and brochures have the luster of professionalism and quality. Others brought teams together and unified software into a single product. What used to cause chaos and confusion became a matter of working together and keeping each other in the loop.
In summary, some of the lessons we learned were:
-assign specific deadlines and responsibilities for individuals to complete assignments or perform tasks.
-regularly talk to people, including those outside your group, to review the accomplishments of the week and identify what needs to be done next week.
-create an environment of trust and support, with minimal blaming.
-be socially constructive, not critical.
-keep members of Project Management accountable to the groups they represent, and to each other.
-check your phone and email regularly.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Final Blog Post for Lab C
After countless hours of work, we are finally done!
The Open House went well, but there were a few unexpected points that were brought up. Our presenters were expecting to talk more about the design process rather than the integration of all six games into one package. We still got lots of positive feedback about design, ideas, implemetion, and graphics. The Mustard Seed representatives were impressed with how the games worked and functioned. They especially liked the graphics and sound that were included, and the scoring system that several teams incorporated. They felt like the two games they tested showed an excellent consideration for the user's needs and that the games offered a sense of encouragement to learn and improve.
There are a few things we would have done differently:
- Some teams worked only with Game Maker Lite, instead of the Pro version which led to differences in how the games worked.
- Our style of game was not very consistent between everyone (ie. it would have been better to make the control the same for each game).
- Our Poster display could have used some improvement. We were done last Friday, and could have taken a little extra time to improve the impression it gave (ie bubble letter titles, different coloured backgrounds).
- More time could have been devoted into the actual developing of the games. A lot of time at the beginning seemed to be devoted more to planning, so the project felt really rushed near the end.
- Integration was a point the Professors brought up several times. We were told that we should have taken extra consideration in this area.
- We could have included an introduction in the installation package to explain the content of the game before opening the file (ie. a one page intro giving a brief description about each game)
Overall, the project went quite smoothly. We experience no major difficulties and everyone fulfilled their tasks adequately and on time. We hope that the product we developed will greatly benefit the Mustard Seed and their clients.
Thanks to all the Professors involved in 251/253 for their hard work and enthusiasm for our projects. Have a good Spring/Summer break!
After Math
Yellow Lab B - Final Blog April 15th 2010
So this week in lab, all the team really came together and got things in order. The design transfer package along with the poster and the prototype were all completed on time while still allowing time for improvements. Warren and Arthur took care of the presentation, while Felix and Abe worked at compiling all the games. Kelly helped compile the transfer package and the rest of the lab members worked hard at completing their final reports.
As far as the open house, the overall project really came together. The presenters were well prepared and in formal attire. As for the poster, we kept it simple and with only minimal data. The lab felt that since the drawing lecture professor (Dr. Macdonald) will be marking it, he'd really appreciate less writing and more images. So our poster was well thought out. Secondly, the posters and the design transfer manuals were printed at Staples so that they were of good quality. Kira took care of these out of class time jobs, with funding from all teams.
As all the PM members can agree, the entire Mustard Seed Project went fantastic. The presenters thought that the presentations were long, and they wished that more people would have contributed. Although, only having two people allowed for better organization. The presenters said that there was twelve Mustard Seed representatives there and they felt that the presentation was rushed based on the fact that there was so many projects to see within the two hour period. When the coach came around they had suggestions regarding further brainstorming of the integration of all the mini games.
If we were to have more time and or if we could redo this project there are a few things we would do differently. As a lab, the overall theme could have been a little bit more integrated. Also, when compiling all the games into a single game, it would have been better to have a room where a character can walk around and pick specific games rather than just a button or choose it. If time allowed, we would have liked to implement the board game idea.
Thanks to all the professors for the great semester. Enjoy the spring and summer.
Regards
- Yellow Banana Delight
So this week in lab, all the team really came together and got things in order. The design transfer package along with the poster and the prototype were all completed on time while still allowing time for improvements. Warren and Arthur took care of the presentation, while Felix and Abe worked at compiling all the games. Kelly helped compile the transfer package and the rest of the lab members worked hard at completing their final reports.
As far as the open house, the overall project really came together. The presenters were well prepared and in formal attire. As for the poster, we kept it simple and with only minimal data. The lab felt that since the drawing lecture professor (Dr. Macdonald) will be marking it, he'd really appreciate less writing and more images. So our poster was well thought out. Secondly, the posters and the design transfer manuals were printed at Staples so that they were of good quality. Kira took care of these out of class time jobs, with funding from all teams.
As all the PM members can agree, the entire Mustard Seed Project went fantastic. The presenters thought that the presentations were long, and they wished that more people would have contributed. Although, only having two people allowed for better organization. The presenters said that there was twelve Mustard Seed representatives there and they felt that the presentation was rushed based on the fact that there was so many projects to see within the two hour period. When the coach came around they had suggestions regarding further brainstorming of the integration of all the mini games.
If we were to have more time and or if we could redo this project there are a few things we would do differently. As a lab, the overall theme could have been a little bit more integrated. Also, when compiling all the games into a single game, it would have been better to have a room where a character can walk around and pick specific games rather than just a button or choose it. If time allowed, we would have liked to implement the board game idea.
Thanks to all the professors for the great semester. Enjoy the spring and summer.
Regards
- Yellow Banana Delight
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Lab D Status Blog #5
Tasks Accomplished
D1
•First edition of game completed.
•Gathered preliminary testing
•Developed plan for next week work package
•Completed and delivered design manual contribution
D2
·Completed design, implementation, and internal interfaces for both games.
·Divided Tasks for Final Report
·Divided and Began Lab Manual
Table D3 (hands-on):
•constructed game board, and all cards related to game
D5
·designed, implemented, and tested algorithms for leapfrog behavior
·set limit on number of crosshair objects as 1; if a ball is selected while crosshair already exists, the old crosshair is reverted back into a ball, and the selected ball turns into a crosshair. The crosshair is a marked ball that is about to be "leapfrogged".
·completed artwork for major icons (walls, crosshair, balls) that is relevant to theme (Antarctica). The ball and crosshair objects became a penguin and an annoyed penguin respectively. The Southern Lights may also be included.
·created submenu for Antarctic Level
·created an algorithm that checks each level for the victory condition. If there is only one ball on the screen, then the level is completed and the user goes to the next level.
·completed 8 levels to go along with the game.
·took on additional burden to integrate software games into a single game.
D9
·completed overall Design of board game
·completed several memory tests for Final Report purposes
·completed Design Manual contribution
D11
·completed the game cards that will be played at the junctions along the maze.
·created visual layout of maze and game cards.
·created unique game board
·Section for instructions manual was started and is almost near completion.
·Gameplay tests carried out and modifications initiated.
D12
Finished construction of our prototype
·Delegated tasks for the final testing report
·Started testing of our prototype with members from our lab
·Finished Design manual related to our prototype
To Be Completed Next Week:
General Notes for Lab:
·April 14th is a testing day to verify the quality of the prototypes. Prototypes should be completed in good faith by April 13th to ensure quality.
·Teams must continue to test their product and make changes where necessary and desirable.
·PM team will compile and finish the design manual
·OPEN HOUSE and PROTOTYPE Marking will occur next week.
D1
•Debug first edition
•Testing of our program with a broader demographics
•Compilation of these testing results
•Continued refinement of the program
D2
·Get feedback and testing results from multiple users
·Modify accordingly
·write design manual contribution
D3
-nothing submitted yet
D5
· create main interface for all software games. Create one main menu that allows the end user to select which continent they want to go to.
·the main menu consists of the image of the world map, which is actually several sprites on top of each other. Each sprite is linked to a particular project.
·not all continents are linked to a software component. Find a way around this.
·Complete artwork for main menu
·write design manual contribution
D9 Tasks to be Completed:
· Make adjustments to game based on testing results.
D11 To Do:
·Implement changes based on testing results from this week.
·Painted to fit our previously established visual scheme and theme.
·finish final report.
D12
·Finalize testing
·Make final modifications based on test results and common sense.
·Continue write-up of our final testing report
Progress Monitoring and Control
This has been a very interesting week for Yellow Lab. The first edition of all three games have been completed. However, each software team has something more to do before they can be integrated into a single product. D5 must make finishing touches to artwork and create new levels. D1 must improve the graphical interface, the interactivity of their design, and make their game more challenging. D3 has not sent their project in, but we have often seen them play their own game in Physics 259 so we are confident that it is near completion.
In general, the hands-on component groups have completed their game boards and game cards. Their main line of improvement will be seen in the testing of their games. Unlike software, game boards are tested after they are constructed. In terms of the open house, the only improvement they must make is to work on the artwork. Testing will be their major focus next week.
In summary, many groups are comfortably arriving at the end of their project. However, there are some groups that have underperformed quite regrettably, and we shall have to engage them in order to make sure that the lab is not penalized due to their underperformance.
Additional Information
·Introduction package has been included to the overall D9 program to increase integration between groups.
·Everyone must use/apply the adventurer sprite into their activity.
·Lab prototype name: "The Cogniventures of Xavier Stone"
·We are testing each others devices on Wednesday lab (max. 15 minutes each)
·Design Manuals are due by midnight Sunday night.
·Printing Company Chosen (4'x3' poster =$42.00 (GST included) = $1.50/member)
D1
•First edition of game completed.
•Gathered preliminary testing
•Developed plan for next week work package
•Completed and delivered design manual contribution
D2
·Completed design, implementation, and internal interfaces for both games.
·Divided Tasks for Final Report
·Divided and Began Lab Manual
Table D3 (hands-on):
•constructed game board, and all cards related to game
D5
·designed, implemented, and tested algorithms for leapfrog behavior
·set limit on number of crosshair objects as 1; if a ball is selected while crosshair already exists, the old crosshair is reverted back into a ball, and the selected ball turns into a crosshair. The crosshair is a marked ball that is about to be "leapfrogged".
·completed artwork for major icons (walls, crosshair, balls) that is relevant to theme (Antarctica). The ball and crosshair objects became a penguin and an annoyed penguin respectively. The Southern Lights may also be included.
·created submenu for Antarctic Level
·created an algorithm that checks each level for the victory condition. If there is only one ball on the screen, then the level is completed and the user goes to the next level.
·completed 8 levels to go along with the game.
·took on additional burden to integrate software games into a single game.
D9
·completed overall Design of board game
·completed several memory tests for Final Report purposes
·completed Design Manual contribution
D11
·completed the game cards that will be played at the junctions along the maze.
·created visual layout of maze and game cards.
·created unique game board
·Section for instructions manual was started and is almost near completion.
·Gameplay tests carried out and modifications initiated.
D12
Finished construction of our prototype
·Delegated tasks for the final testing report
·Started testing of our prototype with members from our lab
·Finished Design manual related to our prototype
To Be Completed Next Week:
General Notes for Lab:
·April 14th is a testing day to verify the quality of the prototypes. Prototypes should be completed in good faith by April 13th to ensure quality.
·Teams must continue to test their product and make changes where necessary and desirable.
·PM team will compile and finish the design manual
·OPEN HOUSE and PROTOTYPE Marking will occur next week.
D1
•Debug first edition
•Testing of our program with a broader demographics
•Compilation of these testing results
•Continued refinement of the program
D2
·Get feedback and testing results from multiple users
·Modify accordingly
·write design manual contribution
D3
-nothing submitted yet
D5
· create main interface for all software games. Create one main menu that allows the end user to select which continent they want to go to.
·the main menu consists of the image of the world map, which is actually several sprites on top of each other. Each sprite is linked to a particular project.
·not all continents are linked to a software component. Find a way around this.
·Complete artwork for main menu
·write design manual contribution
D9 Tasks to be Completed:
· Make adjustments to game based on testing results.
D11 To Do:
·Implement changes based on testing results from this week.
·Painted to fit our previously established visual scheme and theme.
·finish final report.
D12
·Finalize testing
·Make final modifications based on test results and common sense.
·Continue write-up of our final testing report
Progress Monitoring and Control
This has been a very interesting week for Yellow Lab. The first edition of all three games have been completed. However, each software team has something more to do before they can be integrated into a single product. D5 must make finishing touches to artwork and create new levels. D1 must improve the graphical interface, the interactivity of their design, and make their game more challenging. D3 has not sent their project in, but we have often seen them play their own game in Physics 259 so we are confident that it is near completion.
In general, the hands-on component groups have completed their game boards and game cards. Their main line of improvement will be seen in the testing of their games. Unlike software, game boards are tested after they are constructed. In terms of the open house, the only improvement they must make is to work on the artwork. Testing will be their major focus next week.
In summary, many groups are comfortably arriving at the end of their project. However, there are some groups that have underperformed quite regrettably, and we shall have to engage them in order to make sure that the lab is not penalized due to their underperformance.
Additional Information
·Introduction package has been included to the overall D9 program to increase integration between groups.
·Everyone must use/apply the adventurer sprite into their activity.
·Lab prototype name: "The Cogniventures of Xavier Stone"
·We are testing each others devices on Wednesday lab (max. 15 minutes each)
·Design Manuals are due by midnight Sunday night.
·Printing Company Chosen (4'x3' poster =$42.00 (GST included) = $1.50/member)
Friday, April 9, 2010
Accomplishments
- Everyone did their prototype presentation
- We tested each others games and filled out a basic survey of deliverables to make sure everyone had included all the elements initially decided upon
Individually
C2- Completed game
- Tested game
- Completed our game
- Completed our portion of the Design Manual
- Prepared Poster
- Tested game
C5
- Completed game and tested in lab
- Worked on our Design Manual
C6
- Finished majority of game (lacks closing...)
- Tested game in lab
- Did our portion of the Design Manual
C7
- Completed the game
- Compiled the four seperate levels into one game
C9
- Worked on increasing game sophistication
- Added sound and animation
- Finished general programming so that game works at a basic level
Next Weeks Goal's
- Complete poster
- Finalize package
- Prepare pagkage for delivery
Individually
C2
- Final Report
- Fix issues raised by testing
C3
- Prepare presentation for presenter
- Final Report
- Integrate testable results
C5
- Start Final Report
- Compile four seperate levels into one game
- Add some sound and finishing touches to game
C6
- Fix some of the minor issues brought up in testing
- Polish up game and streamline better
- Prepare for Open House
- Final Report
C7
- Work on Final Report
- Prepare for Open House
C9
- Need to integrate all the levels into one game
- Need to change each level so that they are all using the same player object. Will have to re-size the player and landscapes so they are all the same size
Yellow Lab A Blog 5
Green - completed, Blue -Planned, Red - OngoingAccomplished this week
Entire Lab
This week each group presented their game prototypes to the lab coach and Dr. Ningxu Cai. Each team also contributed to the poster.
A1
Merged the two levels of the game together. Finished the testing section of the final report. Completed the game.
A2
Completed the majority of the game. Made the testing table for the final report. Completed the bulk of the final report.
A4
Made a list of the tasks for the game. Worked on improving visual appearance of the game. Recorded intermediate testing. Worked on final report.
A5
Almost finished second level of the game. Almost finished design manual. Worked on the final report.
A6
Finished the scoring system. Finished the game. Continued work on the final report.
A7
Worked on design manual. Finished the game except for minor details.
To be Accomplished Next Week
Entire Lab
Integrate the game into one program. We will have the open house where every team’s game is presented.
A1
Complete the final report and design manual.
A2
Complete game. Finish design manual. Continue working on final report. Test completed game for glitches.
A4
Finish final report. Finish design manual. Prepare for presentation.
A5
Finish final report. Finish design manual. Finish game.
A6
Finish final report. Finish poster and design manual.
A7
Finish, present and integrate the game to be presented at the open house.
Optional
McGuire's Monster Performer of the Week
Spencer for his 2 minute engineer on the boot and Andrei for sacrificing his perfect attendance record to attend the open house.
Yellow Lab B - Blog April 9th 2010
Accomplishments This Week
- Lab Transfer Manual is well on it's way to completion, with just compiling to do.
- Each team has at least 2 levels of the game completed.
- The board done by Felix Chung is nearly complete.
- Some levels of the game have been compiled to a single game.
- The poster is planned and parts are ready to be printed.
- Preliminary grades of individual games took place.
- Representatives of the open house were chosen (Warren and Arthur)
- Finish the poster by Wednesday.
- Finish the levels of games by Monday.
- Compile the games on Monday and Tuesday.
- Wednesday the lab will confirm the completion of all aspects of the project and work on any last minute touch ups.
- Begin and possible finish the final report write up.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Lab D: Status Blog #4
ENGG 253 Weekly Blog - Week #4
Due to the Good Friday holiday, the schedule for Yellow lab D was as follows:
Lab period Wednesday Mar 31, from 11:00-12:30
Accomplished this week:
Because of the single short lab period this week, accomplishments by teams will be brief.
Table D1 (computer game):
- completed initial draft of "Technical Information" section for Lab Manual
- preliminary model of program is nearing completion
Table D2 (computer game):
- successfully constructed 2 working maps of game
- begun work on both final report and lab manual
Table D3 (hands-on):
- constructed game board, and all cards related to game
Table D5 (computer game):
- dissected example games to build understanding of GameMaker software
- began developing puzzles for game including: movement of blocks, and organizing of balls
Table D9 (hands-on):
- developed rules for game
- completed construction of board game
Table D11 (hands-on):
- milled prototype game board using CNC machine
- established testing methods for game
- allocated tasks for finishing challenge cards
- allocated tasks for completing testing
Table D12 (hands-on):
- completed character profiles for the characters used in game
- delegated tasks for final testing report
- began construction of prototype
Tasks for Next Week:
In general
Computer Game Groups must:
Finish game coding, finish testing, and debug it completely no later than April 15th.
Hands-on Groups must:
Continue construction of activities
Must Test games and be keep a record of any updates or changes made to final product
Complete the development of "how to play sections".
Lab:
Begin work on instruction manual and technical support sections, to be submitted by April 11th to Yang Zhang.
Continue to ensure thematic integration, and with other groups with the same cognitive focus.
Progress Monitoring and Control
This week, we are behind schedule.
Additional Information
1. Open House (Thursday April 15th from 10AM to Noon):
*(3% on Presentation (lab-based) + 5% on Prototype (group-based.) =8% of TOTAL GRADE)*
Set up: 9:00AM-10:00AM
Open House: 10:00AM-12:00PM
???: 12:00PM-1:00PM
Tear Down: 1:00PM-2:00PM
***Note: This Open house is really important and everyone should take this day seriously. This is the one day when the word modest does not exist in your vocabulary. The Open House Day, April 15th, is an opportunity for the university and their prestigious students to showcase their work and astonish the world of exactly what we can do. It is an open event and EVERYONE is invited (visitors include: department heads, deans, associate deans, the mustard seed and their invited guests, corporate invitees, politicians, the MEDIA, and lastly, family and friends.)
2. Final Day of Lab/ Final Prototype Grading/ BSD! (April 16th)
*(Note: THIS IS NOT A LAB-BASED MARK)*
So below is just a overview of what's happening on the Final Day of Lab!
On April 16th, Ningxu will examine each team's prototype individually (approx. 10 minutes per table). She will looking at how well each team has identified and analyzed the problem and whether their solution is appropriate and well engineered. With this being said, as Ningxu will examine and critique each one's device, teams should also reveal all of the unique and functional aspects of their device.
3. Design Manual (Thursday, April 15th)
Everyone please email your Technical Information to the following 3 people ANYTIME on April 11th; so we can compile and review the documents.
1. Matt Schroeder (babaganoosh95@hotmail.com and mmschroe@ucalgary.ca)
2. Yang Zhang (yangzhan@ucalgary.ca), and
3. Kim Cayanan (sagi_angel91@hotmail.com)
I recommend finishing/ writing the majority of the manual this long weekend because it will take a long time, and frees up time to study for other subjects.
4. Everyone remember…..TO FINISH AND PERFECT YOUR PROTOTYPE BY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14TH’!!!! Failure to have your prototype finished will result in a 40% deduction penalty specified by the Lab Contract!
Due to the Good Friday holiday, the schedule for Yellow lab D was as follows:
Lab period Wednesday Mar 31, from 11:00-12:30
Accomplished this week:
Because of the single short lab period this week, accomplishments by teams will be brief.
Table D1 (computer game):
- completed initial draft of "Technical Information" section for Lab Manual
- preliminary model of program is nearing completion
Table D2 (computer game):
- successfully constructed 2 working maps of game
- begun work on both final report and lab manual
Table D3 (hands-on):
- constructed game board, and all cards related to game
Table D5 (computer game):
- dissected example games to build understanding of GameMaker software
- began developing puzzles for game including: movement of blocks, and organizing of balls
Table D9 (hands-on):
- developed rules for game
- completed construction of board game
Table D11 (hands-on):
- milled prototype game board using CNC machine
- established testing methods for game
- allocated tasks for finishing challenge cards
- allocated tasks for completing testing
Table D12 (hands-on):
- completed character profiles for the characters used in game
- delegated tasks for final testing report
- began construction of prototype
Tasks for Next Week:
In general
Computer Game Groups must:
Finish game coding, finish testing, and debug it completely no later than April 15th.
Hands-on Groups must:
Continue construction of activities
Must Test games and be keep a record of any updates or changes made to final product
Complete the development of "how to play sections".
Lab:
Begin work on instruction manual and technical support sections, to be submitted by April 11th to Yang Zhang.
Continue to ensure thematic integration, and with other groups with the same cognitive focus.
Progress Monitoring and Control
This week, we are behind schedule.
Additional Information
1. Open House (Thursday April 15th from 10AM to Noon):
*(3% on Presentation (lab-based) + 5% on Prototype (group-based.) =8% of TOTAL GRADE)*
Set up: 9:00AM-10:00AM
Open House: 10:00AM-12:00PM
???: 12:00PM-1:00PM
Tear Down: 1:00PM-2:00PM
***Note: This Open house is really important and everyone should take this day seriously. This is the one day when the word modest does not exist in your vocabulary. The Open House Day, April 15th, is an opportunity for the university and their prestigious students to showcase their work and astonish the world of exactly what we can do. It is an open event and EVERYONE is invited (visitors include: department heads, deans, associate deans, the mustard seed and their invited guests, corporate invitees, politicians, the MEDIA, and lastly, family and friends.)
2. Final Day of Lab/ Final Prototype Grading/ BSD! (April 16th)
*(Note: THIS IS NOT A LAB-BASED MARK)*
So below is just a overview of what's happening on the Final Day of Lab!
On April 16th, Ningxu will examine each team's prototype individually (approx. 10 minutes per table). She will looking at how well each team has identified and analyzed the problem and whether their solution is appropriate and well engineered. With this being said, as Ningxu will examine and critique each one's device, teams should also reveal all of the unique and functional aspects of their device.
3. Design Manual (Thursday, April 15th)
Everyone please email your Technical Information to the following 3 people ANYTIME on April 11th; so we can compile and review the documents.
1. Matt Schroeder (babaganoosh95@hotmail.com and mmschroe@ucalgary.ca)
2. Yang Zhang (yangzhan@ucalgary.ca), and
3. Kim Cayanan (sagi_angel91@hotmail.com)
I recommend finishing/ writing the majority of the manual this long weekend because it will take a long time, and frees up time to study for other subjects.
4. Everyone remember…..TO FINISH AND PERFECT YOUR PROTOTYPE BY WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14TH’!!!! Failure to have your prototype finished will result in a 40% deduction penalty specified by the Lab Contract!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Lab C - April 2
Accomplishments
Individually
C2
- Built a level template
- Wrote questions and lessons to put into game
C3
- Completed the structure of the game
- Gathered and inserted images and questions
C5
- Basically finished making the game
- Decided on all the question and information to be put in the game
C6
- Finalized majority of content
- Assigned an Open House presenter and discussed poster requirements
- Decided on final level for the game
C7
- Worked on making game in Game Maker
C9
- Planned out all four levels for our game
- Began programming, completed about half of first level
Next Week's Goals
- Create testable content survey
- Create layout for the poster
Individually
C2
- Putting all the information into the game
- Complete the game and be ready for testing by the end of the week
C3
- Finish the game
- Integrate questions
- Decide on content for the presentation
C5
- Write the design manual
- Get game ready for testing
C6
- Make game ready for testing
- Gather information for poster
- Finish our portion of the design manual
C7
- Complete the game and begin working on design manual
C9
- Complete all of programming over the long weekend
- Create questions, based from GED practice quizzes
- Gather images for poster
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Yellow Lab A Blog 4
Accomplished this week
Entire Lab
The entire lab did the same thing this week because of the shortened week, therefore, we will not break it up into tables.
This week everyone worked on their programming and recorded their testing results. Everyone also fixed the errors from the testing results.
Next week everyone plans on finishing their games and recording final testing results. As well everyone will work on the final report, instruction manual and poster.
Optional
Yellow Blog
Accomplishments This Week
- Lab has familiarized themselves with game maker.
- Tables have developed initial ideas on adapting game idea to game maker.
- Tables have found images and backgrounds for game.
- Tables have divided tasks into programing and writing.
- Some tables have thought of starting final report.
- Sprites have been made for games.
- Sprites have been programmed to move around screen.
- Questions have been modified and adapted to suit game maker.
- Finish individual mini games.
- Begin compiling mini games.
- Begin writing instruction manual.
- Begin writing final report.
- Start brainstorming ideas for poster and presentation.
- Select two representatives for open house.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Lab D: Status Blog #3
Tasks accomplished this week:
- Teams submitted their design proposal report for grading.
- Stephen Dixon invited and organized a visit by a Mustard Seed client, Tim Barber, who talked to the lab about his life, the Mustard Seed, and homelessness.
- Some members participated in tour of downtown Mustard Seed facilities.
- Begun design stage:
- Developed pseudocode for computer game components.
- Developed & refined game structure for hands-on components.
- Begun preliminary construction of game boards for hands-on components.
- Encountered testing error: Virtual Machine at Labs does not have the video card necessary to test GameMaker 8.0 files. Consequently, teams are advised to use laptops or make the game outside of class.
- Assigned responsibilities and roles for writing the lab manual. Each group is responsible for submitting technical specifications of their component, which is to submitted no later than Sunday, April 11. In addition, Matt Schroeder is responsible for writing the introduction. Yang Zhang was appointed as the editor of the document; it is her responsibility to ensure that all necessary information is included in the report, and to have the first draft completed by class-time on Wednesday, April 14. At this point, teams will have the opportunity to look at the report and check for technical accuracy. The lab manual will be submitted on the Open House day.
- Stephen Dixon and Matt Schroeder will represent the lab at Open House.
- Prototype evaluation will be done on April 16th, after the Open House.
Plans for Next Week:
Computer Game Groups must:
- continue construction of game coding and testing as they go.
- finish game design by April 9th. Afterwards, teams will be expected to debug and enhance the software until Open House day on April 16th.
Hands-on Groups must:
- Continue construction of activities
- Design fun, interactive, and aesthetically pleasing games that can be played by multiple players.
Lab:
- Begin work on instruction manual and technical support sections, to be submitted by April 11th to Yang Zhang.
- Continue to ensure integration with all surrounding table groups.
Monitoring and Control
- Teams continue to submit inadequate information regarding how their accomplishments relate to their schedule. For all teams except Andrew Paul's, information relevant to this section still takes the form of "on schedule" but fails to clarify what schedule means, even after warning.
-
Additional Information
- Clarified project theme by narrowing "adventure" to "travel adventure". Each team was assigned a unique continent which must be integrated into their prototype. In addition, we interpreted "travel adventure" to be about conquering the world, continent by continent.
-Motto changed from Building Self-Confidence Through the Building of Knowledge”...
to “Building Confidence through Learning”
-Lab Progress check on April 14th. All prototypes must be completed to be examined in public; this will help the lab control and monitor progress in preparation for the open house.
- Teams submitted their design proposal report for grading.
- Stephen Dixon invited and organized a visit by a Mustard Seed client, Tim Barber, who talked to the lab about his life, the Mustard Seed, and homelessness.
- Some members participated in tour of downtown Mustard Seed facilities.
- Begun design stage:
- Developed pseudocode for computer game components.
- Developed & refined game structure for hands-on components.
- Begun preliminary construction of game boards for hands-on components.
- Encountered testing error: Virtual Machine at Labs does not have the video card necessary to test GameMaker 8.0 files. Consequently, teams are advised to use laptops or make the game outside of class.
- Assigned responsibilities and roles for writing the lab manual. Each group is responsible for submitting technical specifications of their component, which is to submitted no later than Sunday, April 11. In addition, Matt Schroeder is responsible for writing the introduction. Yang Zhang was appointed as the editor of the document; it is her responsibility to ensure that all necessary information is included in the report, and to have the first draft completed by class-time on Wednesday, April 14. At this point, teams will have the opportunity to look at the report and check for technical accuracy. The lab manual will be submitted on the Open House day.
- Stephen Dixon and Matt Schroeder will represent the lab at Open House.
- Prototype evaluation will be done on April 16th, after the Open House.
Plans for Next Week:
Computer Game Groups must:
- continue construction of game coding and testing as they go.
- finish game design by April 9th. Afterwards, teams will be expected to debug and enhance the software until Open House day on April 16th.
Hands-on Groups must:
- Continue construction of activities
- Design fun, interactive, and aesthetically pleasing games that can be played by multiple players.
Lab:
- Begin work on instruction manual and technical support sections, to be submitted by April 11th to Yang Zhang.
- Continue to ensure integration with all surrounding table groups.
Monitoring and Control
- Teams continue to submit inadequate information regarding how their accomplishments relate to their schedule. For all teams except Andrew Paul's, information relevant to this section still takes the form of "on schedule" but fails to clarify what schedule means, even after warning.
-
Additional Information
- Clarified project theme by narrowing "adventure" to "travel adventure". Each team was assigned a unique continent which must be integrated into their prototype. In addition, we interpreted "travel adventure" to be about conquering the world, continent by continent.
-Motto changed from Building Self-Confidence Through the Building of Knowledge”...
to “Building Confidence through Learning”
-Lab Progress check on April 14th. All prototypes must be completed to be examined in public; this will help the lab control and monitor progress in preparation for the open house.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Lab C March 26
Accomplishments
Individually
C6
Individually
C2
- Began creating backgrounds and sprites
- Became familiar with Game Maker
- Built content for the game
- Structured the game
- Gathered backgrounds and images for game
C5
- Built majority of question bank
- Got familiar with Game Maker and got it working on Mac
- Finished Functional Requirements and Design Proposal Report
- Made NPC's to interact with
- Added a few extras like sound and effects
- Experimented with getting questions to work properly
- Gathered all information needed for questions in the game
- Started programming with Game Maker
- Became familiar with Game Maker 8
- Planned all levels of game and found sound and image files to use
- Started programming first level of game
Next Weeks Goals
Management Task
- Determine Open House presenters
- Discuss integration as a whole lab
- Status updates from each team
Individually
C2- Finish making levels
- Start writing question and lessons
- Incorporate lessons and questions into game
C3
- Complete content
- Integrate content into game
- Finish programming and put questions into game
- Figure out how to keep track of which questions have been answered correctly
C6
- Finish question material
- Add all information into the game
- Finalize how questions will be accessed in game
- Finish programming game
C9
- Start writing text for question
- Set up research stations in game
- Complete programming
Optional
- All things are going according to schedule
- Everyone seems to be adapting to using Game Maker 8 quite well
Yellow Lab A Blog 3
Accomplished this week
Entire Lab
Handed in Functionality Report
A1
Began writing code and doing game
A2
Started programming, and found out what gamemaker is able to do.
A4
Programming game
Divided programming tasks
Developed game base
Decided on health meter/score counter
A5
Started/worked on programming the game
Decided to make one level that works really well before working on more levels
A6
Started programming
A7
Worked on programming the game
Came up with the idea of a multiplayer option
To be Accomplished Next Week
Entire Lab
Continue Programming
A1
Complete at least one part of the game and get it ready for testing
A2
Have at least one test
Decide improvements for game
A4
Game development
Record any testing for final report
A5
Be a good amount into the programming
Test game
A6
Finish programming
A7
Work on programming of the game
Optional
McGuire's Monster Performer of the Week
Oliver for setting a high score in bubble spinner
Update #3 - Friday March 26th, 2010
Accomplishments This Week
- Project Management finalized the board game theme
- The lab decided to work with a military based theme
- The board game will have 30 spaces
- Each table will be assigned a color and 5 spaces
- Each color representing a different aspect of social cues
- For every time the player lands on a specific colored space, a harder level of difficulty will be tested with respect to that social cue
- Each table will create a minimum of 3 levels or a maximum of 5
- A level consists of a mini-game style
- After successfully completing a game, player will receive a certain amount of points, depending on the difficulty of the completed game
- The game will end after a certain amount of rounds, where the player's total score will be tallied and player will attain a corresponding ranking
- After the finalization of the theme, the individual tables got to work on the first levels of the game
- Base "Rooms" for the first levels of the games were established
- The lab expects for everyone to have a minimum of one level complete by next Wednesday
- After completing one level, the next levels will be accomplished much faster
- This is due to the main concepts of the game already being covered
- Developments towards the final game will continue, this included the board game format itself
Schedule
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Lab D: Status Blog #2
Status Report (March 19, 2010)
Accomplished this week
-Teams have begun integrating with table groups before and after.
-Familiarization Presentations were completed and teams have an understanding of the direction of the rest of the lab.
-A meeting was held with the GED representatives from the Mustard seed and table groups now have a sense of the overall needs and requests of our client.
-The representative of the Homeless community (Tim) has said that he will come to speak about issues that face Calgary’s homeless and to answer questions from lab groups.
-Development of a persistent character and its role in each step has continued through the week.
-The mustard seed visit has been scheduled so students can gain an understanding of the operative structure of our client.
-Work on functionality reports has begun
To be accomplished next week
-The functionality report is due next Wednesday (March 24 2010) and teams should focus to have these complete ASAP.
-Solidify interfaces between groups before any major construction can begin on final project
-Prototypes should continue to be developed and tested regularly throughout the week
-Teams should ensure that they are not falling behind schedule
-Character design MUST be finalized by Wednesday.
Monitoring and Control
Figure 1: Weekly Gantt Chart
The Gantt Chart above shows strides in some areas, but not in others. Teams have done a remarkable job of researching their presentations, which was made evident by the presentations on Friday. However, on the whole, coordination of the lab needs improvement. Currently, there is no plan on the table to integrate all components from all groups into a single cohesive package. In addition, there are some discontinuities in group interfaces, where they exist. In particular, the two teams working on logic must work to clarify their interfaces and relationship to each other. Thus, the bar for lab coordination is marked as behind schedule.
In addition, there are some new emails floating about in the PM team about a possible change in theme. It is not clear whether the change intends to narrow the scope of "adventure" into the frame of "travel", or alter the scope to travelling itself. The decision for theme was made two weeks ago; it remains to be seen whether the emails will bring an important milestone or a distraction.
In summary of monitoring and controlling the group's progress, I make two suggestions: increase disclosure of information. Emails sent to just the PM team should be automatically forwarded to all members of every group, because delegates may forget or not keep up with them. It may also be helpful to centralize the management structure, so there is more accountability for keeping group representatives organized and focused.
Additional Information
Information discussed during last 2 PM meetings.
USER NEEDS:
D1: Learning Disability
D2: Short Term Memory Loss
D3: Lack of Education
D5: Addiction
D9: Social Skills
D11: Decision Making
D12: Low Self-esteem
-Consitent Character used throughout the adventure.
-This is being manually drawn by a fellow lab member.
- More details about character design may be presented during one of the labs this week, but it will for sure be present by next week's weekly online blog.
-Discussion about a Master Score Card will be produced towards the end of the lab timeline; this will ensure that the guests can visually see their progress/ improvement in all 7 systems.
- NOTE: ALL lab teams must create a scoring method to accommodate this proposal.
-GREAT WORK on your Familiarization Presentations everyone!
Accomplished this week
-Teams have begun integrating with table groups before and after.
-Familiarization Presentations were completed and teams have an understanding of the direction of the rest of the lab.
-A meeting was held with the GED representatives from the Mustard seed and table groups now have a sense of the overall needs and requests of our client.
-The representative of the Homeless community (Tim) has said that he will come to speak about issues that face Calgary’s homeless and to answer questions from lab groups.
-Development of a persistent character and its role in each step has continued through the week.
-The mustard seed visit has been scheduled so students can gain an understanding of the operative structure of our client.
-Work on functionality reports has begun
To be accomplished next week
-The functionality report is due next Wednesday (March 24 2010) and teams should focus to have these complete ASAP.
-Solidify interfaces between groups before any major construction can begin on final project
-Prototypes should continue to be developed and tested regularly throughout the week
-Teams should ensure that they are not falling behind schedule
-Character design MUST be finalized by Wednesday.
Monitoring and Control
Figure 1: Weekly Gantt Chart
The Gantt Chart above shows strides in some areas, but not in others. Teams have done a remarkable job of researching their presentations, which was made evident by the presentations on Friday. However, on the whole, coordination of the lab needs improvement. Currently, there is no plan on the table to integrate all components from all groups into a single cohesive package. In addition, there are some discontinuities in group interfaces, where they exist. In particular, the two teams working on logic must work to clarify their interfaces and relationship to each other. Thus, the bar for lab coordination is marked as behind schedule.
In addition, there are some new emails floating about in the PM team about a possible change in theme. It is not clear whether the change intends to narrow the scope of "adventure" into the frame of "travel", or alter the scope to travelling itself. The decision for theme was made two weeks ago; it remains to be seen whether the emails will bring an important milestone or a distraction.
In summary of monitoring and controlling the group's progress, I make two suggestions: increase disclosure of information. Emails sent to just the PM team should be automatically forwarded to all members of every group, because delegates may forget or not keep up with them. It may also be helpful to centralize the management structure, so there is more accountability for keeping group representatives organized and focused.
Additional Information
Information discussed during last 2 PM meetings.
USER NEEDS:
D1: Learning Disability
D2: Short Term Memory Loss
D3: Lack of Education
D5: Addiction
D9: Social Skills
D11: Decision Making
D12: Low Self-esteem
-Consitent Character used throughout the adventure.
-This is being manually drawn by a fellow lab member.
- More details about character design may be presented during one of the labs this week, but it will for sure be present by next week's weekly online blog.
-Discussion about a Master Score Card will be produced towards the end of the lab timeline; this will ensure that the guests can visually see their progress/ improvement in all 7 systems.
- NOTE: ALL lab teams must create a scoring method to accommodate this proposal.
-GREAT WORK on your Familiarization Presentations everyone!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Yellow Lab C - March 19 Blog
Accomplishments this Week
Individually
C2
- Familiarized ourselves with Game Maker 8
- Completed Familiarization Presentation and presented it
C3
- Familiarization Report Completed
C5
- Finished Familiarization Presentation and presented it
- Had a question and answer time with the MS representatives
- Acquired Game Maker 8 for Mac thanks to Danielle
- Set overall theme
- Finished and received an excellent grade on the Familiarization Presentation
- Started designing curriculum
- Built game world environment and main character
- Achieved a better understanding of other groups game concepts
C7
- Completed design process
- Prepared and presented the Familiarization Presentation
Next Week's Goals
- Check progress of each team
- Update project tasks and design proposals
Individually
C2- Begin game production
- Complete and submit the Functional Requirement and Design Proposal Report
C3
- Functional Requirements and Design Proposal Report
- Work on game design
C5
- Finish Functional Requirements and Design Proposal Report
- Begin working with Game Maker to design
- Start gathering information to create question bank
C6
- Refine curriculum
- Start and finish Functional Requirements and Design Proposal Report
- Develop game objects/interactions and NPC's
C7
- Finish Functional Requirements and Design Proposal Report
- Begin creating game
Overall, everything is progressing according to plan and even slightly ahead of schedule. Having the Mustard Seed representatives come in today helped to clear up some uncertainty and confusion in regards to what exactly the end use of our product would be.
Yellow Lab A
Green is accomplished, Blue is Original plan, and red is current plan.
Accomplished this week
Entire Lab
Logbook familiarization questions
Individual Teams
A1
Familiarization Presentation
Started Programming
A2
Familiarization Presentation
A4
Familiarization Presentation
Explored Gamemaker
Started Functionality Report
A5
Finished and presented Familiarization Presentation
Started learning how to use gamemaker
Split up functionality report
A6
Split up Functionality report
Finish Familiarization Presentation
Began programming
A7
Worked on Familiarization Presentation
Divided functionality report among eachother
To be Accomplished Next Week
Entire Lab
A1
Start/Finish/ Hand in Functionality Report
Programming
A2
Start/Finish/ Hand in Functionality Report
Start programming
A4
Finish/ Hand in Functionality Report
Start Programming
A5
Finish/ Hand in Functionality Report
Start programming game
A6
Have game planned out
Most of programming process done
A7
Finish/ Hand in Functionality Report
Majority of programming done
Optional
McGuire's Monster Performer of the Week
Group A5 for getting 9.75 on the presentation
Unfortunately we are behind schedule on the Functionality Report, additional work will have to be passed on to next week.
Update #2- Friday March 19th, 2010
Accomplishments This Week
- This week we have mainly focused on our familiarization presentation
- Each table gave a eight to ten minute overview on what the group was focusing on
- The different aspects were:
-End users (who would use the program developed)
-How we would engage the client
-Implementation (how the game would be used)
-Key players (the main people that will be a part of the process and will be impacted)
-How we would engage the client
-Implementation (how the game would be used)
-Key players (the main people that will be a part of the process and will be impacted)
- NEW* integrated theme- lab decided to deviate from original idea of compiled mini-games to a fully integrated board game theme
- Virtual board game idea will be the interface we plan to use
- Theme of the broad game has been decided to be military oriented (without extreme display of violence) in order to attract the interest of a mainly male dominated homeless population
- Player's motivation will be the progressing of ranks (ex. starting at private to general)
Goals for next week
- Want to get the first level of the game completed
- Start putting the overall virtual game board together
- Each group will have the "easy" step of their game contribution by Friday of next week
- Management team is in charge of designing the board game itself (main screen)
Schedule
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