WM9M5-15 Games Engine Design and Development
Introductory description
In the majority of cases, video game development makes use of already available software, primarily commercial game engines such as Unreal or Unity, or in-house game engines developed by the company eg ID Tech, Snowdrop, Frostbite, CryEngine. Our students will develop the capabilities of implementing and/or understanding the theoretical and fundamental aspects of how to create such engines from the ground up. However, on occassions they will be asked to use existing engines due to the maturity such engines exhibit in their current form. This module will expose the students to the intricacies of these engines, enable students to develop game engines using them, and help them understand their capabilities and limitations. Based on the previous modules students will be able to develop their own sub systems to replace or extend the systems available in these engines. They will be able to integrate their own and others' developments into a coherent whole. Students will understand the bigger picture of the how game studios run, including the types of documentation produced when making a game, how to evaluate the success of game systems and the game as a whole, roles within a studio and how all these complicated software components are connected in the games development pipeline.
Module aims
This module aims to provide students with detailed knowledge of the functionality and limitations of commercially available game engines. At the end of this module students will be able to identify which components of commercially-available game engines to use and/or extend when working on games. It will also give them the ability to be able to develop sub systems that would be integrated into a final system developed by other colleagues or made available separately.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Overview of commercial game engines
- Unreal Engine
- Unity
Systems development in games engines
Game development processes (Technical Design Documents, Games Design Documents)
Critical evaluation of game systems
Professional tools for the game development pipeline
Game tool development
Practical considerations for game system development
Studio roles and management
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Use and manipulate advanced level commercially-available game engines with significant in-depth knowledge
- understand the sophistication required and the in-depth ability to develop and integrate sub systems into commercial game engines
- Have the applied ability and specialist knowledge on how to develop games as part of a large group of developers
Indicative reading list
Gregory, J. (2018). Game engine architecture. AK Peters/CRC Press.
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Interdisciplinary
The skills developed here can find application in a number of different fields in which bringing multiple systems into existing software frameworks is required.
Subject specific skills
Mathematical skills and programming skills. Understanding of industry specific roles and current best practice for studios
Transferable skills
Technology literacy, adaptability. Team management.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 sessions of 1 hour 30 minutes (10%) |
| Seminars | 1 session of 1 hour 30 minutes (1%) |
| Tutorials | 9 sessions of 1 hour 30 minutes (9%) |
| Online learning (independent) | 7 sessions of 1 hour 30 minutes (7%) |
| Other activity | 29 hours 30 minutes (19%) |
| Assessment | 80 hours (53%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Other activity description
29.5 hours of student self directed study in preperation for in class work. Guidance on self directed study will be provided in class.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | |
|---|---|---|
| Project | 100% | 80 hours |
|
Development of a game as a group on one of the two libraries introduced Unity or Unreal. Students will individually work on the individual subsystems and be marked on those parts as well as the integration of them. |
||
Feedback on assessment
Written feedback.
Pre-requisites
To take this module, you must have passed:
There is currently no information about the courses for which this module is core or optional.