COSC 174
Programming Computer Games
Spring, 2009


Course Description:
This course will explore the algorithms, data structures, and tricks used to program computer video games. We will be programming in Java and focussing on arcade-style video games (new and "classic") rather than text-based adventures or strategy games such as chess.

Course Syllabus

Homework Assignments

SECOND EXAM (On-line exam)
The second exam was on the computer, in class, on Friday, March 27. Anything we've studied so far this semester is fair game. If you want a rough idea of what such an exam is like, here's the exam from a couple of years ago. We studied different topics that year, so some of these questions might not seem familiar.

Class Demos
This is a link to a directory of class demos stored by date. They are not intended to be self-explanatory (although they might sometimes be), but rather are created as visual aids to the lectures. I'm making them available here so you can play with them and study the examples further after class. In other words, I can't imagine how you would take intelligent notes on some of this stuff, so here are my "animated notes".

Neat Sites
This page contains links to various interesting web sites related to Computer Game programming.


Art Of Illusion modeler

TexList.aoi
This file, which can also be found on pascal in the directory /users/faculty/mikes/174, has all of the built-in Java3D textures pre-defined. If you open this in ArtOfIllusion and use these textures, then you can comment out the mtllib line in the .obj file and use the predefined Java3D textures.

Java3D API

Navigation keys
This is a list of what various keys do in the KeyNavigatorBehavior of Java3D.

JavaFX Coding Challenge
You might be interested in this contest sponsored by Sun. Entry deadline May 29, 2009.

Java API

Textbook website


This site created and maintained by Dr. Michael C. Slattery of Marquette University.
You can contact me at mikes (a) mscs.mu.edu.