Week 11: Game Logic

To Do This Week

Weather App Due (15%) April 2

Group Game Project ideas are settled with basic game logic steps and UX design.

Generative Language Art projects:

• Sonia
• Crystal
• Marilyn
• Vincent

Group Workshop

Work toward outlining the core logic of your game (how it behaves, step by step) and clarifying the flow of gameplay. By the end of the week, you should have a working sense of how your game functions and feels.

At the same time, begin defining the interface and sensory world of your game: visuals (graphics/sprites), sound, and any interactive or animated elements. Think about how these choices support the experience you want to create.

Using AI: Given the short timeframe, you are expected to use HTML5 Game Mentor as a collaborator, both for planning and for scripting support. This is not about taking shortcuts. It’s about learning how to translate your ideas into working logic through an interactive process.

Students who actively use AI as a thinking partner (testing ideas, refining logic, and iterating on code) tend to make much faster and deeper progress. Those who avoid it often struggle to move beyond basic concepts. Engaging with AI will help you take real leaps in understanding how games are built.

This also reflects current practice in development and game development, where AI-assisted workflows are becoming standard. Learning how to work with these tools, while staying in control of your decisions, is part of becoming a capable developer.

Collaborative HTML5 Canvas Game: 30%

DUE: April 30

In teams of 3-4, create an interactive HTML5 Canvas game that demonstrates your combined skills in design, programming, and creative collaboration. This project is an opportunity to experience a small web development workflow using GitHub for version control and to practice communicating logic, problem-solving, and design ideas as a group.

Each team will work with the Custom GPT created for this class to help plan, refine, and debug their game. Use it to translate your ideas and logic into human-readable steps before writing code. Each student will submit their AI chat transcript as part of the documentation of their contribution and learning process.

Your Steps:

1. Team Brainstorm: Develop a shared game concept and visual style. Decide on your core mechanic, objective, and general mood or theme.
2. Design and Roles: Identify areas of strength among your team—coding, sound design, animation, art direction, or logic planning—and distribute tasks so that everyone contributes meaningfully.
3. Logic Steps: Use the Custom GPT to describe your game’s setup, gameplay loop, and scoring in plain language before coding. Save these chats as documentation.
4. Collaborative Coding: Build your game using ES6 JavaScript, committing regularly to GitHub. Use branches and merges to manage contributions.
5. Testing and Debugging: Playtest your game as a team and refine responsiveness, balance, and performance.
6. Visual and Audio Design: Style the interface with CSS, and integrate sound effects, sprites, or other media to enhance the experience. You may generate assets or ideas with AI tools.
7. Integration Statement: In your JavaScript file, include a brief commented section summarizing your game logic, team process, and how you used AI and GitHub.
8. Final Submission: Upload your game as index.html in a folder named game and ensure all assets and scripts function properly online.

Suggested Game Ideas:

• Platformer with Dynamic Environments: Procedurally generate levels or enemies for replayability.
• Adventure Game with Expressive Characters: Use sprite animation and dialogue for storytelling.
• Physics-Based Puzzle or Destruction Game: Experiment with motion, collisions, and gravity.
• Dodging or Collection Game: Navigate a chaotic field of moving objects to survive or collect items.
• Escape or Maze Game: Design a spatial challenge requiring exploration and problem-solving.
• Educational Game: Make learning interactive through gameplay mechanics.

Grading Criteria:

1. Collaboration and Process: Evidence of teamwork, GitHub participation, and AI-assisted planning.
2. JavaScript Logic and Implementation: Effective and clear application of ES6 syntax and structure.
3. Creative Design and Usability: Quality of interaction, visuals, sound, and overall play experience.
4. Documentation and Reflection: Clarity and completeness of your logic statement and AI chat records.

Project Requirements:

1. Title screen with game name and team member credits
2. Well-commented, functional ES6 code
3. Integration statement and AI chat documentation
4. GitHub repository link included in submission
5. Final build uploaded as index.html in folder named game