G320: Game Art & Sound

Indiana University Media School

Professor: Rachel Lin Weaver
raliweav@indiana.edu
Office Hours (FA 410): Wednesday 1-3 pm
(or send e-mail to schedule an appointment)

Game Art & Sound is an introductory course to those very topics. The objective is
simple: create an environment in which students learn how to create visual and audio
assets for games and other related forms of immersive, interactive, or playable media.
This course is not intended to develop specialists. Rather it gives students a foundation
for many different techniques that will allow them to create functional audio and visual
media in future projects and courses.

Students will be introduced to a variety of software used to create music, sound effects,
still images, and animations. In addition to practice, this course will explore theory
related to the history and application of these techniques. G320 is recommended for
students with an interest in game design, experience design, digital art, and mediated
interaction in general.

Constructivist Epistemology?
Some concepts of education put teachers in a position of power. Dutiful students are
expected to absorb all they can from these “holders of knowledge.” Constructivism
takes an opposite stance: Knowledge does not exist in the world. Nor is it "out there" to
be discovered whether one is alone or has the assistance of a guide or teacher to
impart it. Instead, knowledge is constructed by the individual learner as an internal,
mental system.

G320 takes a constructivist stance. Students will encounter unique, unusual—

potentially absurd—assignments that are intended to confound expectations and erode
all preconceptions of what is expected and possible. The tools and techniques we
explore, as well as the work you will do with them, will enable you to build meaningful
connections between professionalism and your own creative nature and potential.

Supplies
• IU network ID (username and password to access Canvas, Box, Mercury, and
Lynda.com)
• Headphones
• Personal computer or laptop is recommended but not required

Student Integrity
Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Both are grounds for an Academic
Misconduct report and a failing grade. Any questions regarding these policies can be
directed to the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct.
All work that you turn in must be your own. In certain situations it may be necessary to
borrow from third-party source. Students are allowed to do this only after specific
permission has been granted by the instructor. All borrowed work must be cited; no
exceptions. Failure to cite borrowed work will be viewed as plagiarism (see above).

The production and discussion of creative work is a large part of this class. Any work or
criticism that is offensive or that constitutes harassment of a racial, sexual, ethnic, or
religious nature will result in a failing grade.

Attendance
Attendance will be taken for all class periods. To accommodate for scheduling conflicts
and other "surprises" that may occur during the semester, all students are allowed 2
absences. Your grade will be reduced by 2 points (1% of your total grade) for every
unexcused absence. Unless it is unavoidable, do not schedule medical appointments or
interviews during class or discussion section meeting times.

Students who have true emergencies, life-threatening illnesses, or deaths in the family
may be granted excused absences. An excused absence must be supported with
written documentation when you return to class. You will be responsible to get missed
notes and information from a classmate.

Students observing religious holidays during the semester please see IU's Religious
Holidays request form.

Communication
Have a question about this class? Chances are the answer is in this syllabus. When
students encounter a problem while working outside of class they should send their
question to our class list in Canvas.
All communication with me concerning your progress in the class should be done in
office hours, and either before or after class. If you cannot meet during my regularly
scheduled office hours, send an e-mail to make an appointment. I am glad to meet with
you to discuss class questions and anything else you find interesting.

University Services
Disabled Student Services
For assistance with physical, social, or mental health issues which affect
learning or testing.
Franklin Hall 096
(812) 855-7578
Learning Disabled Coordinator: Jody Ferguson
Franklin Hall 327
(812) 855-3508
http://www.indiana.edu/~iubdss
Adaptive Technology Services
Using technology to provide equal access and an inclusive environment
for the IU community.
Herman B Wells Library Media Reserve Center
(812) 856-4112
http://www.indiana.edu/~iuadapts

Student Academic Center

For assistance with tutoring, test anxiety, or non-medical academic
issues.
316 N. Jordan
(812) 855-7313
Contact: Sharon Chertkoff
http://www.indiana.edu/~sac

Writing Tutorial Services

For free help at any phase of the writing process.
Call Writing Tutorial Services (WTS, pronounced “wits”) at 855-6738 for an
appointment. When you visit WTS, you’ll find a tutor who is a sympathetic and helpful
reader of your prose. To be assured of an appointment with the tutor who will know
most about your class, please call in advance.

WTS, in the Information Commons on the first floor of the Wells Library, is open
Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Walk-in
tutorials are available when WTS has an opening, but the appointment book often fills in
advance. WTS tutors are also available for walk-in tutorials (only) in the Academic
Support Centers in Briscoe, Forest, and Teter residence halls, open Sunday-Thursday
7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts

Schedule
Monday August 24 (week 1)
Lecture Intro to G320
Due —
Lab(s) New student survey
Box.com
Lab Homework statements, research, and citations
G320 software roll call

Monday August 31 (week 2)

Lecture Intro to sound in games
Week 2 preview on game music: instruments, tracks, mixing,
strategies for the harmonically challenged and confused
Industry: Wabi Sabi Sound
 Indie: DisasterPeace (aka Rich Vreeland)
Early consoles: ColecoVision and Sega Genesis with Texas
Instruments SN76489 sound chips (3 square wave oscillators and
a white noise generator)
as3sfxr (Flash-based synth)
as3sfxr intro with Tom Vian
Major Scales: http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/21
Minor Scales: http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/22
Lots of scales mapped to the piano keyboard:
http://www.pianoscales.org
Due —
Lab(s) GarageBand loops and instruments
BFXR basic "8-bit" synth (evolved from as3sfxr); additional
background on 8-bit sounds
Audition edit & process GarageBand and BFXR material

Monday September 07 (week 3)

Lecture Labor Day: classes do not meet today
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Cowardly Digger Window Cruise"
(due Monday at 1 pm Tuesday at 2:30 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Brave Digger Policeman Crumple"
(due Wednesday at 1 pm Thursday at 2:30 pm)
Lab homework #01: 3 songs (20-60 seconds each) and 5 sound
effects that suit the Game Concept for your lab class. Be sure to
Normalize all of these to -0.5 dB. Turn in everything as a WAV or
AIFF file using our shared Box folder; don't forget the written
statement required for all Lab Homework.
Lab(s) Piano roll & sequencing
Music loops
Mix levels and DSP
Export to uncompressed AIFF

Monday September 14 (week 4)

Lecture Review from last week: music loops and the Grim Fandango
soundtrack by Peter McConell
Sound Design
Ben Burtt on sound design with everyday, ordinary objects
Halo 5 Guardians sound design
Intro to the Seamless Loop
Sound Effects Libraries: when and how to use these; respect the
license!!!
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Soaring Hardware Policeman Hike"
(due Monday at 1 pm)
 Thursday Game Concept: "Slimy Hardhat Swamp Graze" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #02: Make some music for each element tied to
this week’s Game Concept: 3 character themes (10-30 seconds
each), 3 different game levels (20-30 seconds each), 3 different
“task” songs (20-30 seconds each). Turn in everything as a WAV
or AIFF file using our shared Box folder; don't forget the written
statement required for all Lab Homework.
Lab(s) Using SFX libraries
Most useful SFX DSP operations
SFX loops
More BFXR and GarageBand synths for SFX

Monday September 21 (week 5)

Lecture Sound + Interaction and Play
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Wholesome Show Headlight Skip"
(due Monday at 1 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Clever Cast Headlight Craft" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #03: Make a variety of SFX that suit the Game
Concept for your lab class:
• 3 in GarageBand (synthesize from scratch)
• 3 in BFXR (synthesize from scratch with at least two layers)
• 3 in Audition (downloaded from FreeSounds; apply effects as
needed; turn in original AND final)
• 1 ambient background using the Seamless Loop Technique.
(loop should be between 15 and 45 seconds)
Turn in everything as a WAV or AIFF file using our shared Box
folder; don't forget the written statement required for all Lab
Homework.
Lab(s) FMOD

Monday September 28 (week 6)

Lecture Intro to art in games
Power of Two Rule
How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Rusty Tower Duplicate Howl" (due
Monday at 1 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Fussy Hardhat Garden Skip" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #04: Use the FMOD template to create a
variety of sound playback behaviors that suit the Game
Concept for your lab class:
• Two versions of random_repeated_SFX with at least three
 variations in each Multi Sound module. These SFX
should convey a clear sense of variation, but not so
much as to sound unrelated or scattered.
• Two combinatorial music loops. These can use the _group,
_single, or _multitrack behavior in the FMOD template;
each Multi Sound module should contain at least three
variations that make musical sense when played back
as a random sequence.
• One version of three_music_states with original music that
conveys a sense of progression or change. For
example, in the case of a stealth game, states could be
hidden (player is completely safe), audible (player will
be detected if not careful), visible (player has been
detected but not yet caught). Consider how game
states “raise the stakes.” How will you convey this with
music?
When complete, right-click your FMOD project folder and
choose “Compress” to create a zip archive. Post this file to
our shared Box folder along with the written statement
required for all Lab Homework.
Lab(s) Art style and translating sketches (scan & trace)
Making various image types w/ Flash & Photoshop
Image sizes and exporting

Monday October 05 (week 7)

Lecture Animation I
Sprites, Sprite Sheets & the Unity Sprite Packer
Beta & Phi (Max Wertheimer & Gestalt Psychology)
Optical Toys and the Early History of the Moving Image
Short-range Apparent Motion
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Mighty Kitchen Sphere Dine" (due
Monday at 1 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Pretty Suede Sphere Roll" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #05: Make a variety of images that suit the
Game Concept for your lab class:
• Develop a series of seven gray box images using primitive
shapes. Each should be a 128x128 PNG.
• Sketch three characters and scan your drawings. Each
should be a 1024x1024 JPG.
• Use Photoshop to trace one of your character scans. Save it
as a 512x512 PNG.
• Color your Photoshop-traced image. Save it as a 512x512
PNG.
 You will turn in twelve images altogether: 7 gray box or
"placeholder" images, 3 scanned character sketches, 1 traced
character sketch, 1 color version of the traced character
sketch.
Lab(s) Sprites, trace bitmap, frame-by-frame animation
Flash Movie Clips & nested animations
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Monday October 12 (week 8)
Lecture Animation II
The 12 Principles of Animation (theory & practice)
• Paraphrased from the "Illusion Of Life" by Frank Thomas & Ollie
Johnston
• Additional references and images on Wikipedia
• In Motion Design (HOW magazine)
The 12 Principles of Animation (game design & development)
• Beat Sneak Bandit: squash & stretch; secondary action
• Monument Valley: slow in and out; arc; staging
• Device 6: anticipation (fading text; slight shift before objects move)
• Duet: follow through and overlapping action
• Hundreds: you decide...
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Stinky Dryer Sphere Cruise" (due Monday
at 1 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Rusty Beef Duplicate Crumple" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #06: Use Flash to make a variety of animations that
suit the Game Concept for your lab class:
• Five sprite (frame-by-frame) animations.
• Three nested Movie Clip animations (a frame-by-frame Movie Clip
that is further animated on the Main Timeline with a Motion
Tween). The frame-by-frame component of these must be
original and cannot reuse any of the five you did for the first
part of this assignment.
You will turn in a single Flash document (.fla file) with eight
animations. Use the Scene Panel (Window > Other Panels > Scene) to
separate these as individual animations, each with its own scene.
Lab(s) Advanced Animation by Preston Blair
Tweened animations in Flash (motion, classic, shape)
Mouth shapes and phonemes for character dialogue
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Monday October 19 (week 9)
Lecture Typography
Communicating with type
Types of type
Webmonkey Typography Tutorial Lesson 2 covers pixel fonts
 Title Design: films
Title Design: games
UI Design
HUDs + GUIs (cases in games and film at thebleeding edge)
Game UI (games only)
Game UI Discoveries: What Players Want (theory to understand and
discuss design strategies)
Help Wanted: the forgotten UI in many Fungus-based games
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Spiky Oyster Bachelor Graze" (due
Monday at 1 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Fuzzy Biscuit Locust March" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #07: Based on our discussions (and your exploration
of) the 12 Basic Principles of Animation, create the following
animations that suit the Game Concept for your lab class:
• Squash & stretch (5-10 seconds with an object or device from your
Game Concept)
• Slow In & Slow Out (5-10 seconds with an object or device from
your Game Concept)
• Arc (5-10 seconds with a character from your Game Concept)
• Secondary Action (5-10 seconds with a character from your Game
Concept)
• Staging (5-10 seconds with any element from your Game Concept)
• Lastly, using the Preston Blair “mouth expressions” (phonemes),
animate a Game Concept character so that it “speaks” the
phrase you recorded in lab class. You can show the entire
character body, but only the face and mouth are required.
You will turn in a single Flash document (.fla file) with six animations.
Use the Scene Panel (Window > Other Panels > Scene) to separate
these as individual animations, each with its own scene.
Lab(s) Icon design
Title design
UI design
Free (legal) Font Resources
• The League of Moveable Type
• Open Font Library
• Font Squirrel
• 1001 Fonts (all public domain)
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Monday October 26 (week 10)
Lecture Intro to Unity & Fungus
Unity examples: depth, elegance, and simplicity
• Making Lara Croft GO
• Prune
 • Mini Metro see the Steam and Developer trailers
Patterns in Choice-Based Games
Gallery of Game Art Styles curated by Tom Kail
For class next week, please download and play: Mundo Lanugo
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Spoiled Smoke Shoulder Scream" (due
Monday at 1 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Wholesome Firetruck Lamp Soak" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #08: Based on our discussions of typographic
examples and your own work in class, create the following designs
that suit the Game Concept for your lab class:
• 3 app/game icons that are 512 pixels square. These should be
primarily typographic but may have some illustrated
components. Save as PNGs or JPGs as appropriate.
• 2 UI designs: an inventory screen and a dialogue screen. Save as
PNGs or JPGs as appropriate at the dimension 1024 x 768px.
• 3 title designs that follow the Power of Two size rules (1024 px
square, 512 px x 128 px, etc.) Save as PNGs or JPGs as
appropriate.
• Take your favorite still image title design and expand it to be a 10-
30 second title animation (audio optional; done in Flash).
Lab(s) Unity3D: download version 5.1.2 (to be consistent with what's
installed in TV250)
Fungus: download version 2.1.2 (don't get it from the Unity
Assets Store)
Fungus tutorial videos
Fungus written documentation
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Monday November 02 (week 11)
Lecture Fungus audio & animation
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Nimble Airmail Headlight Skip" (due
Monday at 1 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Cowardly Library Posse Scream" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #09: Using Unity & Fungus, create the following
designs and interactions that suit the Game Concept for your lab
class:
• Navigation with Flowcharts, Blocks, Say, Call & Menu Commands:
develop a text-based interaction that has a minimum of 7
blocks and 2 branches. [primary resource: tutorial 2 (Fungus
Basics)]
• Create a drag-and-drop interaction with an object or material
related to your Game Concept. [primary resource: tutorial 3
(Handlers) and Unity Project/ Assets/ Fungus Examples/
 DragandDrop]
• Create three objects or characters. Make each a clickable sprite in
which a click reveals details about the object or conveys dialog
spoken by the character. [primary resource: tutorial 5 (Sprites)]
• Create three Fungus “views,” of a background or environmental
image and use the Unity camera to fade or move between
them. [primary resource: tutorial 4 (Camera)]
Use Fungus212Demos.zip in Canvas/ Files as a guide for
navigation, clickable sprites, and camera. Be certain that the default
FungusExamples/ folder has been deleted from your Unity project.
(This makes your project far larger than it needs to be when turning in
Lab Homework)
Lab(s) Audio playback & control (additional material in the Fungus
Docs)
Audio synthesis in Fungus (remember BFXR? Meet Usfxr!)
Unity Documentation on Animation View
Tweaking Animation Curves
Characters, conversations, backgrounds
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Monday November 09 (week 12)
Lecture Final project intro (schedule and scope)
Due Tuesday Game Concept: "Adorable Digger Dressing Swim" (due
Monday at 1 pm)
Thursday Game Concept: "Fuzzy Burglar Soup Snap" (due
Wednesday at 1 pm)
Lab homework #10: Using Unity & Fungus, create a design that suits
the Game Concept for your lab class:
• Use the Portraits technique to create a conversation between two
characters. Write enough dialogue so that you must use three
different Portraits for each character and have at least two
different Menus that divert the conversation in different
directions.
• Use GarageBand to create some background music and add it to
this conversation. Be sure to set the volume at a level that
complements the text/dialog “beeping.”
• Add at least one animation and a background Sprite (or Sprites) to
set your scene(s) in a specific location.
All work—dialogue, music, images—must be original. Reference the
Fungus Tutorial Videos to help with the technical side of this
assignment. You are likely to find the Fungus Docs more helpful this
week. In particular, see “Next Steps,” “Audio,” “Flowcharts,” and
“Blocks.”
Lab(s) Fungus Logic: flow, scripting & variables
Tutorials 9, 10, 11
 Students with programming experience may want to take a
look at Tutorial 16 on custom C# scripts.
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Monday November 16 (week 13)
Lecture Fungus game design patterns
Due 9:00 AM: Final project milestone #01:
• Write a 1-2 paragraph description of a game or interactive story
idea you can create realistically create in Unity & Fungus by the
end of the semester (Wednesday, December 16).
• List the Fungus Handlers and Commands you expect to use to
execute the main features of your design.
• List the specific links to all of the tutorials or other Fungus-related
resources that will show you how to execute the main features
your design.
• Save this as a PDF with the filename milestone01.pdf
• Create a new Box folder in our shared G320 folder. Name it
FINAL_PROJECT, and upload the document.
Lab(s) Use this class period to work on your Graybox version for Milestone
#2.
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Thanksgiving Break
Classes do not meet. Enjoy your break!
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Monday November 30 (week 14)
Lecture Final project development
Due 9:00 AM the day of your lab class—Final project milestone #02:
Develop a rough, Graybox version of your project.
On the due date you should upload a zipped (compressed) Unity
Project folder that demonstrates all of the necessary mechanics (rules
& interactions) required for your game. It does not need to look
finished—use placeholder artwork. The entire game should be
complete, however. The expectation is that your game is playable and
that it works on a technical level. At a minimum you must also include:
• placeholder music or background ambience as needed in your
game
• placeholder sound effect(s) as needed in your game
After you zip your project folder, rename it milestone02.zip and
upload to Box in your FINAL_PROJECT folder.
Lab(s) First final project critique & playtest
Final projects will be turned in using a Mercury account. This is a free
account (academic use only) that allows IU students to post media to
the web.
• What accounts do I already have at IU and how do I add Mercury?
• IU students need to sign this agreement to use Mercury
 • Connect to Mercury using a SFTP client These are available on
campus and for personal use.
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Monday December 07 (week 15)
Lecture Guest lecture with Andy Poland of Jellyvision and Jackbox Games.
Due 9:00 AM the day of your lab class—Final project milestone #03:
Upload a complete “portfolio” of every visual and audio asset
your game requires.
At this stage these elements may not be done done, but everything
should be accounted for—at a minimum—with a draft version. Create
asset-sheet.pdf and use it to list each individual asset and its role
in your game. Upload your asset sheet and individual sound and
image files to Box in a new, milestone03 folder inside
FINAL_PROJECT. See Canvas > Files > Milestone 03 Portfolio for an
example of what you are expected to turn in.
Lab(s) Connect to your Mercury account over SFTP
Second final project critique
End single class meeting Start single class meeting
Wednesday December 16 (week 16 - finals)
Lecture Classes do not meet during exam week.
Due Final project is due at (or before) 5 pm.
Lab(s) —

Assignments & Student Evaluation

Assignment Details
As it concerns a letter grade in the class, students will be evaluated in three different
areas: weekly Lab Homework, a final project, and participation throughout the
semester.

Lab Homework (10 × 10 points = 100 points)

Every week an assignment, or Lab Homework is due. Students are expected to
incorporate what they have learned during the week into one or more media samples.
These samples will be evaluated for their ingenuity and bravery. In other words,
students earn full marks for putting effort into developing a variety of different ideas
rather than achieving perfection for a single, standalone work (drawing, animation,
sound effect, etc.)

"OK, I get it, process > product. So what's the process?"

Every week there will be a randomly selected Game Concept. All Lab Homework is
expected to suit the the ideas expressed or implied by the Game Concept. These
assignments are deliberately confusing and disorienting; thus intended to challenge you
creatively and make it impossible to produce anything that could be considered
remotely usual, ordinary, or expected.

Nothing is created in a bubble; your Lab Homework is no exception. Therefore

students are required to research a minimum of three external resources to guide
and inform their work. For example, if one of the words in the Game Concept is ninja
and you realize that your only familiarity with ninjas is based on stereotypes it would be
good to dig deeper into the idea. Your research reveals a wider variety of weapons and
skills than you knew previously and as a result, the idea of a ninja grows in your mind. It
may be that your original stereotype yields better results overall, but with more
information you can make more informed choices. Game Concepts will not be
unidimensional, so that more you know the easier it will be to synthesize a creative
direction while doing Lab Homework.

In addition to the media samples required for each Lab Homework assignment,
students are expected to write a 300-word statement. Aim for ~100 words for each of
your “best” or favorite three media samples. For each, discuss its connection to the
Game Concept and your use of external resources. At the end of your statement,
include the full citation for each of your three external resources.

The unconventional nature of the Game Concept makes it impossible to arrive at any
“right answers." Successful Lab Homework will have the following characteristics:
• It was done on time and complete: the student finished all that was required and the
work was in on or before the deadline.
• There is evidence of creative synthesis: the student productively and creatively
engaged with the Game Concept.
• The student took a risk: while all aspects of the homework may not be successful,
there is evidence of productive exploration.
•
The weekly schedule will flow through the semester as follows
Week Day Activities
A Monday Each lab class is assigned a Game Concept for
the week.
A Tuesday/Thursday Students dig into new material in lab classes
and start Lab Homework based on the Game
Concept assigned to their section.
B Monday/Wednesday Lab Homework is due at 1 pm on Monday
afternoon for the Tuesday lab class and 1 pm on
Wednesday afternoon for the Thursday lab
class. This includes a 300-word written
statement and citations for three of a student's
Lab Homework samples. Media samples
(images, sounds, etc.) as well as written
statements are copied to our shared Box folder.
B Tuesday/Thursday Your instructors will choose (from among the
three samples discussed in a student's written
statement) semi-finalists who will compete for
Lab Homework Exceptions. These "exceptions"
are incremental reductions to the requirements
of future Lab Homework assignments. If

C Monday
Lab Homework Exceptions
selected as a semi-finalist you should prepare a
short talk (1-2 minutes) about your Lab
Homework assignment.
Everyone votes for their favorite Lab Homework.
Winners are announced; they give their talks and
take questions. Lab Homework Exceptions go
into effect immediately. Students must be in
class to earn their Exceptions. Congratulations!

Wins Exceptions
1 only two required resources
2 only one required resource
3 one genre wild card (can replace or remove any word in the weekly
Game Concept); still only one required resource
4 two concept wild cards; still only one required resource
5 no required resources; no concept guidelines
6 no resources, no guidelines, no Lab Homework deadlines (earns the
flexibility to finish everything before final exam week)

Final Project (75 points)

Design a game or story in Fungus/Unity with sound, interaction, and visual elements. If
you haven't yet seen it, the Fungus Community Gallery has many examples to give you
an idea of what's possible. Students choose which aspect of their project to prioritize in
final grading. There are no genre guidelines. Make what you want but remember
scope!! Whatever it is you set out to do must be completed in the allotted time. Your
instructors will help guide you so that you do enough, but not too much.

Final Project Milestones [3 @ 10 points each]

The high point count for each milestone reflects the fact that these not only need to be
done but done well. Each will be graded based on a student’s thoroughness and ability
to meet the milestone requirements. “Bad” or untenable ideas will be critiqued and
impact your time; not your grade. In other words, a perfectly-executed milestone that is
either over- or under-ambitious will earn top marks but need revisions before moving
forward. Details for each milestone are listed in the class schedule on the due date.

Primary Work [20 points]

Choose whether you want art or sound to be the major focus of your project evaluation.
The expectation is that this category of work not only resonates with the overall project
idea, but demonstrates a level of proficiency. The highest evaluations are the result of a
synthesis that elevates the entire project as a result of your art or sound work.

Secondary Work [10 points]

Choose whether you want art or sound to be the minor focus of your project evaluation.
The minimum expectation is for original placeholder media. Students can excel in this
category by striving for the kind of synthesis expected of Primary Work.

All Primary and Secondary work must be original

GarageBand Loops and library sound effects are acceptable as raw, starter material as
G320 does not focus on audio recording or music composition.

Overall [15 points]

This evaluation is comprehensive, and reflects your success on the totality of the
project. This covers the design & development of your project, and includes:
• Concept: How well does the idea work? If you used a cliché, do you find a way to
make it your own? If your idea is unique, is it clearly articulated?
• Mechanics: What rules did you create? What interactions are possible? How well are
these integrated with your concept?
• Technical Execution: Does the game run? Is there a clear beginning and ending?
(Note: no one has to “win”) Do your mechanics perform as demanded by your
design?
• Documentation: All “code” must be commented. This means including a brief
description of each Fungus Block’s functionality. To do this click [+], choose
Comment, and type your description.

Participation (25 points)

An additional 25 points will be added for participation. This score is cumulative and will
be based on your overall involvement and engagement in the course throughout the
entire semester. All students will earn a midterm participation score to help them gauge
their efforts. This score does not in any way guarantee a student's final participation
grade and should be viewed by the student as a metric to either improve or maintain.
As always, students are more than welcome to see the instructor in office hours to
discuss any questions or concerns over their performance or a course grade.

Assignment Deadlines
Assignments are considered complete when all required elements are posted to our
shared folder in IU Box. Students may also be required to turn in the source media files
used to produce their work. Each assignment will have a due date listed on the class
schedule. Grade records will be maintained using Canvas. Understand that Canvas is
used for reporting scores on individual assignments; not official final grades.
"If it's early it's on time. If it's on time it's late. If it's late you're
fired." — Gino Brancolini

All work must be delivered the day the assignment is due, at the required time.
Assignments received within 24 hours of the due date earn a grade no higher than D+
and will receive no comments from the instructor. Work received later than one day
after the due date will not be accepted, and the assignment will earn 0 points.

Grading Scale (grades reported in Canvas)

Grade Percentage Description
A+ 100 Amazing performance; rarely ever happens.
A 96-99 Superior performance; student work goes far above and
beyond requirements of the course; demonstrates a
command of course material through an innovative and
creative application of concepts; far exceeds course
expectations.
A- 91-95 Excellent performance; student work goes far above and
beyond requirements of the course; demonstrates a
command of course material through an innovative and
creative application of concepts.
B+ 88-90 Very good performance; student work meets
requirements and demonstrates creative or thoughtful
application of course material; exceeds course
expectations.
B 84-87 Solid work; student performance meets requirements and
demonstrates a good understanding of course material.
B- 81-83 Above average; work that meets requirements and
demonstrates better than average understanding of
course material.
C+ 78-80 Work that meets requirements and shows promise.
C 74-77 Work that meets all basic requirements.
C- 71-73 Work that meets requirements but is not especially
polished or thoughtful.
D+ 68-70 Below average work.
D 64-67 Below average work.
D- 60-63 Below average work.
F < 60 Failing.

Books & Other Resources

Lynda.com
by Lynda Weinman
As IU students and faculty we have access
to the entire collection. You will find
tutorials for Pro Tools and other related
audio software.
1 Start at http://ittraining.iu.edu/lynda
2 Click Go to Lynda.com and log in with
your IU credentials
3 Wait a minute to be redirected...
4 When the site is loaded use the menus at
the top to filter & find the lessons
that interest you.
We will use lessons from the G320 "play
list" by Jess Tompkins
Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop Apps
We will use Photoshop, Flash, and Audition
These are all available through IU Ware

Apple GarageBand
Great for tracking game music, composing
with loops, and sound effect synthesis

Unity3D Game Engine

Free to use and vastly powerful, Unity3D is
used by professionals and students alike

We will use Unity with Fungus, a free open

source Unity Package that makes it easy to
jump in with no coding experience
whatsoever.
Fungus Tutorial Videos (on
YouTube)
Community forum (questions &
answers from developers and
Fungus community)
Online documentation
PDF documentation
 FMOD
Powerful audio middleware that integrates
with all major game engines, FMOD is great
for development as well as testing your
sound effect and music ideas.

University computer labs

• STC lab schedule (in general, when labs are open)
• STC lab finder (use this link to find number of available seats)

Smartphone Recording
• iOS: Transfer Voice Memos from an iPhone
• Android: Best voice recording apps at Lifehacker

Online sound libraries

• Sound Snap the "YouTube" of sounds
• Freesound.org is a collaborative database of Creative Commons licensed sounds.
• OLPC free sound samples
• Public Collections in the British Library
• Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Soundbible free sound clips with mixed licensing

Professional Resources
• Designing Music Now Dedicated to the Craft of Creating Music for Video Games and
Interactive Media

Online Tutorials
FMOD and Adaptive Music by Firelight Technologies