Keith J. O'Hara

teaching

CMSC 336

Games Systems: Platforms, Programs & Power (S2022)

overview | logistics | schedule | assignments | github | resources

Tentative Schedule (changes frequently)

week date topics readings work assigned
1
PLATFORM STUDIES

(listen ahead)
1/31/2022 course introduction syllabus; RtB and 10P forewards TIC-80 10 PRINT
2/2/2022 platform study: 10: PRINT; TIC-80 10P pp. 1–155; vic-20 emulator; TIC-80 Tutorial TIC-80 Github "Hello World!"
2
HACKING SYSTEMS

"Programming as Forgetting"
by Parrish
2/7/2022 hacking; remaking; demaking 10P pp 157–195; "Hacker" by Coleman; read about & play a demake of Halo REMAKE: Oregon Trail | Eliza | Colossal Cave | Hunt the Wumpus | ~(Pong | Breakout)
2/9/2022 arcade & mainframe: Tennis for Two; Pong; Breakout; OXO; SpaceWar (source) RtB 1–11; A Video Game by Any Other Name; Pixels in Print part 1 and part 2; "The Gender Binary of Computing: Challenging Sexism in Technology" by Zalkikar
3
TURING'S MACHINES

"The Turing Problem"
2/14/2022 simulation; emulation "Use of a Game Over: Emulation and the Video"; Excel Turing Machines; Game of Life; Turmites
2/16/2022 computers wireworld; "Indigenous Circuits: Navajo Women and the Racialization of Early Electronic Manufacture" by Nakamura number systems
4
GAMES AT HOME

"Jerry Lawson: The Engineer Who Changed the Game"
2/21/2022 6502 ASM RtB 12-17; 10P pp. 195–242; run it!; 6502 tutorial snake mini-hack
2/23/2022 REMAKE PRESENTATIONS ELIZA by Weizenbuam (lisp); BASIC ELIZA (source);
Oregon Trail (source); Apple II version & backstory;
Colossal Cave;
Hunt the Wumpus
5
ATARI 2600

"High Score 1"
2/28/2022 Combat RtB pp. 19–42; "Untold Story of the Game Cartridge"; Atari 1–48; HACK: Adventure; Pacman; Pitfall; Donkey King; Bezerk; Yars Revenge
3/2/2022 sprites/controls Atari 49–111; "Indigenous Circuits: Navajo Women and the Racialization of Early Electronic Manufacture" by Nakamura stella debug & hack
6
ATARI PLATFORM STUDIES

"High Score 2"
3/7/2022 timers & 2600 tricks; Breakout again Atari 113–152; Atari Games vs Oman; TIC-80 memory map and file format; distellamap poke challenge;
3/9/2022 E.T. "Was E.T. Really the 'Worst Game Ever'?" & fixing ET
7
HACK THE MAGIC CIRCLE

"Atari Game Over"
3/14/2022 procedural graphics & sound Atari 155–177; "West of the Magic Circle" by Fickle
3/16/2022 HACK PRESENTATIONS: Adventure; Pacman; Pitfall; Donkey King; Bezerk; Yars Revenge
8 3/21/2022 SPRING BREAK
3/23/2022
9 3/28/2022
3/30/2022
10
NES/FAMICOM

"Story Behind Super Mario Bros. 3"
4/4/2022 NES; Hello C Error 1–79; NES 1–40;"NES Memory Visualization" and plots hello C; DEMAKE: flappy-bird; animal crossing; 2048; wordle; candy crush; overcooked
4/6/2022 platforming; scrolling & controls; SMB Error 81–162; NES 41–81; Super Mario Clouds & I Shot Andy Warhol arrays
11
SOUND

Reliving Nintendo Soundtracks with the Brickster
4/11/2022 2A03 Error 249–288; NES 83–108; "The Women Who Invented Video Game Music"; sound tutorial pointers
4/13/2022 zelda; storage Error 163–196; NES 109–128; the heap
12
NES Games

archiving & game genie
4/13/2022 emulation; c-limber game Error 288–329; NES 129–14 structs & enums
4/18/2022 RPG; bank switching; DragonQuest; randomizers; game genie Error 197–248; NES 147–167; "How 'randomizers' are breathing new life into old game"; IRQ
13
ARCHITECTURE

"American Hysteria #Gamergate"
4/25/2022 tetris; 6502 ASM reprised tetris AI; NES 171-223
4/27/2022 tetris; 6502 ASM reprised tetris AI; NES 171-223
14
5/2/2022 ADVISING DAY
5/4/2022 patterns I command, observer; lua functions
15
NEW DIRECTIONS

"Dr. Gladys West: The Mathematician Who Reshaped Our World"
5/9/2022 patterns II state lua objects & coroutines; coroutines design pattern poster: Flyweight; Prototype; Singleton; Double Buffer; Game Loop; Update Method; Bytecode; Subclass Sandbox; Type Object; Event Queue; Service Locator; Dirty Flag; Object Pool; Spatial Partition
5/11/2022 design pattern poster: Flyweight; Prototype; Singleton; Double Buffer; Game Loop; Update Method; Bytecode; Subclass Sandbox; Type Object; Event Queue; Service Locator; Dirty Flag; Object Pool; Spatial Partition
16
PLATFORM STUDIES
5/16/2022 DEMAKE PRESENTATIONS: flappy-bird; animal crossing; 2048; wordle; candy crush
5/18/2022 COMPLETION WEEK
17 5/23/2022