PROD323-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025

Game Engines and Artificial Intelligence

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

In this paper, students will learn about game engine design through the use of existing engine source code. Students will extend existing functionality through the use of programming techniques. In addition, students will become comfortable designing and creating game-based artificial intelligence (AI) constructs.

Learning Outcomes

  • A student who completes this course will gain:
  • Knowledge on AI evolution in gaming
  • Ability to apply AI techniques like Minimax, Dijkstra, A*, Naive Bayes, decision trees, and reinforcement learning
  • Understanding of procedural content generation in games
  • Familiarity with game engine components such as HID, gameplay systems, and physics engines
  • Skills to implement and modify AI in Unity engine
  • Debugging and optimisation experience in Unity development environment.

Prerequisites

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 13:00 - 15:00 Psychology - Sociology 456
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun
Computer Lab A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Friday 11:00 - 14:00 Len Lye 201 Computer Lab 2
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun
Workshop A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 11:00 - 12:00 Len Lye 201 Computer Lab 2
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun

Course Coordinator

Thammathip Piumsomboon

Course Administrator

Alison Lowery

Assessment

Participation (1% each)  Weekly (excl. 7, 12)               10%                
(each presentation worth 5%)      
Laboratory (2% each)     Weekly (excl. 6, 12)              20%
(each challenge worth 5%)
Assignment 1                 Week 7                                20%
Assignment 2                 Week 12                              20%
Final Test                       Week 12                              30%

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

De Byl, Penny; Holistic game development with Unity : an all-in-one guide to implementing game mechanics, art, design, and programming ; Third edition; CRC Press, 2019.

Gregory, Jason; Game engine architecture ; Third edition; CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018.

Millington, Ian; Artificial intelligence for games ; Elsevier ; , 2006.

Yannakakis, Georgios N. , Togelius, Julian., SpringerLink (Online service); Artificial Intelligence and Games ; Springer International Publishing : Imprint : Springer, 2018.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $998.00

International fee $5,188.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Product Design .

All PROD323 Occurrences

  • PROD323-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025