[game_edu] 2d vs 3d

[Gregory Walek]

One question which was not answered that I believe was critical was "How much programming are you planning to teach with your students?"


In regard to the 2d vs 3d question:
Your students should work in 2d first.

A good firm foundation in 2d work will make your student better when they work in 3d.  Nearly all of the skills that are learned in making a 2d Game will apply when they move up to a 3d setting. How to design a game, how to schedule it, how lay out task, working with a source control system, ect ect ect ect....

2d gameplay is not going away. New platforms\games do 2d first, then implement 3d.  Sometimes, it's the same 2d game, just rendered with 3d technology.
    Street Fighter IV is 3D, but retains the 2D gameplay of earlier games.
    Shadow Complex is 3d but plays like Metroid. This is on Xbox Live Arcade and uses the Unreal Engine.
    Angry Birds is moving to a 3D system for rendering to take advantage of hardware acceleration.
    Texting of the Dead is a 2d game, but behind the scenes it's rendered with 3D technology.



________________________________
From: game_edu-bounces at igda.org [game_edu-bounces at igda.org] on behalf of Joe McNeilly [irisburn at gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2012 2:16 PM
To: game_edu at igda.org
Subject: [game_edu] 2d vs 3d

We're launching a Game Design Certificate, and trying to settle a key point: whether students should work in 2d or 3d. My feeling is that in a 16-20 unit certificate, there's not enough time to do 3d properly and students' time would be better spent iterating a 2d project. Thoughts?
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