Programming Games Using Visual Basic IS660Z Graduate Elective for IS Majors Lecture 1 – 6/2/2004

Agenda Introductions Origin of Text Software Class structure – part online & part face to face Blackboard Introduction to VB VB exercise Overview of first two projects

Introductions Catherine Dwyer, Lecturer, IS Dept At Pace: Specialist in programming languages – this year taught Java, C++, and VB, working on JavaScript Enrolled in PhD in IS program at NJIT Prior Experience: Programmer/Analyst at NYC investment bank, Technology Coordinator at Graphics Design Firm Co-author of the text Two daughters, 12 th and 6 th grade, husband journalist with The New York Times Hobbies: reading, bike riding, swimming, cooking You?

Origin of Text Friend suggested we write VB book together She had taught herself VB by programming minesweeper What is needed to teach programming? Challenging and interesting topics Accessible language and development environment

VB and Games After three years of writing, rewriting, testing, piloting, and revising, our text was published by Course Technology (April 2001) Programming Games with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0

Software Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 MSDNAA subscription Academic computing has software in lab Student files for Games text Image files, exe files for each chapter WinZip All projects must be zipped and submitted to digital drop box PaintShop Pro Optional paint program for enhancing your games

Course Structure Part in person meetings 4 required face to face meetings Part online via Blackboard online “midterm” and in class “final” Assignment descriptions PowerPoint presentations Links to tutorials Discussion Board Digital Drop Box

Grading 4 games projects 60 pts Online quiz, in class final 20 pts Discussion board20 pts Grading rubrics (Blackboard)

Pace resources for online learning Online orientation – available under “My Organizations” Orientation provides overview of Blackboard and introduction to online learning Other info at online.pace.eduonline.pace.edu

Blackboard Online portion delivered via web with Blackboard Sign on, take anonymous survey, look over each section

Introduction to VB Popular application development environment Simplified syntax, programming and data type constructs Used commercially for fast development of GUI/windows applications

Intro – cont. Overview of desktop Managing VB windows Resizing, appear and disappear Design phase vs. Execution/run-time phase Fundamental concepts: Events, Controls, statements, variables

Simple VB Exercise Introduce two common control objects, labels and command buttons two common events - form_load and click event

Intro VB Exercise Exercise for coding events Saving VB project - 2 step process zipping files practice using the digital drop box

Common VB File Extensions.frmForm file.frxBinary form file.resResource file.vbpVB project file.vbwVB project workspace file

Second VB Exercise Coin flip go to to download self extracting zip file with image fileshttp://csis.pace.edu/~dwyer

Overview of First Assignments Project 1: either Mix and Match Cartoons (ch. 2) or Chance (ch. 3) due Sat. 11:59 pm Both need control arrays Project 2: either Hangman (ch. 4) or Memory (ch. 5) Each student will present next required class (6/9) - bring both project 1 & project 2

First Projects Mix and Match – simple logic, lots of possibilities for creative enhancements Chance – more complicated logic, requires you to implement the rules of chance, which vary depending on first throw or second throw

Download Games (if time) download working versions of games and try them out go to course.com, search on dwyer, also in Blackboardcourse.com download and unzip execute games

This week Start posting to blackboard ( 2 min by Sunday night) Project one due Sat. night Project two presented next Wed. See you online !