1. Susan Miller Scalable Game Design University of Colorado
All About Frogger
Susan Miller
Scalable Game Design
University of Colorado

2. Why Game Design? Motivates students
Enables students to see themselves as ‘programmers’
Produces Computational Thinking Skills
Enables students to understand and create simulations
Creates Problem Solvers

3. Frogger – How does the game work?
What’s happening in the game?
What are the rules?

4. Rules of Frogger
You are a frog. Your task is simple: hop across a busy highway, dodging cars and trucks who come out of (and go back into) tunnels, until you get to the edge of a river, where you must keep yourself from drowning by crossing safely to your grotto at the top of the screen by leaping across the backs of turtles and logs.
What are the NOUNS of this description?

5. NOUNS = AGENTS
You are a frog. Your task is simple: hop across a busy highway, dodging cars and trucks who come out of (and go back into) tunnels, until you get to the edge of a river, where you must keep yourself from drowning by crossing safely to your grotto at the top of the screen by leaping across the backs of turtles and logs.

6. Let’s Jump In Open AgentCubesOnline.com
Enter your name/password and login
Click on NEW PROJECT
Save your file as FROGGER

7. Let’s make a frog…

8. Nouns = AGENTS Create the following agents: Frog Truck Road Ground
Tunnel

9. Create your agents (10 minutes)

10. Put your agents on your worksheet

11. It’s time to SAVE THE WORLD!

12. Explore your world

13. Does your game do anything???

14. Rules of Frogger- What are the VERBS?
You are a frog. Your task is simple: hop across a busy highway, dodging cars and trucks who come out of (and go back into) tunnels, until you get to the edge of a river, where you must keep yourself from drowning by crossing safely to your grotto at the top of the screen by leaping across the backs of turtles and logs.

15. VERBS are ACTIONS ACTIONS are CTPs
You are a frog. Your task is simple: hop across a busy highway, dodging cars and trucks who come out of (and go back into) tunnels, until you get to the edge of a river, where you must keep yourself from drowning by crossing safely to your grotto at the top of the screen by leaping across the backs of turtles and logs.

16. How do we make the frog move?

17. How do we make the frog move?
CTP#1: USER Control

21. Make the frog move

22. Make the frog move
Add the rest of the rules to make your frog move in other directions. TEST your game – does it work???

24. Under what conditions should the trucks move?

25. What makes the trucks move?
TEST your game – does it work???

26. Make the trucks appear CTP #2: GENERATE
The creation of New AGENTS is called GENERATION
We GENERATE new agents
Under what circumstances:
WHEN
HOW OFTEN
CTP #2:
GENERATE

27. Make the trucks appear
TEST your game – does it work???

28. Too Many Trucks…. Find some better values!

29. Make the trucks disappear
The elimination of AGENTS is called ABSORBTION
We ABSORB new agents
Under what circumstances:
WHEN
HOW OFTEN
CTP #3:
ABSORB

30. Under what conditions should the trucks disappear?

31. Make the trucks disappear
TEST your game – does it work???

32. What happens when the truck hits a frog?
CTP #4:
Collision!!!!

33. What happens when the truck hits the frog?

34. Create a NEW depiction for your FROG

35. Program the frog to be squished by the truck
What if I gave the rules to the TRUCK? What would change?

36. Frogger Part II: The River Scene
What do we need to complete the river scene?
Remember the story:
You are a frog. Your task is simple: hop across a busy highway, dodging cars and trucks who come out of (and go back into) tunnels, until you get to the edge of a river, where you must keep yourself from drowning by crossing safely to your grotto at the top of the screen by leaping across the backs of turtles and logs.

37. What agents do we need? (Think NOUNS)
You are a frog. Your task is simple: hop across a busy highway, dodging cars and trucks who come out of (and go back into) tunnels, until you get to the edge of a river, where you must keep yourself from drowning by crossing safely to your grotto at the top of the screen by leaping across the backs of turtles and logs.

38. What agents do we need? (Think NOUNS)
You are a frog. Your task is simple: hop across a busy highway, dodging cars and trucks who come out of (and go back into) tunnels, until you get to the edge of a river, where you must keep yourself from drowning by crossing safely to your grotto at the top of the screen by leaping across the backs of turtles and logs.

39. What actions do we need? (Think VERBS)
You are a frog. Your task is simple: hop across a busy highway, dodging cars and trucks who come out of (and go back into) tunnels, until you get to the edge of a river, where you must keep yourself from drowning by crossing safely to your grotto at the top of the screen by leaping across the backs of turtles and logs.
Hint: New CTP:
CTP #5
TRANSPORT

40. Frogger: Student Handout 4
Finish your Frogger game…
If you finish early, try a challenge sheet!!

41. Challenge Activities Alligators (I make mine snakes) Prevent cheating
Dodge the cars (two way traffic)
Inquiry Element
Road Design
Multiple levels
Diving Turtles (advanced)

42. Play Time!!!! Play each other's games
give some positive feedback
Suggestions for potential extensions or improvements
Spend some time working on revisions
Talk with your table about how you for see teaching this. Be prepared to share
What problems/hurdles do you expect?
What do you see as the major value/assets of frogger?