Hi ben and all the GameDev.tv community. Given that we already have some beginner to intermediate courses for both UE4 and Unity, I would love to see a deeper course that assumes the student already has acquired the level of knowledge from these courses or any other.
In this case, my idea is:
- Create a ‘Complete’ 2.5D or 3D stylized platformer in the likes of Mario or Crash Bandicoot. The game doesn’t have to actually be complete but I think the course could touch up on the following themes and concepts, separated by categories.
Gameplay:
- Creating worlds and levels (A world can contain many levels)
- Creating different gameplay mechanics for the character (Jumping, double jumping, wall jumping, swimming, flying )
- Creating items that grant the character different abilities (see above)
- Creating different gameplay mechanics for different types of levels/worlds (Lava, platforms, traps)
- Creating different gamemodes for different types of levels/worlds (Timed, completing objectives, Getting from A to B)
- Implementing local co-op
Rendering:
- Creating stylized shaders (shaders for water, grass, ground, characters, etc)
- Implementing different graphic effects (Again water, lava, fog, snow, volummetric lighting, time of day, SSS, etc)
Build / Deploy:
- Building and deploying for different platforms/stores (PS, Xbox, Steam, GOG)
- Integrating services (Cloud save, Sharing)
- Post-launch content (DLCs, Patches)
PS:
I know it’s a handful of features but that’s why I suggest assuming the student has intermediate knowledge in the engine (whichever it is). Also, the course shouldn’t or doesn’t need to cover completely all these subjects but at least give the student an idea as to how to face them, like designing or creating more advanced materials or the publishing flow for different platforms, including post-launch content like patching the game or DLCs.