Frequently Asked Questions

What are the prerequisites?

CS/INFO 4152/5152 is open to anyone who has taken CS/INFO 3152. Teams are built the same way that they are in that course, and the assignments and milestones follow the model established by that class.

In addition to CS/INFO 3152, this course has other prerequisites specific to each track. Students enrolled in the CS course must take the programming track. INFO students are allowed to choose either track.

Programmers

Programmers should have taken one of the following: CS 4620, CS 4700, CS 4758, or CS 5414. We want programmers to have have taken an advance computer science course relevant to computer game development, and to apply that knowledge to this course.
Students with extensive programming experience can obtain instructor permission to be exempt from these prerequisites.

Designers

Designers should have some ability with UX wire frames, graphic design or drawing, and (preferably) experience with Photoshop or Illustrator. We are primarily interested in technical ability; the requirements for artistic ability may vary wildly. INFO 3450 is also highly recommended.

Masters Students

Masters students are exempt from all of these requirements as they are not permitted to take 3000 or 4000-level courses, and are assumed to have had the relevant course-work as part of their undergraduate education. However, all masters students must take the 5000-level version of the course. Masters of engineering students in the computer science department are permitted to take CS 5152, while professional masters students in the information science department are permitted to take INFO 5152. Masters students admitted from other departments may choose their version of the course.

Is ENGRC 4152 Required?

All undergraduate students enrolled in either CS or INFO 4152 must take the companion course ENGRC 4152. Those in teams 1-5 should sign up for section 101. Those in teams 6-9 should sign up for section 102. There is no extra meeting time for this course. It is part of the discussion sections for this class. Students who do not enroll in this course will be dropped from the main course.

If you do not have credit already, passing ENGRC 4152 will earn you credit for the College of Engineering’s Engineering Communications Requirement. However, students who have already received such credit must still enroll in this course.

Master’s students, however, do not have an equivalent ENGRC to sign up for, as Engineering Communications is an undergraduate-only program. Instead, students in either CS or INFO 5152 will receive one extra credit hour. This reflects not only the work spent on the documents, but also the increased expectations of students in this group.

Who owns the games made in this class?

Your group retains all ownership of any game that you make in this class. It is Cornell policy that students own their own work. You are free to make derivative works and commercialize any project that you create.

However, as a student in this class, you agree to give Cornell a non-exclusive license for the game as it is submitted at Showcase. Cornell has the right to distribute that version of the game (and only that version) for promotional and non-commercial purposes.

When and where does the class meet?

Our original intention was for this to be a normal semester. For the most part, we meet in our special design classroom: Upson 142. This room was specifically built for our course and others like our course. This is the location of our lectures and critiques MWF 10:10-11:00.

The labs are held in either Phillips Hall 203 (12:25) or Snee 1120 (2:40). These are both design-based classrooms that are ideal for working on documents or playtesting. And playtesting is going to be a very important part of this semester.

How do project teams work?

Students usually work in teams of about 7-8 people. The course staff picks the teams by matching people according to the interests they indicate. The staff also tries to accommodate “pre-made” teams, but we cannot guarantee that you will always be able to work with a particular person. Experienced artists, in particular, are a precious commodity and often need to be reassigned to balance out teams.

What does CS/INFO 4152 count for?

Both the CS and INFO courses count towards the secondary course in the game-design minor. at Cornell. The companion course ENGRC 4152 satisfies the Engineering Communications Requirement. requirement in the School of Engineering.

The INFO course may count as an elective in either the Information Systems track or the Human-Centered Systems track. You may chose either track regardless of your role on your team (e.g. designers who do no programming may still get Information Systems credit).

Note that these are all undergraduate requirements. That is why graduate students do not enroll in an ENGRC course.

Can I be a TA?

We employ undergraduates TA as staff to help us deal with the course. Because of high turn-over (and students graduating), we are always desperate for 4152 TAs. If you are around for the course next year, please consider filling out the online application. Applications for Spring courses close at the end of November.