IMGD 1001 Practice Final Exam Solution

1. What is player-to-gameplay balance? Why is it important? Provide one way it can be done poorly in a game. Describe one way you can fix the same poorly-done example.

   Ans: Player-to-gameplay balance is where the player's relationship to
   the game is appropriate for their skill.  This can be done poorly if
   an interface is very complicated but full-knowledge of the interface
   is needed before the player can even progress past the first level.
   This could be fixed by making only some basic parts of the interface
   needed at first, requiring (and rewarding) the player to learn
   additional components of the interface at later levels.
   

2. Name 2 out of the 3 programming areas in a game development team.

   Ans: The three are: Game code, Game Engine and Tools.
   

3. What is the code and fix method of software engineering?

   Ans: really, it is no methodology at all.  Instead of any
   kind of design, programmers jump right in and write code.
   When the code is ran (no formal testing) if there are bugs,
   they are fixed.  The process repeats in the hope a working
   game comes out.
   

4. What is version control software? Why is it useful?

   Ans: A database containing files and past history of them.  It
   provides a central location for all code and allows the programming
   team to work on related files without overwriting each other's work.
   the database preserves the history to help track down errors and
   provides branching and merging for platform specific parts.
   

5. Name one advantage of C++ over Java. Name one advantage of Java over C++.

   Ans: Many choices here.  C++ typically provides opportunities for
   better performance.  Java takes care of memory management that
   can cause hard-to-find bugs for C++ programs.
   

6. Name the steps in the process of debugging, as discussed in class.

   Ans: Reproduce the problem consistently, look for clues, pinpoint the
   error, repair the problem and test solution.
   

7. What is a sound designer as a member of a game development team?

   Ans: A sound designer brings life-like (and beyond life) sounds to
   game.  They are increasingly a critical member of the game dev
   process, as audio has more capability and more importance
   

8. What is the sampling rate when applied to capturing audio? Why not always sample at the highest rate possible by the hardware?

   Ans: Each sample provides a number that needs to be stored, sent over
   a network and/or played.  The higher the rate, the more
   processing/storage required.  This is especially meaningful since a
   high sampling rate may note be required for adequate fidelity.
   

9. What is the typical sample size and sample rate for voice?

   Ans: 8000 samples per second with each sample being 8 bits.
   

10. Why might ambient background music be a mistake for some games?

    Ans: It might not reflect the current emotional context of the game.
    Player tunes it out.
    

11. Name one good tip for using music in a game.

    Ans: Many possibilities: follow the dramatic arc with the game's
    sound track, never use music unless it is making a specific emotional
    statement to the player, get the composer involved early in the
    process, the more content the better, ...
    

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