CIS 54.1 - Game Programming Final Exam 2009

General Format
Your final exam will consist of a short interview (5-10 minutes) in front of the class. During this interview:

Grading

Questions
Each of these questions will be treated as PASS/FAIL. No "partial credit" will be given! Each of the questions below are designed to be answered in 1-2 minutes.
  1. QUESTION:
    Name one famous (computer or console) game that debuted before 2005. Talk about the programming language, platform, market and genre of the game as well as what made the game famous, and how that game changed the computer game market.
    HOW IT MIGHT COME UP IN AN ACTUAL INTERVIEW?
    "Tell me about some of your favorite old school games."
    WHY ARE YOU BEING ASKED THIS?
    Companies are looking for more then someone who just "likes games". If you can't talk intelligently for a few minutes about the great games of the past (and what made them great) then you really don't know much about game design.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    The class lectures from day 1 have plenty of information. Your course book covers this information in chapter 1.1, and you can always look online.

  2. QUESTION:
    Name one game that has generated controversy because of its content. Talk about what people found objectionable, and what (if any) action was taken against the developers of that game.
    WHY ARE YOU BEING ASKED THIS?
    Again, if you are considering game programming/design as a career, you will look foolish if you are unaware of the controversies that have surrounded certain games in the past. Moreover, because the game industry is self-regulated (at present) you need to know about past bans because past bans may be the only accurate predictor of what game types are truly objectionable to a specific culture.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    The class lectures from day 2 have plenty of information. Your course book covers this information in chapter 1.2, and you can always look online.

  3. QUESTION:
    Define the terms "inheritance", "polymorphism" and "operator overloading" as they apply to object-oriented programming.
    HOW IT MIGHT COME UP ACTUAL INTERVIEW?
    "I see you have C++ on your resume, what can you tell me about inheritance?"
    WHY ARE YOU BEING ASKED THIS?
    Because this question actually gets asked in interviews! And if you can't answer it, then you clearly don't understand object oriented programming.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Your course book from your CIS15 class and online.

  4. QUESTION:
    Define Ludology and the MDA design framework. Define (briefly) common components of successful games and what, psychologically, makes these games “fun”.
    HOW IT MIGHT BE ASKED IN AN ACTUAL INTERVIEW?
    "Have you ever done any formal game design work?"
    WHY ARE YOU BEING ASKED THIS?
    The computer game market is a multi-billion dollar industry. It's a serious business.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Lectures 2.1 and 2.2 on Game Design.

  5. QUESTION:
    Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using C++, Java and Scripting languages for game development.
    HOW IT MIGHT BE ASKED IN AN ACTUAL INTERVIEW?
    "What programming languages do you know?"
    WHY ARE YOU BEING ASKED THIS?
    Multiple languages may be used in the development of one game.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Lecture 3.2 Programming languages.

  6. QUESTION:
    What is the difference between bitmap and vector graphics? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each.
    HOW IT MIGHT COME UP IN AN ACTUAL INTERVIEW?
    "Have you worked with meshes and textures?"
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Several places including section 5.1 as well as online.

  7. QUESTION:
    How does a component system differ from a system that uses inheritance? Why would using a component system be advantageous?
    HOW IT MIGHT COME UP IN AN ACTUAL INTERVIEW?
    "We're developing a component library for a new MMORPG."
    WHY ARE YOU BEING ASKED THIS?
    Along with inheritance it is a very common method for distributed development.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Section 3.4 Game Programming Fundamentals.

  8. QUESTION:
    Define Vector, Dot-Product, Cross Product and the Minkowsk sum.
    WHY ARE YOU BEING ASKED THIS?
    These are essential terms and formulas for collision detection/response and real-time physics in games.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Sections 4.1/4.2 Mathematical Concepts.

  9. QUESTION:
    What is a memory leak? How do we prevent them? If a game is going to use a main game loop, what should be a part of that loop?
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Game Architecture, Section 3.6 as well as online.

  10. QUESTION:
    Define in brief the differences between object-overlap testing and intersection testing, and the advantages/disadvantages to using each.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Collision Detection and Response, Section 4.2

  11. QUESTION:
    When considering the topic of game development, what is different about mobile programming as opposed to conventional console or PC development?
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Mobile Programming Lecture on the Website.

  12. QUESTION:
    When considering Volume Partitioning for an outdoor scene which would be a better choice portals or quad-tree partitioning. Why?
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Graphics, Section 5.1

  13. QUESTION:
    Define Frustum (or Viewing frustum), Culling, Clipping, Projection, Rasterization and Antialiasing.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Graphics, Section 5.1 and online.

  14. QUESTION:
    In animation when we talk about a “Transform” on a bone what do we mean (what are the 4 components of a transform)? What, in brief, is the difference between FK (forward kinematics) and IK (inverse kinematics)?
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Animation, Section 5.2 and online.

  15. QUESTION:
    There are four basic reasons that justify the inclusion of cinematic sequences in a game, what are they and describe the advantages and disadvantages of using machima as opposed to pre-rendered sequences.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Cinematography, Sections 6.7 and 6.8.

  16. QUESTION:
    One of the most common techniques for implementing the “thinking” part of an intelligent agent is the use of FSM. What is FSM and how can it be implemented in a game.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    AI, Section 5.3

  17. QUESTION:
    Describe, in brief A* path finding and its advantages over other types of pathfinding.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    AI, Section 5.4

  18. QUESTION:
    Explain the importance of the Bit Depth and Sampling Frequency and the difference between Bit reduction and Psycho-acoustic codecs.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Audio Design, Section 5.5

  19. QUESTION:
    Define Latency and describe the difference between Input Reflection and State Reflection.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Networking and Mutliplayer, Section 5.6

  20. QUESTION:
    A large game may be the product of many different companies. Excluding PR and Media firms, as well as Distributers and Retailers name 4 different types of organizations that might take part in creating a game and what their responsibilities would be.
    WHERE CAN I FIND THIS INFORMATION?
    Section 7.2, First Slide, Industry Value Chain.

More questions will be added as the semester progresses.