Only two months after
Extreme Pong 2 I got to a class called Structures of Game Design (SGD). In this two month class we got a crash course in designing games from the ground up. We learned about breaking things down into easily maintainable features that we could use to mark progress. We also learned a bit about taking all the things we had learned so far in the program and applying it to a game. This included using DirectX (previous class), vector math, using data to drive your game, and many other techniques and technologies.
Everyone in the class was tasked with a project for the first month. This was to make an Arkanoids/Breakout type game using the material that was taught in class. At the time I could tell that Toni (my girlfriend at the time, now wife) was getting a bit frustrated with my amount of free time (which was zero). I knew it was only going to get worse so I wanted to get her involved so I could spend more time with her. I am no game designer by any means, but I can roll with ideas.
I explained the project and asked her how I could make something she would like to play. She simply said, "Just make Katamari", which I think was a joke (we had been playing it a bit at the time). That peaked my interest, and this is what came out of it:
