Welcome to the Adventure Author Teachers' Handbook. We hope these sections will help to get you started and give you an insight into some of the exciting and creative possibilities that game design in the classroom can offer for 21st century writer-designers:
Adventure Author Teachers' Handbook
Introduction - thoughts about the role of Adventure Author and NWN2 in 21st century writing.
Download AA Teacher Handbook Introduction (pdf)
Part 1: Working with the Software
Video Tutorials are here.
Getting Started - a whistle-stop introduction to the Toolset that should result in every child creating a working game area that they can explore, complete with scenery, buildings and creatures.
Download AA Teacher Handbook - Getting Started (pdf)
Gathering Ideas with the Fridge Magnets - how to collect and look after those all important game ideas using our lovely touchy-feely fridge magnets.
Download AA Teacher Handbook - Gathering Ideas with the Fridge Magnets (pdf)
Setting the Scene - making new areas and thinking about 'story locations' and 'reading pathways' through the game.
Download AA Teacher Handbook - Setting the Scene (pdf)
Hooking and Helping the Player - engaging ways of helping the player to know where they are and what they have to do, including visual strategies, 'narrative vehicles' and creatures who meet and greet the player.
Download AA Teacher Handbook - Hooking and Helping the Player (pdf)
Talking the Talk - using the Adventure Author Conversation Writer to create creature and player dialogue, and to add choices and actions that will drive the game.
Download AA Teacher Handbook - Talking the Talk (pdf)
Devloping Simple Quests - taking the role of dialogue a step further by setting conditions to create simple challenges for the player.
Download AA Teacher Handbook - Developing Simple Quests (pdf)
Transitions - making new external areas and connecting them with doors to allow the player to move into different areas of the game.
Download AA Teacher Handbook - Transitions (pdf)
Making an Interior - find out how to create the inside of a building. Be warned, it's tricky!
Download AA Teacher Handbook - Making an Interior (pdf)
Testing, testing - self- and peer-testing to improve your design, a vital part of the learning process.
Download AA Teacher handbook - Testing, Testing (pdf)
Download Comment Cards Instructions (pdf)
Advanced: NWN2 programming - for computing teachers with advanced learners who know a bit about programming already. I have used these examples with 17 - 20 year olds in a first year uni course, but I have also met a 12 year old who managed very well with it. It really depends how geeky the kid is. Notes: The examples originally came from NWN1 scripting, but I have tested them to check they work. Some of the tags/resrefs of creatures may have changed between versions. Also note: these examples are age appropriate for 1st year uni students so you might want to change some of them.
Download MakingGamesinSchoolsScriptingMaterials (zip)
Part 2: Learning and Teaching
Planning, evaluating and assessing
The Learning and Teaching part of the AA Teachers' Handbook will come together soon, but in the meantime, here are some helpful items to support planning, evaluation and assessment:
Experiences and Outcomes, part of A Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland, relate well to the game making experience:
Download Technologies and making games
Download Literacy across learning and making games
Adventure Author's own differentiated learning outcomes relate well to levels 2, 3 and 4 of A Curriculum for Excellence. These will eventually be available as a statement bank for use within the Comment Cards, but they can stand alone too:
Download differentiating_the_objectives_aug_081.doc
