Students at FEE can prepare for careers as top-level game developers within the Open Informatics programme at FEE by choosing an appropriate specialization. The course Computer Games, within which the competition titles were created, is open not only to students from all FEE programmes but also to students from other CTU faculties. In the course, students go through various aspects of game development — from concept creation and design through programming game mechanics to presenting their work to professionals. They also collaborate with mentors from the professional sphere. The course is taught by Prof. Jiří Bittner and Dr. David Sedláček from the Department of Computer Graphics and Interaction at FEE. During the course, students usually create their first-ever game project.
"It’s incredible how much free time students devote to their projects, and it really shows in the results. The visual quality, gameplay, and overall completeness of the projects improve a little every year. This year again, the competition to reach the semifinals was very tight, and most of the games deserved to advance as well. I am proud of what our students are capable of and very much look forward to their future projects within their bachelor’s and master’s theses," said Dr. David Sedláček.
Tricky tasks in space
"I found the idea of creating a puzzle game set inside some kind of mechanical riddle or mechanical puzzle interesting. That was the primary idea we started from. Then we specified that it would take place inside a Rubik’s Cube," said Ondřej Hrabě about the winning game In Puzzle. Ondřej Čopák added that the game is set in the environment of a space station and includes 13 basic levels and four bonus levels — advancing to the next level follows after solving a task.
Each level introduces a new gameplay element that the player becomes familiar with. "At the beginning, the tasks are very simple, and later they become increasingly challenging,” Čopák added. He emphasized that the team did not want to overwhelm players with text, so there are only a few instructions at the start of the game, and all other hints are available on request. The game also includes images that help guide players on what to do.
"In the end, the game looks exactly as we talked about during our first meeting. Then we gradually added individual puzzle elements; for example, we were inspired by the game Portal. Visually, it is inspired by Atomega. Step by step, we added elements and discussed how gravity would work and similar things. In the end, it resulted in a version that I really like," described Kamoliddin Bakhriddinov.
The team members agreed that preparing the beta version of the game was demanding — from setting up and manipulating the cube, where Čopák had to solve many elements and collisions, through ensuring the saving of completed levels, to addressing how to best avoid motion sickness when displayed on larger screens. The preparation of the game also involved a lot of work in mathematics and linear algebra. "I’m the person who spent the most time on the matrices, because I programmed most of it. I filled at least five sheets of paper, on both sides, with various matrices and formulas," Čopák noted. According to the team, communication and aligning individual ideas and responsibilities into a functional whole was also a challenge.
And they succeeded! Some members of the expert jury expressed strong appreciation immediately after the presentation. What’s next for the game? "There hasn’t been time to talk about it yet. Of course, I’m proud of it, so I’d like to release or publish it somehow. But I have no idea in what state or how much work it would require," said Ondřej Hrabě. Ondřej Čopák added that he already has some ideas, but they will need further discussion.
An interesting fact is that the team (No. 8) came together at an event organized by the student game studio oiSIDE, which has been operating at the Department of Computer Graphics and Interaction since 2022.
How to run a bar and quickly pay off a debt?
The silver award went to the game Serve It Up!, which transports players into a bar. It was created by Team No. 3 — Tomáš Jeřábek, Adam Vejvoda, Max Nejedlý, and Adam Urbášek.
"It’s a 2D top-down pixel art arcade bar simulation," said Max Nejedlý. "When the player starts the game, a cutscene explains that he inherited an old pub from their aunt. Along with the pub, they also inherited a debt to the local mafia boss. He must earn enough money to repay within 10 in-game days. The player’s task is therefore to clean up and upgrade their new business so that it eventually earns enough to pay off the debt," he explained.
Players pour beer, mix drinks, monitor and manage stock and glasses, and must serve customers quickly enough — as speed is one of the key factors reflected in tips and total revenue. Reputation and income from incoming customers are also influenced by how well the player takes care of the bar’s interior and atmosphere. At the end of each day, the game shows statistics of drinks sold and tips earned, which affect the bar’s rating — and its attendance on the following day. A wide range of different customer types also appears.
"The most challenging part of our project was that within a relatively short time, we had to put together a lot of things just to get the game running at all. It’s also worth mentioning the AI for NPCs, player interactions, and the logic of upgrades and items. Overall, we spent around 400 hours working on the game," said Max Nejedlý. "We didn’t manage to implement random events, such as a brawl or a visit from Ozzák (whose character we already have in the files). That would have been nice, but since the official team project is now closed, it looks like any further improvements will be done individually at most," he concluded.
The last hope of the world
The expert jury awarded bronze to the game The Last Human, created by Petr Jan Tomek, Jiří Doležal, and Laura Kateřina Dudková (Team No. 2). It is set in a post-apocalyptic world where, as a result of an infection, almost all humans have died, and many survivors have turned into infected monsters.
"You play as a small robot programmed to find the last flower and bring it to a laboratory, where surviving scientists will use it to create a cure," described Laura Kateřina Dudková.
It is a 2D metroidvania video game with hand-drawn graphics. The robot explores new areas, for which it receives rewards such as new abilities. According to the team, players are then motivated to quickly use and master these newly acquired abilities. The robot faces many enemies — including the Teeth-Spitter, which spits dangerous teeth; the Long-Arms creature, which tracks the robot and attacks by slamming the ground, capable of harming the robot from a great distance; and other monsters that charge at the robot with full force. As for movement, besides walking and jumping, the robot can perform rolls or briefly fly. In combat, it can, among other things, slash or spit the teeth of defeated monsters at enemies.
"Our inspiration came from many platformers, such as The End Is Nigh or Hollow Knight," noted Petr Jan Tomek. The team considered the biggest challenge to be completing the game within a short time frame. "There were only three of us, and we felt that we didn’t manage to do a lot of things," added Laura Kateřina Dudková. They plan to continue working on the game.
Photo credit: Petr Neugebauer
