🚀 Alpha Build Review

Game Programming - CSCI 3213

Spring 2026 - Week 14

Oklahoma City University

• Demo your Alpha Build (feature-complete)
• Present your code architecture
• Explain design pattern implementations
• Participate in peer code reviews
• Receive technical feedback
• Create bug fix and polish plan for Beta

Alpha Milestone Characteristics:

10-Minute Presentation Per Student:

1. Game Demo (3 min):
   • Play through full game or representative section
   • Show all major features
   • Demonstrate win/lose states
2. Feature Overview (2 min):
   • What features did you add since Vertical Slice?
   • What's complete vs. what still needs work?
3. Code Architecture (3 min):
   • Show class diagram or folder structure
   • Explain design patterns used (minimum 3)
   • Walk through one key system
4. Q&A (2 min):
   • Technical questions from class
   • Feedback on architecture

What We're Evaluating:

• Design Patterns (Required: 3+):
  • Are they implemented correctly?
  • Are they solving the right problems?
  • Can you explain WHY you used each pattern?
• Code Organization:
  • Clear folder structure
  • Logical script naming
  • Separation of concerns
• Code Quality:
  • Readable variable/method names
  • Comments where needed
  • No massive God classes
  • DRY principle (Don't Repeat Yourself)
• SOLID Principles:
  • Single Responsibility
  • Open/Closed
  • Liskov Substitution
  • Interface Segregation
  • Dependency Inversion

During Your Presentation, Explain:

Example:

"I used the Object Pool pattern for my projectile system.
Without pooling, instantiating/destroying 50 bullets per second
caused frame drops. Now I pre-allocate 100 bullets and reuse them,
which keeps the game at 60 FPS even during heavy combat.

Here's my BulletPool.cs script [show code]..."

After Demos - Pair Code Reviews:

1. Pair Up (2 students):
   • Spend 15 minutes reviewing each codebase
   • Total: 30 minutes per pair
2. Review Checklist:
   • ✅ All 3+ design patterns present and correct?
   • ✅ Code organized into logical folders?
   • ✅ Classes have clear single responsibilities?
   • ✅ No obvious code smells (huge methods, duplicated code)?
   • ✅ Comments on complex sections?
3. Provide Written Feedback:
   • 2-3 strengths of the codebase
   • 2-3 areas for improvement
   • 1 specific refactoring suggestion

Watch Out For:

• God Class:
  • ❌ One class doing everything (GameManager with 3000 lines)
  • ✅ Break into smaller, focused classes
• Duplicate Code:
  • ❌ Copy-pasted logic in multiple places
  • ✅ Extract to reusable method or class
• Magic Numbers:
  • ❌ `if (health > 73) ...` - what is 73?
  • ✅ `if (health > LOW_HEALTH_THRESHOLD) ...`
• Long Methods:
  • ❌ 200-line Update() method
  • ✅ Break into HandleInput(), UpdateMovement(), etc.
• Tight Coupling:
  • ❌ Direct references everywhere (GetComponent in Update)
  • ✅ Use interfaces, events, or dependency injection

Improve Code Quality in 1 Hour:

1. Extract Constants:

   // Before
   if (speed > 10) ...
   
   // After
   private const float MAX_SPEED = 10f;
   if (speed > MAX_SPEED) ...

2. Extract Methods:

   // Before
   void Update() {
       // 50 lines of input handling
       // 50 lines of movement
       // 50 lines of animation
   }
   
   // After
   void Update() {
       HandleInput();
       UpdateMovement();
       UpdateAnimation();
   }

3. Rename for Clarity:

   // Before
   float x;
   bool f;
   
   // After
   float moveSpeed;
   bool isGrounded;

Create/Update Your Bug Tracker:

Bug Report Format:

Bug #23 - [Priority: High]
Title: Player falls through floor on Level 2
Steps to Reproduce: Jump in top-left corner
Expected: Player bounces on platform
Actual: Player falls through and dies
Fix Status: [Not Started / In Progress / Fixed]

Beta Focus (Week 15):

Create Your Beta Checklist:

1. List of bugs to fix (from tracker)
2. List of art/sound to finalize
3. List of polish items (particles, juice, transitions)
4. Balancing changes needed
5. QoL improvements

If Your Game Lags, Check:

• Object Pooling:
  • Are you pooling frequently spawned objects?
  • Bullets, enemies, particles should be pooled
• Update() Calls:
  • Avoid GetComponent() in Update()
  • Cache references in Start()
• Physics:
  • Too many colliders or rigidbodies?
  • Use layers and collision matrix
• Particles:
  • Limit max particles (1000-5000 total)
  • Use GPU instancing
• Profiler:
  • Use Unity Profiler to find bottlenecks
  • Window → Analysis → Profiler

Presentation Order:

[Alphabetical or randomized - to be determined]

While Watching Presentations:

• Take notes on interesting pattern implementations
• Think of constructive code feedback
• Note bugs or issues you spot
• Ask technical questions during Q&A

Respect and Professionalism:

• Constructive criticism only
• Acknowledge achievements and clever solutions
• Technical discussion, not personal critique

After All Demos - 30 Minutes:

Pair up and exchange code reviews

Review Template:

=== Code Review for [Student Name] ===

Reviewer: [Your Name]
Date: [Date]

Design Patterns (3+ required):
1. [Pattern Name] - [Location] - [Assessment]
2. [Pattern Name] - [Location] - [Assessment]
3. [Pattern Name] - [Location] - [Assessment]

Strengths:
- [What's done well]
- [Clever solutions]
- [Good practices]

Areas for Improvement:
- [Specific suggestion]
- [Refactoring opportunity]
- [Best practice to add]

Overall Assessment:
[Brief summary]

Create Your Beta Build:

1. Fix Critical Bugs:
   • Address all game-breaking issues
   • Update bug tracker
2. Polish Pass:
   • Replace remaining placeholder art/sound
   • Add final particle effects and juice
   • Polish menus and UI
3. Balance & Tune:
   • Adjust difficulty based on feedback
   • Playtest and iterate
4. Code Refactoring (Based on Reviews):
   • Implement feedback from code review
   • Clean up code smells

Today's Accomplishments:

• ✅ Demoed Alpha Builds (feature-complete)
• ✅ Showcased design pattern implementations
• ✅ Conducted peer code reviews
• ✅ Received technical feedback
• ✅ Identified bugs and areas for polish
• ✅ Planned Beta Build goals

Key Takeaways:

• Feature complete ≠ Done - polish matters
• Design patterns organize growing codebases
• Code reviews reveal blind spots
• Two weeks until showcase - time to shine!

Final polish begins - Beta next week! 💎