This week I mostly spent time getting everything ready for playtesting and getting some people in to playtest. I encountered a lot of game breaking bugs which I had to spend time fixing. I fixed these mainly with debugging and using the internet to troubleshoot. One good thing that happened was that I got a full playtest in and got some good feedback.
Next week I would like to:
Polish the game
Playtest
Start working on the opening cutscene and the ending of the game
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
Overall, this quarter was a success, I spent most of this quarter working on gameplay and visuals for our game. We focused on replacing placeholder objects and polishing many parts of the game. I also finished creating the rest of the puzzles in the main land. While the game isn't yet in its final state, our original goal was to create a game that mixes calm exploration and tense moments. I do believe that we have successfully mixed these two aspects and made it work pretty well. I made sure to go into detail with the lighting of the game and the overall post processing to create an experience which heavily relies on use of color and shading. I delivered on my original goal of the color scheme by making the loop start with warm colors and relaxing lighting but as the timer ticks, the sun sets and the colors change into cooler colors (think dark blue and purple).
Out of all the elements in our game, I am most proud of the visuals and the mechanics. The death loop mechanic is very unique and is rarely used in games and I feel like it is very important to our game, making it feel less like a set path and more of an experience that the player creates. I am also very proud of the notebook and dialogue, I am glad I was able to set up a system to help me set up unique dialogue for each character. With this project, I was able to experiment more with different design choices and grow as a developer and designer. This is my first time creating a stylized shader in a game engine which is strictly made for realism. While it was not easy, I am happy with the result I currently have. Overall, I am happy with the amount of progress we were able to complete this quarter. While I still have a lot of work left to finish this game and it won't be easy, our game is finally starting to come together.
This week I spent all my time polishing the game and finishing some unfinished aspects of the game. I had some problems with UV mapping the walls of the powerplant and other areas. I overcame this by working with Xander to create custom UV maps for most of the areas. One great thing that happened was that it is now almost completely playable, I would say we are about 80% of the way with finishing the game and it shouldn't be too hard to add the rest.
Next week I would like to:
Polish the game
Playtest
Start working on the opening cutscene and the ending of the game
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I focused on overall changes, I worked on adding a saving system and made it so that your notebook and the timer saves between levels, I also finished the forest puzzle and edited some of the models and effects. My main challenge was figuring out how to save information between scenes. I overcame this challenge when I found out about game instances, I used a game instance to store data between the levels. Many good things happened, mainly that the game is finally coming together and almost completely finished gameplay-wise.
Next week I would like to:
Finish the power plant functionality
Finish the police puzzle fully
Work on campsite puzzle
Polish
Add more filler objects
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I focused on the power plant, I added a lot of filler objects around the map and coded some of the functionality of the control room. I faced a lot of challenges with moving the camera for the control panel. I overcame these with a lot of research and trial and error. I added my shader to the level and designed some of the rooms and it is all starting to come together and look like a finished product.
Next week I would like to:
Finish the power plant functionality
Finish the police puzzle fully
Work on campsite puzzle
Polish
Add more filler objects
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I did a lot of adding filler objects and small touch ups around the map. I spent a lot of time redoing part of the stocking system and adding the different items you will be stocking, I also remade the power plant level and finished all of the lighting elements inside of the plant. I did a lot of map design but struggled a lot with finding some of the required objects for the project. I overcame this by using online model websites and making some myself. There were a lot of good things that happened, the game seems slightly more polished and more like a full game.
Next week I would like to:
Work on some parts of the power plant leve
Finish the police puzzle fully
Work on campsite puzzle
Polish
Add more filler objects
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I did a lot, I worked on creating the forest puzzle and the evidence locker puzzle. I basically created the base mechanics for both of those and added some touches to other areas as well. I faced little challenges such as my code not working as expected but I was able to fix it using the internet. A lot of good things happened such as me finishing a bunch of mechanics and adding new objects and areas.
Next week I would like to:
Work on some parts of the power plant leve
Finish the police area
Work on campsite puzzle
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I once again improved my dialogue, I was able to make it work with items and finished the core of one of the puzzles. I also finished whiteboxing the power plant level of the game and started working on some of the puzzles and story happening there. Didn't face many big problems but the ones I did i just did some troubleshooting and researching and fixed it pretty easily. It was very good that I finished my whitebox level for the power plant because now I can start working on the story and some of the important stuff like that
Next week I would like to:
Finish another minigame/puzzle
Start working on story elements and some of the npc interactions in the power plant.
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This quarter we made very good progress on our game for SkillsUSA; we have been able to develop the core gameplay and visual style of the game. Although we do not have a lot of time to finish this, I still think that if we both put in a lot of time at home we can finish it in time. Some of the gameplay mechanics/features I have created so far are: full dialogue system, interaction system, market puzzle, notebook mechanic, custom shader, day/night cycle, custom skybox, basic movement, camera shake, etc... Currently I am working on finishing some other key puzzles and making the power plant white box. A lot of the mechanics I have already made could use some bug fixing and reworking so I will be sure to set aside time for that.
The most difficult part of the production pipeline for me is definitely keeping track of time and working efficiently. I am using the schedule we have created as well as my own time outside of school to help stay on track and work efficiently. I am trying my best to balance scope and quality since we have such a short deadline. I am doing this by creating the base prototypes for mechanics and interactable objects while keeping the final goal in mind so that once I get all the assets for it, I can just implement them and it will turn out good. Overall, finishing this project will be tiring and very difficult, but I still think that it can be done with enough work.
This week I rewrote my entire systems for the dialogue and interaction which took a lot of the week but I am glad I got it done. My main problem was with the interaction system, it did not work with the new dialogue system. I overcame this by re making the entire thing and it turned out pretty well. Some good things that happened was mainly that I got a dialogue and interaction system set up that I can re use whenever I want to add to the story and game.
Next week I would like to:
Finish another minigame/puzzle
Start White boxing the Power Plant
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I was away a lot so I mainly worked on improving the dialogue mechanic and creating a water shader for the lake. My main problem for the week was forgetting my hard drive on Thursday. I overcame this by working on other assignments and helping Xander find models for the game. Some good things that happened were the lake turned out pretty good and I found a lot of free assets we can use.
Next week I would like to:
Finish the Dialogue
Add outlines to the shading
Start Whiteboxing the Power Plant
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
World Barriers: It is very easy to fall out of the main maps, there aren't really barriers stopping you from leaving the water and in the mountain level if you turn around, you will be able to paddle off the map. I would avoid this by setting clear boundaries and creating simple world barriers.
Every Frame Functions: In the main player BP, Oliver used the event tick to run 11 custom events every frame which could have significant effects on performance. I would avoid this by keeping the Event Tick function un cluttered and only run functions when they are needed.
NPCs: Rather than creating a reusable system for NPC interaction, He made a separate version of an NPC every time the dialogue changed. I already created an NPC interaction system that allows for separate conversations with the same NPC without creating a new BP for each interaction.
Restart: The game has a clear restart level button and checkpoints, but doesn't show how to use it. I would avoid this by adding some sort of tooltips or include it in the tutorial or pause menu.
Repetitiveness: The game has very few levels but each of the levels use the same mechanic with no changes. This causes the game to feel repetitive after a while. I would avoid this by having new mechanics introduced to you as you progress.
Consistency: The game starts very difficult and doesn't ever get harder or easier, this makes the game unfriendly for new players. A good way to avoid this would be to start very easy and make each level progressively more difficult.
Punishing: The game isn't punishing, most rage games force the player to restart many times as they play. I would maybe add a few levels where you lose progress if you make a mistake.
Length: The game is very short and there are very few maps, the game could use new unique maps. I would include more maps and add more of an objective or story.
Dialogue: Dialogue with NPCs seem very bland and feels more like you are reading through notes rather than having a conversation with NPCs. I already implemented a dialogue system that has a typewriter effect and sound along with an icon of who is talking.
BPs: The game uses one large BP for the player and every other bp has very few lines. I would spread out some of the function across many BPs.
Consistency: Some of the textures feel out of place in the game, for example the water seems way too realistic for the game. we can avoid this by adjusting all the textures based on our style sheet.
Repetitive: A lot of the assets are re used and it can be seen. We will be sure to add some sort of variation to our assets.
Player model: The model of the player seems way to simple for the rest of the game. In our game you won't even be able to see the player.
Coloring: A lot of the colors seem dull while others seem very vibrant. We'll be sure to keep our coloring consistent.
Polys: Some models are low poly while others are realistic. We will try to stick to a certain style.
From last year’s competition, we learned how important it is to keep the game consistent, optimized, and engaging. The previous project had issues like repetitive gameplay, uneven difficulty, and unclear tutorials, which made the experience less enjoyable. We also noticed technical problems, such as using too many functions every frame and creating new NPC blueprints instead of reusing systems. To avoid these mistakes, we’ll focus on efficient coding, reusable systems, and gradual difficulty progression. We’ll also make sure our art style stays consistent and our tutorials clearly guide the player. This will help us build a smoother, more polished, and enjoyable game overall.
This week I focused mainly on the skybox, day/night cycle, and making a shader material to create a toon style. I faced many problems with the shader, it became so complicated and I couldn't find one I liked, I ended up finding a very long tutorial and spent 2 hours implementing it into the game. The good things that happened were the shading, and the skybox turned out really well.
Next week I would like to:
Finish the shading
Add outlines to the shading
Make the Whitebox trailer
Finish my overdue assignments
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I finished the market level and began stylizing the forest level of our game. I was able to create a shader that adjusted the material brightness based on the time of day, a wind shader, implemented many models and textures into replacing the prototypes, and more. I had problems with the fog, no matter what I did I could not get it to look how I wanted it. I solved this by adjusting values and troubleshooting. Something good that happened was that I got the forest to look good and am happy with how that level turned out.
Next week I would like to:
Replace the skybox
Add a day/night cycle
Whitebox the power plant
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I focused mainly on the market level for one of the puzzles, I completely created the puzzle gameplay and the basic layout for the market. I had problems with one of the blueprints, I couldn't solve an issue I was having. I overcame this by debugging and spending time looking into the problem. The main good thing that happened was that I completed the market puzzle and it turned out pretty good.
Next week I would like to:
Replace some of the prototype objects.
Finish market level
Whitebox the power plant
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resources next week.
This week I focused mainly on fixing small issues and making the functionality of the UI. I added the functionality of the buttons on the notebook, clicking buttons switches pages. I also added the loop function and set up a better system for the dialogue, I also finished the basic whitebox for the level. My main challenge this week was that my hard drive corrupted and I lost some files, I overcame this by using the autosaves provided by unreal and remaking some stuff. Some good things that happened this week were: the notebook, recovering from the corruption, and finishing the whitebox.
Next week I would like to:
Start whiteboxing the power plant
Create the explosion effect
Finish the map in the notebook
I will definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine and blender as my main resource next week.
This week we started on the actual game, I was able to make the project as well as camera shake, basic movement, I began white boxing, the basic UI, the dialogue UI as well as text effects. My main challenge this week was just a few mini bugs I encountered, I overcame this by using the internet and my own knowledge to figure out the problem. I am really happy with how the screen shake and UI came out so those were the good things.
Next week I would like to:
Finish the Whitebox Level
Make the time loop mechanic
Create some more required mechanics.
I will most definitely encounter bugs this coming week, and I will fix it by debugging and using the internet. I will use Unreal engine as my main resource next week.
This week we got all of the documents done; Sound Design/Art Bible, LDD, GDD. We never really faced any real problems with this, mainly just had to get everything in on time. We got everything done on time by splitting up the work and working efficiently. The good things that happened were mainly just us finishing with our documents and creating a bunch of workspaces we might need for the project.
Next week I would like to:
Start Working on the Whitebox Level
Finish the landscape for the level
Finish placing prototype objects around the map
We might have problems with getting files in between us. We will use a shared google drive to transfer our files and overcome this challenge. We will be using Blender, 3ds Max, and Unreal Engine to complete these tasks.
This week me and my partner focused mainly on the Game Design Document and coming up with ideas for the game. My main challenge for this week was coming up with ideas that were complex and unique but also achievable in our given time frame. After putting a lot of thought into these ideas we came up with some great ideas which are very unique but also could be done in time. The good things that happened were the ideas we came up with and the schedule we put together, everything seems achievable while also being very interesting and different from other games.
Next week I would like to:
Finish the Art Bible
Finish the Sound Design Bible
Finish the Level Design Document
Create the Unreal Project
We might have problems with completing the documents in the time frame, I would try to handle it by working efficiently and if needed, work from home. We will be using Illustrator, InDesign, and Unreal Engine to complete these tasks.
I was interested in CTE advanced studies because last year I saw the person who took it last and was very impressed with the game he made. This is a career I am very interested in doing so I thought it would be a good idea. Most likely I will be the one to create the base game (mechanics, code, gameplay, etc), while my partner will do the visual stuff (Art, 3d modeling, texturing, level design, etc). By the end of the class I hope to have created a unique, stylized game that is fun and immersive. I also hope to score well in SkillsUSA. I do see myself working in game design in the future, I want to start my own game development team. Ever since I was young I have always loved creating, I would always try to challenge myself by forcing myself to learn new things. I ended up sticking with game design because it is fun and it can create enjoyment for a lot of other people as well.