2025-26

Gameplan:course overview - 1/27/26

What do you hope to get out of taking a class focused on Game Art & Design?

I'm hoping to bring my ideas to life in a interactive setting, and it's mostly out of interest in world building and animation. I also want a career in an art field and this class helps open up more opportunities for that path with the experience of how to actually use the programs and the professional setting expectations.

Why do you think having an industry-recognized workforce credential like the Unreal Engine certification can be valuable for your future?

It will give you an edge over other candidates looking for jobs in that field and companies are more likely to hire you because they know you have the experience and also the skills that they are hiring you on for. 

Why is it important to have a Code of Conduct when working in game development or other creative industries?

It gives employees what their employer expects from them and what co-workers should expect from each other. It also insures everyone knows how the process of production will work and makes sure that the place stays productive and helps as a guide to the entire workplace to stay safe and create healthy and civil relationships between co-workers.

Gameplan: What Remains - 2/2/26

What genre did this story feel like to you?

It felt mostly rooted in like strategy or puzzles. At some point in the game you have to pick the right choice and discern which choice is the right one to make in a strategic way kind of like solving a puzzle.

Did different sections remind you of different genres?

I feel like it could be exploration, storytelling, and mystery in the beginning, and strategy and puzzle towards the end. Towards the beginning you are given a choice of what to explore, and you have no idea where you actually are other than a beach with a forest or jungle and a rocky cliff, it gets more mysterious as you go through the game and into the forest, then you come out to the point of where strategy and puzzle come it to get past the angry barrels and you have to pick the right action so you can move on.

Life Cycle, Character Influence - 2/3/26

How might the character you’ve created change the way you imagine playing What Remains when you start building in Unit 4?

At first I thought of doing just an exploratory or mystery game, possibly one where you where a vampire needing to sneak around and feed. Then I started to create my character and just sort of went off on a whole other thing. With my character now I think that I'd do a puzzle and strategy game with this character. When I started making this character and I thought about the game this character would be in,  I was thinking about little nightmares, hollow knight: silk song, and also a movie called wolf walkers. All three of these things influenced my ideas about my character and completely shaped the idea of the game I was thinking of with this character if I'd build a game around the character I have created.

Copyright Importance - 2/5/26

Why is it important for game developers like you to respect copyright and licensing rules when creating games?

Mostly it's because of legal liability, you as the person using assets or audios or a bunch of other things from outside sources you are the one responsible for making sure that you can use the asset you are taking and if you can that you stay within the legal confines of how you can use it. You are wholly responsible for the things you do and breaking your license or go outside what the creator of the asset you're using allows. If you do chose to break those rules you could get in serious trouble. You most likely would get sued by the creator if you are caught. You could lose a whole lot of money, in the 100'000s is possible. You have to be aware of what you do and what you use because you are responsible and can get into serious legal trouble and that is why it is very important to respect those rules.

Unreal Navigation - 2/6/26

What similarities and differences do you see between Autodesk 3ds Max and Unreal Engine?

I see similarities in the navigation systems trough the program is definitely similar to 3Ds in the way you organize panels. The lights are also a similar system in point, spot, and directional lights and other light sources in the system. The movement system in the viewport in move, scale, and rotate. Also the ability to change the viewport from perspective to left or right. The material editor also looks like it has a similar connection system to 3Ds. The biggest difference between the two is the probably the complex built in assets and the simple premade base projects. 

How well do you feel learning 3D modeling last year prepared you for working in the Unreal Engine?

I think it prepped me for the basic systems of unreal since they seem pretty similar, there are plenty of things I see in unreal that seem similar but it is definitely a step up from it. I do think it prepared me for the basics rather than being thrown head first into the program without having any idea what you're doing. There is definitely a lot that is similar such as the lighting and materials that I remember from last year so it in not needing to take the time to go back and work through learning it all.

What did you find most challenging, and how did you work through it?

Probably figuring out where to find out where the specific panels are. it's a similar navigation system, but not the same. I had to look it up when I couldn't find something I needed, like the lights. It took some time to figure it out the system, I don't think I have it completely figured it out yet. Also the actual viewport movement I still don't have completely down yet, I have found features in there that weren't in 3Ds but finding out stuff on accident is a fun way to learn in my opinion.

Incline Planes - 2/10/26

Why might using multiple Inclined Planes be more effective than just one?

Yes I do think having more allows for more movement and flow. Having more incline planes gives you more options for where you can guide the ball and widen the parameters of what you can do. With only one incline you couldn't  do much other than allow for something to move in a straight line. With multiple incline planes you could add more complex guidance and structure to get something to your goal.

How does turning snapping on or off affect the way you build and test your level?

I think that generally with snapping on you can get the general measurements that you need to move it, but when it comes down to just a tiny amount that puts you off, turning off snapping gives you just enough movement that you might need. They both allow for precision in different ways, it allows you to line it up on both sides the exact way you want it, and then when you turn it off it allows for precise smaller movements that you need because you need something in between the snapping parameter to get it to work the way you want.

 What did you learn about problem-solving when your first setup didn’t work as expected?

That it won't work as you first expect and all you can do is tweak it until it is correct. It is a forgiving environment for if it doesn't work as planned. All you can do is learn from your mistakes, don't punish yourself for failure, and try again. The process just goes try, fail, try, fail until you get it the way you want and succeed depending on what you see as the success point. After that you can just continue to fine tune what you want it to be and continue to try, fail, and learn from your mistakes.

Levers - 2/11/26

Why does the distance from the fulcrum change how much force a weight applies to the lever?

Well, your force and weight don't actually change. For example, a door, the hinge is the fulcrum and the door is like the lever, when you push the door close to the hinge it doesn't really move, but when you push it close to the handle away from the hinge it moves much easier. Being farther away just gives you more twist or leverage. I do believe the effect is called torque if I'm not mistaken, it depends on how hard you push and the distance from the fulcrum. So when the distance gets bigger the leverage or twist gets bigger, like why if a large person was sitting closer to the center of the seesaw and a small person was sitting on the end the smaller person would be able to lift the bigger person.

How does scaling a weight affect the outcome compared to moving it closer or farther from the fulcrum?

They both have similar effects, and they both change twisting power the same way. Like if you double the weight you double the twisting power, or if you double the distance you also double the twisting power. For example, if you have 10 pounds sitting 1 foot away you have the twist power to be 10, or sitting 2 feet away it would be a twist power of 20 or something like that. In turn, 10 pounds sitting 1 foot away is a twist power of 10 and 20 pounds sitting 1 foot away is a twist power of 20. So essentially if you had 20 pounds at 1 foot and 10 pounds at two they'd level it out equally. The difference is changing the weight changes how hard gravity pulls, and changing the distance changes how much leverage that pull has if that makes sense.

 In what ways can customizing materials be useful for both design and gameplay in a project?

More flexibility in designing overall, materials allow for more texture and how the look of an object interacts with the world, being able to customize a material would allow you to have that flexibility. You could tweak the way your object interacts with the world on an aesthetic level, allowing to fix issues like how it fits on an object, interactions with light, and how it animates if you are choosing to animate it.

Wedges - 2/12/26

How does changing the shape or sharpness of the Wedge affect the result compared to just moving it?

I didn't really notice much of a difference other than it either cut or it didn't. One thing i did notice was if it cut in the middle or not, when you changed the shape or sharpness to a certain point it cut the watermelon in the middle almost every time. Although I could never get them into the bucket until I added more wedges to usher them in there. There wasn't much you could do when changing sharpness or shape really that I tested or can really think of.

What did you learn about controlling chaos when working with multiple watermelons and buckets?

Well, the watermelons whenever they  bump into each other they freak out and jump out of the bucket or glitch through the sides. the best fix from bumping and freaking out was just to make the buckets bigger and that worked pretty well because it prevented them from bumping or being cramped together. I do thing it was just a physics problem but I'm unsure on how that would be fixable so the best fix at is just to make the buckets bigger to sort of mitigate that problem so they don't bump into each other as much and don't freak out as much.

In what ways can experimenting with physics in UE5 help you think differently about solving problems in real life?

I mean it's not real life so depending on the physics parameters you do put it on specific objects allows for different things. Like you can pick and choose which items you want to be affected by physics and others you don't which allows for a lot more flexibility in creation. It allows you not to have to take the time to add support for curtain items and just add physics to the ones that you need to actually have moving and work the task.

Extension Challenge

How can you arrange the watermelons so they don’t get stuck in the funnel?

I arranged them on 3 different wedges I decided to use as incline planes. I tested the first incline to see how it would roll off the wedge into the funnel if it would get stuck, this is where I had my first issue with how the wedge cuts. I had to make sure the wedges they were rolling from wouldn't cut the watermelons so I had to make them below the sharpness of 8 so they didn't cut the melons I believe. Next I set up the first watermelons, and I could only fit four on each wedge. So I tested how the first four rolled and it worked, I copied the wedge and the watermelons and moved it to the other side. Then I tested that and it got stuck so I had to change how steep the inclines were for both wedges so the second wedge would be delayed and go slower allowing all the watermelons on the lower wedge to go in first. then I copied to second wedge and move it up and rotated it so it was behind the funnel, but this time just decreasing the incline of the wedge didn't work because if I decreased it too much it wouldn't roll, so instead I deleted the first watermelon to roll off on the top one and the last watermelon on the middle one to prevent them from getting stuck and it worked out so I was able to fit 10 watermelons through the funnel in the end.

Do you need to alter the proportions of the funnel?

It didn't even occur to be to change the proportions of the funnel at the time of doing the challenge. Although I don't think I would have if it did, I think changing the funnel might have only made it harder to do so. There is a possibility It would have worked if I lessened the incline of the funnel to make the watermelons go slower. There is also that making the tube at the bottom wider would prevent it getting stuck but I think it would only make it harder to control and more unpredictable if you did that, but I'm not sure because I didn't change my funnel but I still got it to work in the end. So no, I didn't need to alter the proportions of my funnel.

Where do the buckets need to be placed to catch all the pieces?

I placed the buckets on either side of the cutting wedge. So I didn't move them from their spot in the tutorial. I did try a few different things but that's what I ended up doing in the end. I tried one bucket, then went back to two. I tried different parameters and buckets, different placements too. I ended up doing the same placement pretty much as in the tutorial video. So I just undid all of my bucket changes and worked with that.

Do you need more buckets, larger buckets – or both?

I didn't need more buckets and just made the buckets larger. Actually all of the watermelon slices fit fine in the buckets, the issue was the chaos, they kept bumping into each other and basically jumping out of the bucket as they freaked out from the smallest bumps. So to prevent them from bumping and freaking out I just made the bucket bigger and that worked pretty well. Although I don't know why it freaks outs, I assume it's a physics problem but I'm unsure on how that would be fixable so the best fix at the moment is just to make the buckets bigger to sort of mitigate that problem so they don't bump into each other as much so in turn they don't freak out as much.

Wheel & Axel - 2/12/26

Why do wheels reduce friction, and how does this change the movement of objects compared to sliding?

When something slides the two surfaces are scraping each other the whole time, so they are always touching and resisting movement. So that slows it down and wastes energy as heat because friction creates heat. Then when you add wheels, it's rolling instead of scraping. So when it rolls the point is touching the ground and then lifting off. There is still some friction for traction but it's mostly reduced by the fact the points of the wheels are touch and go. So because of the wheels you don't need as much force, it keeps moving more easliy, and can move farther and faster with the push.

How did adjusting the Lazy Susan’s size or rotation rate affect where the ball ended up? What does this teach you about precision in design?

I still don't fully understand how it works, but just a TINY change can change the trajectory drastically. Also it's a lot easier to see what's going wrong in slow-motion, I find one of the issues that kept messing up the trajectory was the fact the lazy susan kept going after the ball left the cheese so it would skew the trajectory which was one of the things that kept messing me up. All I did was just keep tweaking it ever so slightly to see where it would go but as I said before the tiniest change can majorly change the trajectory so I had to be very careful with my tweaks. In the end I was able to get the ball into the bucket eventually.

Why might adding sound effects improve a Rube Goldberg machine or a game level? Think about both the player’s experience and the designer’s goals.

I think it would make the experience more engaging and immersive. It also gives a satisfying effect for the player, like if something crash, pops, or dings. It makes the experience much more fun. Personally when I watch or play something without sound I happen to get distracted or disinterested really quickly, some people don't notice how much music is actually in a movie until their only listening and not watching. Sound makes things much more engaging than people realize, all the little sound affects you don't really realize are adding to your experience and when you remove them it just feels dull. Then, for the designer, it also adds cues and moods for a scene or situation. It also helps with more engaging storytelling, emotion, and allows for a more memorable experience overall.

Pullys - 2/14/26

Why is it important to leave a gap between the pulley basket and other objects when setting up a chain reaction?

If the basket gets too close it will bump the object and set off the pulley, and gives space to allow it to move the way you want it to. Also letting the basket get too close to other things, and screw up the timing if it bumps into something. If the basket is too close to the other objects it can slow it down, swing the basket the wrong way, or stop it completely. It can cause steps to trigger before they are supposed to, things can get stuck, and energy can be lost. In the end making sure there is enough space can reduce mistakes and make trials go faster and easier as well as the final run.

How does changing the rotation or position of the pulley affect the outcome of the machine?

It can change where and how some items come from and allows for more flexibility and changes how you can start another effect. If you change the rotation you can change where the force goes, a pulley can redirect force. The next step of the reaction can change too a shift in direction can change what object gets triggered. Also changing the height of the pulley can help, either how short or how high it goes, it can slow or speed up the timing. How you position your pulley has effects on timing and outcome so you have to make sure you get it right in the way you want it to be.

If you were to redesign today’s pulley setup for maximum reliability, what would you change and why?

I'm not really sure how I'd do that, but I'd probably make it even more predictable since it makes it easier and more reliable. I'd try to make the pulley mount more steady to prevent wobbliness or shakiness. If it wobbles the rope could slip from the wheels and mess up timing and slow it down or stop it. I'd also probably use a thick non-elastic or non-stretchy string, thinner strings have a higher chance to get tangled or stretch. Basically, I’d just try to reduce friction, wobble, sporadic outcomes.

Screws - 2/15/26

Why do you think the screw is considered a simple machine, and how does it change motion compared to the other machines you’ve used?

Well all simple machines have a common outcome. Making work easier by changing how force is applied, and the screw does this as well as all the other simple machines. A screw is basically just an inclined plane wrapped around a pole or cylinder, but when you use a screw it's rotational. So when you twist it, it creates a straight motion. So you twist and also move forward, that's the key change. It uses rotation and forward motion while also increasing force, and it is simple. So that is what makes it a simple machine.

When extending a Spline ramp, what trade-offs do you notice between making the path smooth versus precise?

Well, when you are giving up preciseness for smoothness, you are effectively making the outcome more sporadic. therefore making it more difficult to execute a maneuver if you are less sure of where the ball will go. Then, when you are going precise instead of smooth I feel it's more about the aesthetic and also a possibility of something getting stuck on an unsmooth edge. In the end I believe precise is better because then you have a more predictable path and have it work more likely than not, then having it not work more likely than it will. So in my opinion between smooth versus precise I'd most likely pick the precise option unless the situation specifically may require a smooth type.

How could combining Splines, Screws, and Dominoes allow for more creative chain reactions than using them separately?

Using them by themselves gets predictable and boring, using them together allows you more flexible creation. It also adds a less predictable and therefore less boring experience. So if you're using them all together, you can do a multitude of different things. Splines make things easier to edit depending on the object. For example, the dominoes, you can change and bend them easily using a spline rather than adding individual dominoes. Then using the tunnel spline with the domino spline and screw to work to create an interesting chain reaction. 

Rube Goldberg Design - 2/17/26

Identify the members of your team (each team is one pair of classmates).

I'm working with Bryce on this project.

What is the theme of your machine?

We decided on toasting bread.

Which role title did you take (Designer or Documenter)? Why?

I am going to be the designer because Bryce and I talked about it and we thought since Bryce in both our opinions has the better reflections and so I became the designer, also because I'm good at sketching.

How did you and your partner make sure you both understand the design?

We decided to take time after the weekend on Monday(2/16) for Bryce to look at our design and ask questions, make changes if needed, and understand my terrible handwriting.

Write your short description (5–8 sentences).

The Rube Goldberg machine is planned to start with a ball rolling down an inclined plane and hitting a book. The book will fall on a lever that will tip over a cup that is holding a ball. The ball will be directed into another cup with a wedge that triggers a wheel and axle. The wheel and axle will spin to pull a pulley to pull a basket up containing 2 balls. The balls are planned to be directed onto different paths by a wedge. One ball goes down a screw used as an elevator and is planned to trigger a lever which will then lift a car onto an inclined plane. The car will go down the plane and topple a book that is holding a thin blocker like wood or something that is blocking the path of the other ball. Once the book topples and the wall goes down, a pulley will go up and the ball will knock into a wedge that will cut the string of the pulley. The pulley  will drop a weight onto a lever which flings an item into another ball. This will move the ball, and cause it to hit the toaster button, playing a celebratory sound effect and completing the Rube Goldberg machine.

Analyzing Games - 2/18/26

Sound and Music

For sound and music it can be use in many different ways for a game. It can be use to pace the game, create or add to the atmosphere of a scene, and create or enhance emotion. When I think of a way music or sound can create or change things is when an enemy, an indication something bad is about to happen, or to make the player feel more of the emotion you want them feel you put in more suspenseful or scary music or sounds. I personally always get freaked out by the music or sound before anything happens and turn off the game because I'm too scared. It's the same thing for happy, or sad, or angry scenes. You can gain a very emotional reaction from people. Such as before your eyes, or goodnight universe, or what remains of Edith finch. These are more sad and emotional games, the sounds and music of these games creates the emotional atmosphere, the way people speak in sorrow or the music which is peaceful but sad and also in the intense moments that happen to be there. Music and sound are such an important part of games, they push the emotion and make the storytelling more engaging.

Analyzing Mechanics - 2/24/26

How can simple mechanics lead to complex gameplay?

Well simple mechanics by themselves are pretty easy to use and do which makes things boring and simple. Then when you combine gameplay things can get a lot more interesting and complex depending on how you combine them.  Such as in LOGO Fortnite, weighing risk vs reward with resource collection. You could be thinking, "is it worth going out into the open to get more resources and risk getting killed?" It allows for more strategic and complex problem solving and gameplay. So when you combine different simple mechanics they can create a system of complex gameplay.

Why is it useful to understand game mechanics when analyzing or reviewing a game?

When you are reviewing a game from a standpoint of wanting to understand game design, game mechanics are kind of the base of game review mainly because they are harder to see the more simple mechanics under all of the other things that are going on in the game. Which is why when you want to be a game designer you have to be able to identify those mechanics under it all. They make up some of the crucial parts of a game needs to function that seem so simple. They aren't the only things you need, but for a game at the very least to be playable you need the game mechanics. Game mechanics create the rules and limits of the game. how you move, win, lose, level up, how damage works, and how puzzles are solved, all of that. When you can't understand or see that, you're just reacting to how the game feels but not seeing or understanding why it feels that way. When you understand game mechanics you can understand why something feels wrong and not just that you know it does but you don't know why. You also will be able to see things you originally written off as random as an actual choice to make the game that way.

Exploring Mood - 2/25/26

Why is mood and atmosphere important in games?

The emotional connection to the player in my opinion is a very important part of how much someone will like the game. A story, or at least the concept of one, can be amazing and have potential. The catch is the way you take that story with that potential and tell it. Even if a story has great potential if it's not told well that potential isn't enough for the story to carry itself alone. The story is the foundation of the game. if you can't convey the story with emotion in a way that it can connect it will fall flat. while mood and atmosphere are not all you need to make the game function, it is a pivotal part of the storytelling in a game. Unless you can convey the mood and atmosphere the player won't feel it. If they can't connect to it they aren't going to enjoy it as much as they would if you actually took that mood and atmosphere you are going for and actually conveyed it.

How is it different from game mechanics?

mood and atmosphere are different from game mechanics because game mechanics are the backbone of the game itself. Mood and atmosphere are ways the game conveys the emotion of the story to the player. A game can function, although it may not be good, without mood and atmosphere. The game cannot function without game mechanics. Game mechanics can play a part in the conveying of mood and atmosphere, although not the biggest part like sound, visuals, and storytelling. Game mechanics support all of it as the base with the basics of just movement. The larger aspects of game mechanics are influenced by the storytelling, but the game cannot work without the mechanics in place.

Analyzing Fairness - 2/26/26

Unintended Imbalance

Unintended Imbalance is a tricky thing to sort out, mainly because no party is at fault for the creation of the imbalance. The most obvious case of unintended imbalance is by oversight from game developers. Such as spawning of loot, game intended map advantages, intended game mechanics that were made to level the field. They're can be oversights and issues with these things such as players gaining an advantage that was game intended but it just creates more of an advantage gap. Another way can be external factors, like technology gaps, interference, an unintended bug, and other things that can give another player an unfair advantage without anyone being at fault. an unintended issue can be fixed or ways can be found to combat it but no one is at fault in unintended imbalance.

Unit 4 Overview - 2/26/26

How can you navigate and explore the first level using the mouse and keyboard, and what does this allow you to observe about the available assets?

It was just the standard basic navigation system, walking, running, turning, jumping, and crouching. They also added the animation and ability to fly in this level. You can push some objects around with physics, observe others. There are also levers and buttons you can test and use. I think also the boxes in the darkness of the house allows you you to observe how the material on them allows them to glow.

What is the difference between a Static Mesh and a Blueprint in the Content Drawer? Provide an example of how each is used in the project.

The difference between Static Mesh and Blueprint is that Static Meshes have no code or logic attached to them. Static meshes are a purely visible item, meaning that they aren't interactable. You can see them but they don't do anything other than being visually there. Blueprint on the other hand is an item with logic to it. The Static Mesh is the visual item, or model. Blueprint is what makes that item interactable or physically useful. Such as the lever, the lever is there, you can see it visually, the visual you see is the static mesh. The logic that makes the lever move is the blueprint.

Describe at least three interactive elements demonstrated in the level when you playtested Level 1. How do these elements contribute to gameplay?

When you first enter the level at the beginning you are in a house like room. There is a platform I assume will be used later as some sort of parkour. Forward you have another platform that is moving that I assume is also for parkour but this one moves back in forth which creates a timing element of timing when to jump and when to wait. Thirdly, there is a door at the end that says "Key Needed" and I looked around and there is nothing that looks like a key or is really anything that looks like a pick up so I assume we'll add that later and you'll need to find it to open that door.

How do you navigate to and open the correct map for building your game, and what is the name of the level you will be editing?

The name of the level you navigate to is called HOC_World. First you open the content drawer. Then you go into Hour_Of_Code. You go into the subfolder of Maps. There are multiple maps to chose from but you click on HOC_World. When you click on it the level you are going to work in opens and you're there.

What problem does the player encounter when pressing play in the default level, and what will students need to add in the next lesson to solve it?

When you enter the level you are stuck in a house. When you look around the only path is this hallway which I assume is where you're supposed to go. One issue you see right off the bat is there is only one platform which definitely won't get you to the other side. So one of the things we'll probably have to add is more platforms. The second is you fall right through the platform. So I assume we'll have to do or add something to the platform so you can walk on it.

Collision Detection - 2/27/26

Why do we need collision objects? Why can't the computer just use the static meshes to handle collisions?

Collision objects are key parts for what the player can walk on, bump into, or fall through. objects and platforms need collision objects to be solid. If an object isn't solid you can't interact with it. With static meshes it's there visually, you can see it but it's not interactable or physical. the difference is that you can choose what's physically interactable and what isn't. With static meshes being able to handle collision off the bat it's expensive for the computer to calculate. It's also doesn't allow the flexibility to allow some objects to be visually but not there physically.

What was the hardest part to understand about collision detection?

I think the perspective creation of the collision was slightly confusing at the start. All the 10s have different perspectives but the 18 and 26 don't? The cutting of the corners was also confusing. I think he meant the corners off like the box but I'm not sure. So that part of it was slightly confusing to me.

Floating Islands - 3/3/26

What do you think is important to create player immersion when designing a part of a level using static islands?

Mostly in the fact of it feeling natural and connected. Layout of the islands matters a lot in it in making them feel like they make sense together. They shouldn't feel random in spacing and in a way that makes it feel smooth. Also clear path and landmarks help catch the player and pull them that way. The most important thing is variety. 

What was most challenging with creating the animations for the moving islands?

Trying to figure out the timing was probably the hardest part of it all. Navigating the sequencer is pretty easy since so far the tools we used were relatively simple and also similar to 3DS Max in some ways. After the first Island I tried to figure out timing myself just to see if I could. I definitely could not figure out the timing. I tried a few different things before giving up and moving on and using the tutorial. After I went through it all I understood it a bit more but making them all line up in timing is still a bit confusing.

If you had more time to work on the animations, what would you do to improve and make them more interesting?

I'd probably do more and try to make it more challenging. I'd look into things probably on YouTube about the sequencer to see what other features it has that would be useful for this. I'd also probably add more Islands and complicate the animation to add more interesting things. Like just an island that goes up and down to go to a higher island. Just something that is more complex.

Power Ups - 3/5/26

Can you think of any other powerups that you would like to add to your game?

I think there is a few power ups that could be useful in the future depending on how the levels look. I think a speed boost would be something to add. Possibly to do something that requires faster than the players natural speed. Another could be a wall climb. used to get over dangerous areas that don't have platforms or to get up somewhere. There are plenty more to possibly add too but these are ones I think would be cool.

Coins - 3/6/26

Why do you think players can find it satisfying to collect things like coins?

Firstly, from personal experience, I like the sound. Also seeing the score go up. I think these both have an instant feedback that makes you feel like you've accomplished something even if it's quick response. I also think that when you have coins, you want to collect them all. So you turn it into a challenge in "can I get them all?" and makes it rewarding to get them. It just feels good to be able to complete things which is satisfying in itself.

How could we improve the level to make it even more satisfying to collect coins?

I think hiding coins is a great way to make it more challenging. I think also making it harder to some coins makes it more challenging as well.  That makes it more rewarding for the player to do so. The more challenging something the more fun and satifying it is to collect things. So making things more challenging is something to focus on.

Door Key - 3/7/26

Why do we store the information about having the key in the Game Mode instead of in the door or the player?

It will cause issues if you have many doors. I assume what happens if you store it in the door you have the key only work for that door so you'd have to code a new key for each door and have a new key and navigate to make sure you have the right key. I think it would make it unnecessarily complicated. So in the higher level of the game mode you have it so all doors link to the same key but when you open one door the key disappears so you have to find a new key. It just removes the unnecessary addition of having many different types of blueprints or issues.

What was the hardest part to understand when building the key and connecting it to the door?

At first I didn't understand why you needed certain parts of code. I got confused by 'get game mode' a few times. I didn't understand some things that actually make perfect sense that my brain didn't click in the moment. I didn't understand parts of the code like cast to hour of code or like I said get game mode till I went back and rewatched the tutorials with my full attention. Although I wasn't too confused by too much in creating the key.

Pickup Indicator - 3/7/26

Why is it better practice to keep the logic for updating the timer inside the HUD instead of directly in the Game Mode?

The HUD is the place where the visual aspects are held. I assume you have the logic in the Hud for two reasons. Reason 1, organization, if everything Is in the game mode it'll get cluttered and messy. So if you have the code for the HUD in the HUD it just makes sense. Reason 2, issues, It could be possible that you could run into issues with the code in a different place than in the HUD and maybe it might not connect properly or other issues.

What challenges did you face when creating a new event from scratch in the HUD, and how did you solve them?

I was fine with all the code up to append and string. I was confused mostly on what append and string do. You convert it to string text and then into actual text? I was confused and it didn't make sense. Then I never figured out appends purpose. So I probably have to go back and figure that out at some point. 

End goal - 3/7/26

What did you learn about how data is passed between blueprints and widgets?

You have specific blocks of code in comunicating and transforming text or images with code. Changing the code from text to code back into text to show up visually and update as you do things. Like the updating through time in that it changes or updates every second. Its similar to the relationship between Static Mesh and Blueprint. The widget is the visual component or visual part of the UI and the blueprint is what makes it interactable.

Why is it helpful to organize blueprint code using nodes like “Sequence” and reroute pins?

If things get complicated and scrambled they become confusing. If you are creating routes throughout your Bluprint and things get crossed, scrambled, misplaced, or something doesn't work. It gets very hard to go back and fix it. You won't be able to see what is attached and not attached. Trying to pick and comb through the code will be very hard. You might just have to scrap and start over because that could just be faster than trying to comb through it all.

Unit 5 Overview - 3/9/26

How does your hero’s story (their lore) connect to the new world you will build in Unit 5?

I think the character will have some influence over the design possibly depending on which direction I want this to go. I think the changes that you'd have to think about is how it looks in your head versus how it will actually come to look. I had a loose idea as I usually do because I prefer to change things as I go along If I think of a better idea. The issue you face with that here is time. I don't think I'll have enough time to do that specifically. I think the best thing to do is to think about it and then if it needs to be changed to fit around the limits of the assignment that's the best way to connect and change things. I definitely think a big influence of my hero will be on the color of the world as I had a more autumn idea in mind but I'm not sure how that will go.

Do you need to change your hero in any way based on what you now know about the valley? Or should you keep your hero as they are and instead adapt the design of the world to fit them? Explain your reasoning.

I think parts of both could come into play. The ability to adapt both the character and the the world design will balance it instead of having something that feels out of place or non-cohesive. I also think in the time we have as I said before completely changing world design or redesigning the character fully would take too much time. So in my opinion the best course of action is to adapt both to fit together cohesively.

Thinking about your Unit 3 activities on game mechanics, mood, and fairness, which of those ideas will influence your world design the most in Unit 5? Why?

Probably the mood and emotion will have the most influence. I personally have a larger incline towards visuals and how things look to create a mood. I like being able to create emotions of a world and have the player see that rather than it be more to different things. I prefer story games which are heavy in that sector of game design components. So I definitely think mood will be a large influence on my game.

Write down 3 keywords that describe the mood of your Level 2 world. Example: mysterious, hopeful, dangerous.

Cozy, Calm, Eerie/Uncanny.

Pro Reviews - 3/9/26

What surprised you most when comparing two professional reviews of the same game?

That when looking at IGNs it didn't feel like a professional review at all. In IGNs it mentions some things about the game in that it feels better to play in Co-op. Other than that it doesn't talk about much in sound or color or anything else. It talks very vaguely as if trying to captivate you and seem mysterious but it just made it feel like it wasn't a review. It surprised me in making me realize how important it is to talk about other design elements that go into the game.

How can reviewing two different opinions help you become a better game reviewer or designer yourself?

I think it helps you see what other reviewers talk about and not talk about. I also think it makes you aware of things you didn't really think about before in reviewing a game. Like looking at a bad versus good review in seeing what to and not to do. Like you should talk about the different design elements that go into the game. I also think it can help as figuring the balance between different aspects. Also figuring out balancing praise and criticism so you mention things that may be important like if you want something different from the persons last game or see something new. Just important things or things that you wouldn't think about mentioning that make sense overall.

Level Setup - 3/10/26

How did experimenting with lighting help you understand the importance of atmosphere in a game world?

I think it's interesting as depending what time of day or what color the lighting is can change the atmosphere immensely. Depending on color from bright cool tones and seem calm or fresh. while bright warm tones can be cozy and safe. Then when you turn to dark reds or blues it can change how its perceived. dark reds can feel ominous and dangerous. While dark blues are eerie and suspenseful. So the intensity and the color of the light can change now something feels on a major level.

Why is real-time global illumination (Lumen) such a game-changer compared to baked lighting?

It removes a major time consuming tedious task. With baked lighting you had to do all of the lighting and shadows all yourself. Meaning that when moving an item the shadows and lighting would get messed up on everything. You'd have to go back and re-shadow and light everything for one tiny move. With lumen you don't have to do any of that. It updates light and shadows in real-time, completely removing the hours you might have to take to fix your lighting.

What kind of problems could happen if your level didn’t have the correct Game Mode?

All controls and previous work from the other levels wouldn't carry over. You'd loose the entire UI and game control system. If you didn't have the previous game mode when you move on to this level you don't control the character or have the UI. All of that is in the game mode. Some games have different game modes. Like moving around and playing the game to the builder. Those things have two different game modes because they have two completely different sets of controls. So if you have the wrong game mode in a different level you won't have the same character or UI.

Sculpting tools - 2/11/26

Which sculpting tool did you find the most useful for shaping your world today, and why?

The smoothing tool was probably the most useful for me. Mainly because it let me afford to make mistakes in the initial sculpt. I was able to fix peaks that were too unrealistically spikey. It also allowed me to fix and level out peaks and other parts that I just generally didn't like the look of. I also think the smoothing tool definitely save me time in the fact I didn't have to re-do a strip over and over. So it definitely saved me a lot of hassle in the whole grand scheme of things.

What challenges did you face when trying to make your landscape look realistic?

The biggest issue I had was the original shape of the structure. I am a perfectionist, so I had to keep re-doing the inter shape multiple times. It took me a long time to get the shape the way I wanted. at some point I realized some things I could do to fix the mountains without doing it like that. which was the flattening and smoothing tools to fix the paths to the way I wanted it to be. So that was the biggest challenge I had.

How could you use reference images to improve the realism of your world?

I think it would help create more realistic ridges and valleys as well as where mountain peaks separate. It would definitely help create more defined mountains that look more realistic as well as background mountains. It would also create a more immersive environment for the player. You could also use the references for painting the environment more realistically in color. I think it could help with both more realistic sculpting and color to make the environment more immersive for the player.

Landscape sculpting - 3/14/26

Which parts of the reference image were easiest to recreate in your landscape?

The lake was probably the easiest thing to create. Doing the lake was definitely the easiest part with the mountains already created as a natural guide to the lake. Also the easy controls it took to create the lake. I also had already figured out my problems with the smoothing tool. So at the point I created the lake I had already sorted and figured out all the issues I had so it was easy to do since I had everything I needed in order.

Which areas were the most challenging, and how did you approach them?

The ramp was the most challenging to create. Mainly because I could not figure out how to get it to sit right. This was also when I realized my smoothing tool problem was a problem and I got it fixed. So I was finally able to get the ramp right. Although figuring out the width, falloff, and where the ramp should sit. It took a few tries to finally get it right.

If you could improve one part of your terrain, what would you change and why?

I'd probably improve the mountains. Since I didn't have a lot of practice before I started so it wasn't going well. Also the issues I was having I only figured out After I had built the mountains. I generally think the mountains look wonky. Also with testing the look in terms of adding paint I think that's also going to look wonky too.

Painted Landscape - 3/15/26

How did painting with layers change the look of your world?

It made it look more alive. Also like a level that was coming along. I thought that it felt a lot more engaging with the addition of color. As well as more immersive as a game level. Definitely made me feel a lot more engaged with it.

What choices did you make when adding grass and gravel, and why?

I added the grass all over to fill the landscape. Then the gravel on the mountain. I decided to go with gravel 1 because it looked more natural and less combed than gravel 2. Also I decided to add more grass and keep the gravel closer to the top to be less noticable because it looked wonly and ugly to me. Since the mountains are a bit wonky the gravel only drew in attention and it was visably wonky so I decided to keep it high to keep less attention on that.

How did adding water affect the atmosphere of your landscape?

It made it more immersive and calm. I felt adding the water added a small humble vibe. Like maybe a fisherman might live there and cross the lake. It also made the feeling of small, out in the middle of nowhere, town come across more. So I feel it just gave more calm, humble vibe overall.

Paths & Checkpoints - 3/17/26

How did you use natural barriers and paths to guide the player through your world?

Well when I painted the path, I painted it to be winding around the checkpoints and straight in the middle in challenge zones. Using the mountains as the guide for where to put the path. I also assume the foliage painting that will be done later will also allow a natural barrier. As I saw something about trees so I assume that will also provide a natural barrier too.

What choices did you make to make your checkpoints unique?

I made the first and second checkpoints have a larger difference. Then I made the others have small differenced from those two. Such as having one outhouse door shut and one open. Changing a few items on the tables. Also changing the positions of the general placement of things in the checkpoint. All large and subtle ways I changed my checkpoints.

How do checkpoints change the way players experience your level?

I think the checkpoints make the world feel more lived in. As well as a medieval, less modern, vibe. With the way the assets and props look it definitely gives off a calm, medieval vibe to me. I also think in the standpoint of a more technical way is that it makes the player have an acomplishment point. The checkpoint indicates the finishing of a task to the player. It also makes the level more forgivable to the player so you don't have to start 100% over.

Trees &Plants - 3/18/26

Which foliage settings made the biggest difference in realism for your world?

I think that the wind settings made the biggest difference. There were major issues with the trees bouncing. The issue was skewing the trees to get taller and shorter and more or less exaggerated or even upside down on the Y-axis. The way I fixed the bouncing was going into the Fantastic Village Pack, going to settings, going into the wind. When you go into the color settings and just mess around eventually you'll get a menu that has 4 different letter colors. You turn all the others to zero and G to like 40 to 60 thousand. You'll still have wind but the trees don't bounce and it fixes all of those issues.

How did adding vegetation change the atmosphere of your level?

It made it feel more alive and abundant. As well as more remote. Like I said about humble, calm, and small, out in the middle of nowhere, town. This just pushes that atmosphere even more. It also makes it more immersive and engaging as well.

How can you use forests and fields not just as decoration, but to shape gameplay and exploration?

The trees add a more of a natural barrier for the path to checkpoints. As well as an indicator. I only put the trees around the checkpoints. So when you enter the trees It's like a mini rest area and also prevents you from knowing the next challenge. As well as knowing when you leave the trees is where the next challenge begins. It adds anticipation as well as making it more challenging in not knowing the challenge until your practically in it to react on what to do on the spot.

Build a Castle - 3/19/26

What choices did you make to design your castle’s exterior?

Firstly, I made only the front wall have windows. To prevent too much light from entering the castle from the outside. So the rest of the walls have no windows. Also to make it not too big I made the left and right walls two walls shorter than the front and back. I also added four towers to make it actually look like a castle. As well as leaving the roof open to build the interior with the sunlight since that's easier.

How did you organize your assets to keep the build manageable?

I have the whole castle in one folder. Then two sub folders, one is the interior, the other is the exterior. In the exterior I have more subfolders for all 4 towers in separate folders. Then all the walls I separate folders, then the floor, and then the roof. The interior holds all the interior decorations and interactable items all with their own grouped subfolders.

What atmosphere do you want players to feel when they reach the castle interior?

I want it to turn from calm and humble to suddenly suspenseful, dark, and eerie. when you go through the level it's calm, lush, and slow. Then when you get into the castle it changes. To be dark, the feeling of suspense and possibly mystery. Like you've been enjoying the happy memories and then get to a reminder of why you left the valley in the first place.

Lights & Flickering - Part 1 - 3/24/26

How did adding lighting change the feeling of your castle?

I definitely think it changed the feeling derastically. Before you literally couldn't see other than a little light. That makes it really hard to figure out where you're going. I also think that it was really creepy because I don't like the dark and I don't like thinking something is creeping around. I think that adding the light changed a lot. It honesty makes it more eerie than before. Mostly because the castle looks and feels abandoned so adding the light makes it feel like either magic or something still lives there even though all people have abandoned it.

What choices did you make to balance mood and visibility?

I had tweaked a few things in the light. At first I had too many lights. So it was way too bright despite having low intensity and also a bit crowded. So I took a few out to lower that. I also picked a lower intensity, which was 2.0 I so believe. So I had visibility but kept that low dark eerie castle mood.

How can light be used as both decoration and a gameplay tool?

It can be used to create the mood of scene greatly. I think color plays a large part in mood. Intensity and color, sharp or soft, the way you use light in decoration and mood creates so many versatile moods. Also in gameplay, they can guide and signal the player where they need to go. Such as the use of string lights to guide the player in the game stray to tell you where to go. As well as in REANIMAL, when you are in the boat in the distance a very striking crimson red light catches your attention to guide you in that direction. So light can be used in many different ways.

Lights & Flickering - Part 2 - 2/24/26

How did flickering light change the feeling of your castle compared to static light?

I think it adds a more real and touchable feeling. I think flickering light makes a space in a game feel more dynamic rather than not moving at all and just stuck in time. I think in terms of the mood of the castle it gives a medieval and eerie feeling as well. As it is the feeling of a dark and avoided castle

Why do you think it’s important to add variation between different light sources?

I think that it's important to make it feel less uniform and more real and immersive. If things feel uniform in a place that's not supposed to be it's going to make it feel less immersive and engaging. I also think that brighter light sources allow for a catch of the eye if some are different to lead the player. If the player doesn't know where to go or if everything feels the same it just gets frustrating and confusing. So it's definitely important to add variation.

If you wanted to push the atmosphere further, where else could you use dynamic shadows?

I think you could make the shadows more intense. Make the space feel haunting and grim. I think the increase would add more depth to the space and tell more of a darker part of a story. Possibly in the way of like "shadows of your past" or a reminder of why you left in the first place. So I definitely think that would push the shadows.

Castle Village - 3/26/26

What details did you add to make your village feel lived-in?

Minor details can change a whole lot of things. I added minor changes to the houses. I added doors, windows, on some of the houses I added a few extra parts like a balcony or an extended roof window, along with plants with some buildings. I added a small market space too. I think that really makes it feel lived in are the chimneys, they make it feel currently lived in and a lot more cozy before you enter the castle.

How did coins and gems affect the way players might explore your level?

I think they add the fact that forces you to explore the village and really look at everything. It makes you explore things you wouldn't and gets you to notice the details. I think it also allows you to appreciate the space more. I personally find that a space that has more detail with coins allows me to feel accomplished more so. Finding small hidden details makes it even more accomplished. So I definitely think it allows the player to enjoy and feel accomplished in the space.

Creative expansion - 4/9/26

How can creativity and variety make your world unique?

It can make your world feel like something that someone hasn't seen before. While it can feel like so many other games in mechanics and flow, when you use that creativity and variety you can make it stand apart and be much more interesting. It allows the player also to have a more immersive experience when you add more variety. It has the player stop when they see something new or different and want to check it out to see what could be there. So it's a fun way to make the world your own as well as making it more fun and exciting for the player to explore.

What makes a player want to stop and look closely at a game environment?

For me it's small details, but I think something to catch a persons attention. It could be anything that catches a player's eye. It could be color, texture, height, brightness, pretty much anything could catch to a person. The key thing is that it's different from the things around it. such as a difference between natural or artificial light, difference and variety between things can provide interest to the player. That is what will cause the environment exploration that you want out of the players.

How can props and buildings help tell a story without words?

I think that it's about the mood you can convey. It can tell you a lot more about something than I think people realize sometimes. I think that props and buildings with your design choices help guide the players thinking but the players imagination is what takes it where it needs to go. I think it's impossible to completely tell a story from a game with zero words, but you always get the exact same mood and feeling from each player that makes different conclusions from there take away. You can get similar stories with different ideas, but almost always the same mood and feeling.

Challenges Overview - 4/11/26

How well does your current world design support the kinds of challenges shown in the video?

I think my world will be able to support the challenges just fine. I don't think you'll know what needs to be tweaked till you start building parts of the challenges. The levels landscape is built with the challenges shown in mind so it's made to support them. I definitely think that my landscape is wide enough for the challenges. I can't say if anything needs to be changed yet but I don't think a lot will need to be done.

What changes or adjustments might you need to make to your landscape, layout, or design to prepare for these challenges?

From looking at it I think I'll need to tweak width and langth of parts of the landscape. Possibly flatten parts to make it more level or make different parts more steep. Other than some tweaks to the landscape I don't think a large landscape altering tweak will need to be changed. I think that maybe I'll have to move checkpoints depending on how the challenges turn out. Other than that there's not much I can think of that would need to be changed or tweaked.

How should the challenges you add in this unit match the mood of your Level 2 world? Write a short reflection (2–3 sentences).

I think everything should have one defining thing that everything in the level has. One defining feature that's universal to the level that will tie the challenge to the world. For me that's overgrowth, every structure across the whole level has overgrowth. So for me I'd put overgrowth on parts of the challenge that don't affect the mechanics or get in the way of active features. So I think the best way to tie in is to add the one universal feature that doesn't get in the way of the active mechanics.

Sweeper Arm - 4/14/26

How did adding ragdoll physics change the feeling of failure in your game?

It makes it more of a obvious that you failed. Without ragdoll when you fall into the water you're just standing. Then suddenly you'll respawn. That's confusing because you don't know exactly what happened. With the ragdoll physics when you see it you'll be "Oh, I died" rather than just the confusing respawn. You'll know that you've died and you're going to respawn and try again rather than the confusion without.

What adjustments would you make to the Sweeper Arm to balance difficulty?

A few adjustments to make is Speed, size, and height. Height could make it easier or harder to jump over. Speed makes it more difficult to evade. Size makes it more or less difficult in terms of the length of the blade in needing to evade for longer. Those are a few things you could change in difficulty.

How does this first obstacle set the tone for the rest of the challenges?

I think it sets the fact of the challenges are about evading. Immediately you get the feeling you are focused on timing to evade. So in your mind that's what the other challenges will also be based on. Such as the rolling boulder that were going to do seems like it will be about timing to avoid. So think that's what it communicates.

Narrow Path - 4/14/26

How did adding pendulums change the feel of the Sweeper Arm challenge?

I think it added variety to the challenge. It added another obstacle to the challenge for the player to get around. I personally think the pendulum makes it harder. It also make it's less predictable which makes it less boring in the sameness of just the arm. So I think it just adds the challenge in making it more exciting to the player.

What adjustments did you make to balance challenge and frustration?

I had to adjust the placement of the path. I mostly adjusted the barrels on the last pendulum of the path. I had trouble with the jump timing of the barrels and it was very difficult. So I made it a bit farther in the jump because it was too close and the last jump with the door to make it forgivable. You have to go fast so jumping that one to another small thing is very difficult to so that made that jump easier. It definitely balanced that and made it not feel impossible.

How does polishing the environment change how players experience the challenge?

It made it more visually immersive. In the visual aspect it feels more real and not like it's so much. It also makes the path feel less crowded. So just widening it a little bit made a world of difference in making it feel less crowded from the path and narrow sides. Also in making the inside of the lake steeper you can't fall in a way that makes it so you don't die when you fall in. So just the simple changes make the world of difference.

Boulders - 4/15/26

How does the size and speed of the boulder affect how dangerous it feels?

The bigger the boulder makes it feel more crushing. While the speed makes it feel more treacherous. speed makes you feel like you might not make it to the next safe spot. Also environment wise you need you boulder not to get stuck. So you can't have the boulders too big or too fast. As well as balancing the size of you environment to your boulders.

How did you balance safe zones and danger in your Boulder Hill design?

The spacing of the safe zones and timing of the boulders is crucial. If your timing is too slow it wouldn't create that sense of danger. If you timing is to fast it will make it nearly or completely impossible to the player. Also the spacing of your safe zones. it's the same thing, too far and it's impossible, too close and it creates no sense of danger. What I had to do was space and time everything correctly to create that sense of danger and also relief of reaching safety.

What changes did you make to your Boulder Hill to improve fairness after play testing?

I had to adjust placement of the safe points. I also had to adjust the way the walls were angled. The walls were angled in a way were the character would get snagged on the walls and you'd miss the timing. So I had to angle the walls in a way where you wouldn't get caught and your timing wouldn't get screwed up so frequently. Then also the adjustments of the spacing. One was too far and you just couldn't make it but I found it better to do it that way then slowly adjust them closer till you could. It created the best spacing for the boulder to almost get you so it creates that sense of danger perfectly.

How does the Boulder Hill hazard feel different from the Sweeper Arm challenge?

It feels different in the fact the active part is moving towards you while in the sweeper arm it's in one space. It creates this whole different sense of impending doom. With the sweeper arm it feels much less treacherous. You can see what is next with the sweeper arm across the whole challenge because it's very open. with the boulder you can't really see what's beyond because you are trapped in this narrow space. So it's different in how the challenges feel for the both of them.

How did adding destruction effects change the feel of the Boulder Hill challenge?

It added the feel of the fact that the boulders are moving so fast they destroy themselves at the end. It adds a new sense of danger.  When you see it destroy itself it's like "oh, that's fast and dangerous" immediately. You see it without the particles and it just disappearing doesn't have the same sense of danger. It also adds immersion to it. If the boulder just disappears that ruins the immersion. When the boulder destroys itself it's a way to get rid of the boulder without breaking the immersion of the player.

What choices did you make in your particle system, and why?

I added extra color particles. Since the boulders have different colors in them I thought it would look better to do more colors. Additional to the tutorial, I added a lighter different rock material with the darker rock material already in there. I thought it would make it look more gritty and gravel like which was achieved. I was happy with what it looked like and so I stopped there.

How can visual effects help communicate game play information to the player?

Visual effects prevent confusion and create immersion. Going back to the ragdoll, without it, you don't get that you've died when you fall into the lake or get hit by a boulder since your just standing, which breaks the immersion and creates the confusion. With it, it's a clear visual indication that you've died, and you know you're dead and will respawn soon. With the boulders, them just disappearing creates temporary confusion till you realize what happened the purpose for it's sudden disappearance, which breaks the immersion. with the visual particle effects it creates the visual cue of it getting destroyed and now it's gone without breaking the immersion. Visual effects can communicate to the player where you go, what's happened to your character or objects in the world, and it's done in a way that prevents the immersion from being broken so the player can more greatly enjoy their experience.

Timed Gate - 4/20/26

How does the timed element make this challenge feel different from Sweeper Arm and Boulder Hill?

Rather than waiting for the perfect timing you are on a timer. The other challenges you could take as much time as you needed without a time limit, you just needed the right timing. For the gate you just need to get there as fast as possible. Needing to speed through obstacles gets you panicked all the way through the challenge because it makes it more difficult. Unlike how with the other challenges it's more of small bursts of panic to the almost constant panic of the gate.

What adjustments would you make to the open duration to balance difficulty?

I'll probably change it to fit the obstacles. You won't know what you need to do until the obstacles are in place but I definitely think it will need to go longer than what the duration currently is. Since obstacles slow you down you'll have to extend the time so it's actually possible to get through the door. If the time is too short it will be impossible to get through. If it's too long then the sense of danger kind of evaporates. You have to find that good middle point of almost not getting through to scare the player.

How can timing-based obstacles increase tension without feeling unfair?

Timing based obstacles are meant to make the player feel scared and tense. The point it starts to feel unfair is when it's so hard it's practically impossible. You want the timing to be in the place of feeling like you aren't going to make it but you do. You don't want it to be too easy that the player doesn't feel the tension. You want it to be just enough without feeling impossible.

Abandoned Village - 4/20/26

How did you decide which props and obstacles to use in your village course?

I mostly followed the tutorial. I didn't and still don't have enough time to go back at the current moment to do more than what's in the tutorial. Doing so right now would lose time on the other assignments so going what I can. Moving on is the best thing I can do to keep up with everything since we're moving so fast at the moment. For things added as examples it's mostly the spikes that kill the player if you fall off the floating platform, the bridge, fences, and the wooden structure along with a few other things.

What changes did you make to balance the gate duration with the path length?

I extended the length to about 15 seconds. I extended the length to 15 seconds and it was a bit too long since you succeededeach time. So I shaved it down to 13 seconds. 13 seconds gets you through the gate just in time or not if your too slow. So when you get through it just as it's closing you feel the tension and relief of getting past the challenge which makes it more rewarding.

How does the “escape before the gate shuts” mechanic create a different kind of tension than previous challenges?

It's a constant tension throughout the entire course. To get to the gate, you have to go as fast as possible. Balancing getting to the gate and not falling or running into spikes makes the challenge stressful and tense throughout the whole challenge . Unlike with boulder hill and narrow path which has bursts of tension rather than constant. Those challenges don't have a time limit, so once you get past an obstacle to a safe zone the burst of tension fades into the safety until you reach another obstacle or safe zone.

Enemy Tower - 4/20/26

How did ranged attacks change how you tested your level compared to previous challenges?

Some things I tested were similar and some not so much. I tested to make sure it killed the player like the sweeper arm and boulders. I tested to make sure it would keep spawning like the boulders. Some things different I tested were that it tracked the player when the bottles were flung at you. Also that after I died it stopped flinging the bottles. So those were a few things I tested with the bottles.

What adjustments might you make to the tower’s sensing distance or fire rate?

I'd probably change it according to my safe spots. I assume that there will be the need for safe spots from the towers at some point. So I think adjusting the distance and fire rate to my safe spots and the path that will be taken by the player. As well as how many towers that will be there. I also think it will be good to adjust the difficulty of each tower to have it more challenging for the player. To make it more challenging for the player to predict how the towers will be by including that variation.

Why does adding a visible enemy in the tower make the mechanic more immersive?

It make it more of a story and game element. By adding enemies the player realizes that you have enemies that are trying to stop you from moving forward. From a story perspective of what we know about the valley it adds to the story in they are trying to keep you out or trying to protect something. while from a game prospective they add a indicator of something is being thrown at you rather than just trying to figure out what's happening because confusion breaks the illusion. it adds a story element rather than just stuff being thrown at you for no reason at all with no relevance what so ever. Tying things into the story adds the level of immersion that keeps the player entertained.

Predict Movement - 4/22/26

How does changing ProjectileSpeed affect the predicted aim point and the player’s dodge options?

I think projectile speed changes how difficult it is for the player. The faster the speed, the less time the player will have to dodge. that will make it more difficult for the player to dodge the projectile and also keep the difficulty good. Also the faster the projectile the harder it will be to see so you want to avoid going too fast. That way the difficulty will be generally level through out the challenge. So it just makes it more challenging for the player to dodge as much.

What values would you tweak first (AimOffset, Sensing Interval, Z offset) to make towers feel fair but challenging - and why?

I think it would be the sensing interval.  When you have the sensing interval shorter it makes it more difficult for the player to dodge since more projectiles are being thrown at you. I think it will be better to have more sensing when the safe spots are more frequent and less sensing when the safe spots are less frequent. That makes it so the difficulty across the challenge stays level. So it doesn't feel to easy or to hard get through certain parts of the challenge

If you turned gravity on for projectiles, what parts of today’s prediction approach would need to change?

They would need to change to add gravity to the prediction calculation. I'm unsure how you'd do that since I'm not the best at math so I wouldn't know how to do to that. I'd assume you'd have to add it to the calculation on top of everything else. I don't think you'd have to change previous code as much as add to it. I just think you'd need to add on the calculation of gravity and not change anything else. Although I'm not 100% sure since I don't know what math or code would need to be done with that.

Tower & Potion Imp - 4/23/26

Which per-tower variable (SightRadius, VisionAngle, TimeBetweenThrows) had the biggest impact on fairness - and why?

I definitely think the biggest impact on fairness is time between throws. Vision angle does have an effect, but I don't think it effects fairness as large as the time does. Then with sight radius, even up super far it's stopped by the props, obstacles, and landscape. So that doesn't have a huge effect on fairness. the biggest effect I've seen personally is with time between throws. It changes how challenging it is for the player drastically from my own observation. 

What advantages did OnComponentHit provide over overlap events for fast projectiles?

OnComponentHit helps with making sure it doesn't encounter issues with not hitting things properly. With Overlap it may go through the player before checking it's overlapped and that's an issue and would effect the challenge. Overlap may also think things that aren't moving or aren't the player aren't as important and may not take them into account. So bottles could go through them and essentially negative the whole purpose of the safe zone. With Hit it completely removes all of these issues from happening..

How do the explosion VFX change player readability (did I get hit? where did it land?) and how would you iterate on timing/color/scale to improve it further?

When potions are moving at a fast rate, it allows you to see where it landed and it helps the player understand how fast it's going to help you get a feel of what to do. It also gives you the idea that it's not just the impact of the bottle that kills you but also whatever is inside the bottle. It's a potion not just a bottle so it gives you more of a visual indicator that it is not just a bottle but a potion that may be harmful to the player. So it adds visual elements in explanation of what's going on. As well as gameplay elements that help the player.

Guarded Market place - 4/27/26

Where did overlapping sight cones create the right kind of tension and where did it become unfair?

I actually didn't overlap the cones almost at all. For me personally, it was too difficult to move and calculate 2 towers at the same time. So if I can't play test the level and get through then it's not possible to do. I think if the creator can't get through a challenge they created it can't work the way its set up. I could not take two towers into account in my brain and get through, it was practically impossible. So I have very little to almost no overlap.

Which props or blockers most effectively guided players along your intended route, and why?

I definitely think the props closest to the path were the most obvious. Also obvious wall like structures closest to the path were the most obvious. I think that wall like structures are classic obvious places the player is safe behind. Players already intuitively know that's the safe spot as previous games give them that experience. Also if you have safe spots not as obvious coins are a great way to tell the player where to go. Coins or collectables create an obvious path for the player to get. Since most people go for obvious coins it can indicate a safe spot for the player to go to and save them from being confused on where to go when safe spots aren't as obvious.

After playtesting, what single adjustment (angle, radius, tower position, or cover placement) most improved fairness without killing challenge?

I think cover placement was a very important role in fairness. I had issues with fairness and confusion with the cover placement more than anything else. A tower from far could hit me where I was and if I shortened it's vision it wouldn't hit me where I wanted it to so I had to fix that. Also in the towers where it was killing me too fast and adjusting other settings didn't help much in those situations. Generally editing other settings in the fact that everything is so closely packed together it doesn't help much or messing up how I want it to work so the best thing to change for me is cover placement.

Peer Feedback - 4/27/26

What changes did you decide to make based on peer feedback, and why?

I changed my narrow path and guarded marketplace. The feedback I received was good feedback. Also I thought the feedback was true. In reading and testing the feedback myself in what needed to be fixed. In playtesting with the feedback in mind it helped identify what I needed to change and helped me improve.

How did the feedback confirm or challenge your own ideas about your course?

The feedback I received where already things I had wanted to change. Mostly in originally playtesting myself I saw these issues mentioned. It's just at that time I didn't have the time to go back and change those and fix them. There was one Idea that confused me that I didn't understand what they were trying to say so I couldn't fix what they encountered. Although I did disagree because the challenge they spoke about was boulder hill which I personally didn't see any issues with.

Looking back, what part of your challenge zone feels most improved after these updates?

Definitely the guarded market place. Mostly because it was incomplete which was what the feedback I had received was about. So it was definitely the most improved out of all the zones. In adding more towers, props, adjustments, decoration. It is the most improved.

Decorate World - 4/27/26

What area did you choose to expand or decorate, and why?

Mostly the guarded marketplace. I think because it's the only thing I really had time to expand on at the time. Since I was behind it was definitely difficult to do a lot of decoration. I am going to go back later and decorate the timed gate challenge and possibly other parts of the level. I won't be sure what I'll do exactly till I get to that point.

How do your changes affect the way players experience or understand the challenges?

I think it makes the challenge more immersive and fun for the player. It adds to the story and also those elements can help the player understand what's happening story wise. I think the visuals of a game are very important for the players enjoyment of the challenge. It can help the player feel immersive or just enjoy or appreciate how things look visually.

How do you balance decoration with gameplay so the player doesn’t get lost or distracted?

Make sure props are up front and decorations are farther away. I think the things closest to the player or the visual path the player takes in the most rather than background items. So keeping only the items that make sense in game play border the path and everything else take a step back. Other wise things will start to get busy and confusing. So that is my method to make sure decoration and game play stay separate.

Unit 7, Part 1 - 5/2/26

Introduction

Which of the three systems - UI, cutscenes, or sound - do you think has the biggest impact on how players feel while playing your game, and why?

I definitely think UI has the biggest impact on how the players experience the game. Mainly from a gameplay standpoint rather than story. If you're talking story I'd say cutscenes, but specifically for a gameplay aspect I think UI would have the biggest impact. Mostly because it makes it much friendlier. UI includes more than just pause screens and menus. You can have things specific to in game experience like crafting, inventory, checking loot on bodies, that kind of thing. UI also can help make your game user friendly too through accessibility settings such as photosensitivity, subtitles, colorblind modes, camera shake reduction, and so much more. UI can have a big impact on player experience and also allow players who may not be able to play the game because you don't have these setting options play the game because you do.

How do you plan to use these tools to make The Valley more immersive and emotionally powerful in the next lessons?

I'm not actually sure yet. This part of the process is where I'm a kind of out of my depth a bit. I knew about level building, decorating, modeling, and animating all from a bit of previous experience in that knowlege. while doing sound, UI, cutscenes, I don't know about the process, planning or any of that done with this sort of thing. The only thing I can kind of assume about is the fact that cutscenes may be done with some semblance of animation. I really don't know. All I know is that I want to make the valley a fun and exciting place until you get deeper and then reach the castle which will want to make you leave.

Main Menu

What was the most important connection you learned between widgets, levels, and controllers when building your main menu?

That they're not apart of each other. Widgets, Levels, and Controllers are all separate things. I think that you can get the illusion of things being apart of something while they are completely seperate. Like you make get the feeling the controller apart of the widgets or levels, but it is it's complete seperate thing. They work together coheisively to connect all of the items together. Which can sometimes give the illusion that it's all one thing or things are inside one thing or another even though they are all completely separate.

How does adding a background image or visual style change the way players experience your game’s first screen?

I think the when you start a game the first impression of it is the games main menu. The backround and visuals sets the tone for what the player will expect from your game. I think if the visual of the main menu doesn't match the game the player will have no idea what's going on and will throw off the player. Like if you have a happy sunshine menu in a gorey horror game it will throw off the players experience and they might not find it as enjoyable. The main menu look can get the player excited to play the game.

Pause Menu

What part of the pause system was most important for making the menu feel responsive and reliable during gameplay?

I think the ablity to restart the level. If you get stuck or soft locked you can start over. While just pausing is reliable I think in gameplay the restart button is definitely really important. If you have to stop and go back to the main menu to select the level again or have to quit to start over it's not as good of a system to do all that tedious stuff just to start over. It feels nice to have just one button to press to be able to start over.

How do you think players experience a pause menu that fits naturally into the game’s world and flow?

I think that it helps keep the immersiveness. A pause menu that fits natually into the game helps keep the player immersed. In the game without breaking their immersion improves the games experience and keeps the player excited. A pause menu that doesn't fit will break that immerision. That in my opinion has a negatitive impact on the players experience and enjoyment of the game.

Select Levels

How does storing and switching between multiple widgets in the Player Controller make your UI system more efficient and flexible?

Having everything in one widget makes everything crowded. It crowds both the visual aspect of the widget and the blueprint. It affects organization and makes it hard on the player to find things. In having multiple widgets it makes it easier to see and navigate for the player knowing whats in a general space and going there to immediately see what they're looking for. It keeps the blueprint more organized across the widgets and Player Controller making it easier to find things and change code if needed for the creator as well.

What feeling do you want players to have as they move seamlessly from one level to the next in your game?

I want them to feel immersed. I want them to stay immersed without breaking that illusion. I want them to keep the excitement they feel when playing the game into the seamless transition from one level to another. So they can keep playing with their feeling of immersion and to have a good experience with the game. That's what I want for players to feel when playing my game.

Conclusion Question(s)

What was the most useful takeaway for you from these lessons?

Keep things organized. If you have may different things connecting back to one thing keep all of blueprinting in it's designated place. Otherwise it gets confusing where everything is and how things connect. So if you have like in this case multiple widgets connecting back to gamemodes. If your blueprints aren't organized buttons might not work, you can't find the blueprints for the specific widget, your blueprints will be messing and crowded. It just makes it take longer than if you would've done it correctly in the first place. 

Unit 7, Part 2 - 5/13/26

Boulder Sound Effects

How does using attenuation and distance-based audio make your game world feel more realistic compared to fixed-volume sounds?

It makes it clear to you what you are hearing. if you are hearing everything going on in the level all at once you can't differentiate one sound from another. It helps keep the sounds organized and also obvious to the player where and what the sound is coming from. Also because just like in real life sounds get quieter as you get farther away. It keeps it from getting confused about where a sound is coming from and makes it so the illusion and immersion doesn't break so it doesn't effect the players engagement and experience.

How did today’s work with sound design change the way you think about how audio influences the player’s experience?

I mean it didn't really change the way I think. I always thought sound was a very important part of any piece of media. It just re-enforced that belief. For me whenever I have been watching TV or playing a video game my headphones a lot of the times falls out of the port and I lose sound. This I realized overtime effected my experience and immersion in the piece of media I consumed. So at that point I was already making the realization of the importance of sound. Without sound I wasn't as engaged, even with everything else going on. So sound has always been important and even more so now.

Ambient Sounds

How does random timing and sound variation make ambience feel more natural?

Well just like in real life you don't know what sound is being made. Such as birds, you don't know when birds will sing. Also things like bugs or branches falling. You can't control when those sounds happen. Making the timing random makes it so the player can't track it when it happens and makes it less predictable. Less predictability without it being confusing makes it more immersive.

When you think about your favorite games, what kinds of background or ambient sounds made the world feel alive, and how could you recreate that feeling in your own project?

I personally like the resident evil games. In RE3 during a section where you're playing as Carlos, one of the two characters you play as, where you're looking for a vaccine for Jill, the other character. There is this specific sound that plays randomly. It's this loud sound that's scary and lasts only briefly. It creates this sense of fear and forboding and is a sharp contrast to quiet almost unnoticable background sounds. The game wants you to notice and be tense the whole way through till they actually give you the monster the tension has been leading up to. I thought it was interesting because the world did feel alive, but it also wasn't exactly ambient, it was a sharp noticeable contrast that made the world feel alive, vibrant, and much more foreboding and scary.

Pendulum Sound Effects

How does connecting Meta Sounds to Blueprint events make a game feel more reactive and alive?

The sound moves with the item and in time with the item. With the boulders when they roll by they get louder and when they pass they get quieter. With having the sound and sound attenuation attached to the boulder itself it helps the player identify where the boulder is even when they can't see it. This makes the world feel more reactive and alive for the player as they can use that sound as if they would in real life to identify where it comes from. With the pendulum it's not just attached but also in time with the swing. The whooshing sound is like the one when you swing a stick fast enough. It gives the feeling of speed to it but also it matches the timing. Timing makes it feel more real as if the sound is off from the swing of the pendulum and if the player notices that, it throws off the illusion of the world feeling real.

What kinds of small audio details make you feel the most impact or tension when you play a game?

Sound of the obstacles you face. If a sound in an obstacle is missing for a small detail, it can be noticeable. Such as in the Marketplace with the towers. The music and the running can make the fact the glass bottles don't sound when they explode not as obvious even though it can be noticeable if you realize it. I decided to add glass breaking sounds to my projectiles, small details like that can up the tension and impact the players experience.

Background Music

How does using Blueprint Interfaces make it easier to connect different systems in a game?

It makes it easier to call it from one place. It's like having a custom event but separate on it's own so it provides better organization of where your calling it from. Also in linking it to two separate things that can work together. Custom events happen in one blueprint, while the Interface can be used easier to link items and have the event seperate and more organized in it's own space. It's like a custom event but with easier organiziation and connection of different systems.

When have you noticed background music change in a game, and how did it affect how you felt while playing?

when the music changed from the main music to the challenge music it provided more tension than when I just play tested the challenge silently. The sound definitely raised my heart rate, tension, and satisfaction and relief when I finished the challenge. The sound creates this sense of urgency that tells you to "go go go" as if you're on a time limit when you're really not. It increases the stress and tension of the challenge to increase the payoff of satisfaction and relief at the end.

Unit 7, Part 3 - 5/21/26

Level 1 Cutscene

How does controlling music transitions through Blueprints improve the player’s experience during a cutscene?

It can help shape the players mood. If the music builds so does the emotion that the player feels. If you want the player to be exciting you have music that evokes that mood and builds that emotion. It's the same for any type of emotion you want the player to feel during the cutscene. It sets the mood of the level and also what the player expects from the experience.

When have you noticed a game use music to guide your emotions or signal a shift in gameplay, and what effect did it have on you?

Most noticeable in games is when an enemy is close, the music increases and decreases with proximity. So even if  you don't see it, you still feel the stress of it. That makes the experience more immersive and exciting. Another way is music changing with the environment. Such as music shifting in a specific area. An example is in Resident evil 2, when you enter the greenhouse section the music shifts when you're in that area to change the feeling of it. There are plenty of ways to shift music, these are just the notible ones I have observed.

Level 2 (Part 1) Cutscene

What did you find most difficult about creating smooth camera movement across multiple rails and shots?

It's more difficult to make the curves clean at times. when working with splines it can be difficult to create seamless turns, ascents, and descents. I think the hardest would be ascents and descents. Creating lifts and drops is difficult because it's difficult to tell where things are at times in a software at times so you can get jerky ascents and descents. It is difficult to smooth that out, but the rotation of the camera can hide it if the jerk isn't to major.

How did planning separate sequences for each area change the way you think about pacing in a cutscene?

I think timing wasn't too difficult. Timing the different shots is just keeping them in a general certain length without a too drastic time difference.  The issue was getting them to cut without jumping to a different perspective between each transition which was a bit time consuming but not too bad overall. The longest one I had to worry about time was the marketplace. that one takes up the most time out of all the shots. I had to make sure it wasn't flying through too fast.

Level 2 (Part 2) Cutscene

What technical adjustments made the biggest difference when you combined your sequences and added music or animation?

I think timing of rotation made the biggest difference. Half of the cutscene is the rotation. If the rotation timing  is off it will look wonky and rushed. The small timing adjustments to the rotation make a big difference. In the guarded market place it's what slowed it down a bit. Then with boulder hill you time it so it's going around the curves and then looking to then looking to the start, Going too fast makes it look jerky and rushed. Another thing is animating the player. You have to have the timing so the camera is looking at the player when the animation is happening.

How does your final cutscene reflect the mood or story you want the player to experience at the start of Level 2?

With level 1 I want you to feel calm through the experience, it's more enjoying the level and having fun with the small challenge of getting to the end. With level 2 I want you to have more focus on beating the challenges and surviving than just a leaserly pace to the end. I want you to feel a little intimidated but also excited about the level.

Final Polish

Describe the changes you made, what you learned, and what you’re most proud of in your project’s presentation.

The changes I made are off the final decoration and also pickup placement. I had been wanting to do more decorating but didn't have much time for it. So having the time to go back and just do a bit more decoration to make it look more finished was definitely something I was glad for. Also Adding more coins when I hadn't before. I felt like there wasn't enough, so the addition was nice. I'm most proud of the guarded marketplace along with the boulder portion of the cutscene. The guarded marketplace was something we built from scratch with the most complex code so far. Along with the fact we decorated it all on our own. Looking back at what had been built was definitely satisfactory. I like the boulder part of the cutscene the most because it was my cleanest part of the cutscene. I enjoyed setting it up and seeing the results, it was nice to see it come out cleaner than I thought.

Reflect on how these finishing touches elevate your game from a student project to something that feels professional.

I think the touches made were definitely important. The smallest details can create something that feels more alive and reactive. Adding too much can take away and clutter the scene to make it confusing, so adding just a small amount can make a difference between feeling lacking and cluttered. I only added a few touches hear and there to spots I found lacking, but not too much that it was overpowering. I definitely enjoyed this project.

My Red Thread - 5/23/26

What connects the different parts of your creative work - what is your red thread?

I think what my red thread is about is thinking in the moment. I like to lead my work with an open mindset with the ability to change and create as the project moves on without the clearest goals. The ability to come up with ideas in the moment without a rigid structure. I do not abandon structure, I simply keep a plan but a vague one to allow ideas that spark in the moment to tie in if I want to. My red thread is the in the moment sparks of ideas that pull my work together into their final piece.

Which design or storytelling choices represent you the most clearly?

I'm someone who enjoys fantasy, mystery, and also theorizing about what might happen next. In storytelling I enjoy guessing about what might be going on in a story, without revealing all of everything too quickly. Allowing the player to consider what things mean and come to their own conclusions. Fantasy is also a big part of what I enjoy. I like visuals that create an atmosphere that pushes what something can mean in different directions. In different ways of how to look at things can be cozy even horror based games can have stunning visuals with a unique cozy vibe.

Why do you think those choices feel authentic to who you are?

I have ADHD, so my brain goes in all sorts of directions with random sprouting ideas. I may not have the best idea in the base planning stage that I come up with later. Which is why I like to leave the ideas open to influence my work. Keeping my work open to the influence of my chaotic mind is what I feel really brings my work to life. Along with the enjoyment of building what happens next, when coming up with the idea in the moment that ties into a design choice I've decided on and it creates a visual story element drives my excitment and momentum in the creative process. Being able to tie things together in different ways either in the planning process or the spur of the moment is why I love to create and why I think my choices are authentic to me.

How could your red thread evolve as you continue learning and creating?

I'm not entirely sure. I don't think I could really ever be sure of how that could go. I'm not the type of person to do a full in depth plan of how I'm going to do something at times. I prefer to sit back and see how it will go. So I will sit back and see how it grows without really being sure because you won't know till it happens. Currently I have a job I'm going into after school that happens to be in art. Body art to specific as henna and facepaint. It is a creative path which is what I enjoy. All I can hope for is that I continue to lead my red thread with pops of creativity and life I want to show.