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TEAM PROJECT
UNREAL ENGINE 5.6.1
BLUEPRINTS
WINDOWS
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This was a experimental project with the design goal of unique game controls, something that isn't the basic control scheme found in our chosen genre. I was the Technical Designer on the project, I created all the mechanics as well as the UI and sourced sound effects for the game, along side that I also assisted with playtesting and level design to ensure the mechanics function in line with the design goal.
The game itself is a platformer, you play as Fred a fish out of water, literally. You must traverse the house to find a way back to water while being careful not to run out of water, also avoid the floor because a Roomba might mistake you for trash, sorry :(
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
Basic movement & jumping
Basic roaming AI
UI systems
checkpoint / respawn system
Water absorption mechanic
Playtesting
Sound effects
Environmental hazards (Jump boost, death zones, etc)
SUMMARY OF DEVELOPMENT
DESIGNING UNIQUE PLAYER CONTROLS
This was a hard problem to figure out, controls in games rarely shift from the general standard schemes expected in each genre and so trying to shift away from that was a challenge, especially when it needs to tie into the character and the gameplay. Through some idea generation and discussion we came up with Fred, since a fish out of water is known for 'flopping around' we thought this was perfect for a experimental control scheme.
Unfortunately it was easier said then done, a ton of iteration was needed to find the best way to make the movement interesting and fluid. The end result is the player has to press alternating buttons for Fred to flop small distances and holding both down for a charging Jump for longer distances. This was the best solution I could create within the limited time we had.
CREATING KEY SYSTEMS
For the game we needed simple but key systems like a death zone that kills the player when entered and checkpoints so that the player doesn't lose key progress in the level, these checkpoints also act as waypoints using UI elements so each checkpoint is marked for the player to know the path. I created these trigger zones so that the level designer can place in the world and use when they need them.
I also created a jump boost effect where the player can enter and it increases the jump to add some complexity for the platforming, I also made a basic timer so that the player can time themselves how long they take to complete the level.
EXPERIMENTING WITH PHYSICS
Something worth mentioning during the development I tried to make the movement more physics based then what it is. Adding physics to the fish would make it more realistic give the character more life and also would've been more entertaining when moving. Unfortunately when physics got added to the bones the mesh of fish started to fold into itself and then also interacted with gravity in a very odd way so we had to settle with the static fish that just plays an animation when moving.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall I loved this project, it's definitely a unique concept and something I really want to work on and development further in future, working with a team was a great experience and I learned and improved my task management abilities along with communicating between different aspects of the project. I think our workflow was something that hinder the early development of the game, not knowing how to proceed with different things like assets or design goals but that was something we were able to fix pretty easily the longer we worked together.