NARRATIVE PROTOTYPE
1 MONTH (JULY - AUGUST 2025)
PROTOTYPE
UNREAL ENGINE 5.6.1
BLUEPRINTS
WINDOWS
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
This was a a small project were I was experimenting with different mechanics that might be found in a narrative driven game. Narrative games like What Remains of Edith Finch and Firewatch have always been a big point of passion in the games industry and working on games that leave those emotional impacts with their complex stories is always something I've wanted to work on.
This particular little prototype I was creating was mainly learning basic inventory systems for items, journals and quests. There's also a region name pop up and a little puzzle to open a stone door. I also used a fab asset pack to create the environment to demo my work.
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
First person character
Quests / notes system
Expandable inventory system
Pick up mechanic
Region indicator
Puzzles
Environment design
SUMMARY OF DEVELOPMENT
CREATING THE INVENTORY
The whole purpose of this prototype was to learn how to make a inventory system, it's something that's so common in games and yet my understanding of how they worked was non existent. After a lot of research from videos to Unreal Engine documentation I learned a method using a structure to hold a set of information each item has and then using arrays to assign that item slot with the struct information.
How this is display is with a wrap box that displays items using a inventory slot widget I created that can convert the struct information of that item into a visual form for the player in the inventory. This all happens in a component that is then attached to the player.
QUEST / JOURNAL ENTRY SYSTEM
After the inventory I then looked at what else is in narrative games, Quests and Journal Entries are key in any game for telling the player what they are doing and adding key story information / lore for the player. This system works the same way as the inventory but instead of any visual element it's just text, this means the player can at any time open the inventory and check current Quests or Entries they have picked up.
Another thing I added was a little side pop up that tells the player when they pick something up, gain a new Quest or finding a new Journal Entry. I also made it really simple to add a new Quest or Journal Entry so the system is easier to use long term.
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONALITY
Other than that I only added 2 more features in the prototype before I stopped working on it. I added a Region pop up that appears when the player enters certain areas, this is a simple collider box that runs a script that makes a widget slowly fade in and out. I also added a small puzzle function that interacts with the inventory, checking if the player has a certain item needed to open the door with each door able to change what item is required.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This prototype was mainly to expand my knowledge and try something different, I learned a lot of different things with components, widget functionality and how to store information using structures and arrays which was very fun and will definitely help with future projects. Since this was just for learning new systems and techniques in Unreal Engine I have no intention on continuing this prototype any further as it's not a actual game with any set design other than the specific mechanics.