Final Devlog

Overview of the last trimester

This trimester I’ve had a focus on collaboration, creativity and technical development. We had to work in groups to create a game project together, the game my group created was “The Unknown Galactic Discovery”. Throughout the development period, I focused on and partook in various aspects of the games development, from planning the game by doing things such as helping to create the GDD, to the implementation of some game mechanics.

Weeks 1-4: Initial planning and collaboration

Week 1: Group Formation and Initial Discussions

In the first week, we began discussing game ideas. The team I was a part of consisted of Joe, Mackenzie, and myself from games programming, as well as some members from the game art animation team, we decided on creating a sci-fi/ fantasy game. We set up a discord group for communication and to share our initial ideas.

Week 2: Team Meeting and Role Assignment

During the second week of the trimester, we held our first team meeting in which we assigned roles. I was tasked with focusing on the game's storyline, narrative, and dialogue as well as the dialogue systems that the dialogue will work with. We all managed to outline our respective responsibilities.

Week 3: Pitch Presentation Issues

Week three, was marked by a lack of communication from the art students regarding the pitch presentation. The created and game project idea and presentation without much input from us, which led to some frustration for us game programmers as we were given no opportunity to have an opinion on the game ideas presented. Nonetheless, we proceed with the presentation. 

Week 4: Project Greenlight and Initial Planning.

The game idea that was pitched by the art students was greenlight, and we began planning the project. I awaited information from the art students to start on the narrative but I received little guidance as to what they wanted the game's story to be. Joe and I created a Game Design Document  (GDD) and sought feedback from the team.

Week 5-6: Development of Narrative and Systems

Week 5: Story Outline and Character Profiles

I began writing the game’s story using the GDD and pitch presentation as a guide. I created a detailed story outline and character profiles. Once the draft was ready, I sought feedback from the team and began to write the final narrative and dialogue.

Week 6: Dialogue and Note System

Having completed the narrative, I turned to other aspects of the game. I conceptualised a note system to enhance world-building by providing the player with lore about the world, writing 20 pieces of information for potential inclusion as notes to be placed around the map, I sought feedback from the team on these options as I would only select 10 of them and wanted input from the art students.

.Week 7: Finalising Note System

Having received little feedback from the art students. I finalised the content for the note system. I created the notes using Photoshop and integrated them into Unreal Engine 5, ensuring functionality where players could interact with the notes in the game world.

Week 8: Key Card System and Note Placement

Joe initially assigned me to develop a key card system but later completed it himself before I had a chance to work on it. Instead, I focused on migrating the Note System over to the main game project and placed the notes in the game world.

Week 9-12: Implementation of Game Mechanics

Week 9: Automatic Door System

I developed an automatic door system that opens and closes based on player proximity. This involved creating a blueprint with mesh components and collision events to trigger door animations.

Week 10: Dialogue System Implementation

Building on my previous experience, I created a dialogue system using a behaviour tree in Unreal Engine. This is the same system I have used on a previous game project during trimester 2, the system displayed text and managed player interactions with NPCs, enhancing the narrative experience.

Week 11: Procedural Generation System

I implemented a Procedural Generation System for rocks, which added dynamic elements to the game environment. This system utilised random selection and interaction events to create varying rock formations.

Week 12: Easter Egg Creation and Integration

In the final week of development , I designed a personal Easter egg for the game - a sketch of a ship’s propeller. This element was integrated into the game world as a piece of paper to be placed on a desk or pinned to a wall, providing a personal touch and an additional layer of engagement for players; everybody else in my team also did this, creating their own images to be placed in the world.

Reflection on the Trimester

Overall, I think that this trimester was a productive one. Despite facing some communication challenges, especially with the art team, we managed to collaborate effectively and bring the game to fruition. My contributions ranged from narrative development to the implementation of interactive systems, all of which were crucial to the game’s progress.